Cottage offers best of old and new and a taste of the 'Good Life'

Ash Cottage, Ravensworth£825,000
Ash Cottage, RavensworthAsh Cottage, Ravensworth
Ash Cottage, Ravensworth

Architect Carole Cuthbertson used her design skills to renovate and update this gorgeous Georgian cottage.

Now it’s the perfect blend of old and new with an immaculate finish thanks to Carole’s attention to detail.

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She and her partner, Toni Buckley, bought the stone-built property in 2008 and stripped it right back so they could install insulation and new wiring, plumbing and a new roof.#

The gardens with raised vegetable bedsThe gardens with raised vegetable beds
The gardens with raised vegetable beds

“I specialise in commercial buildings with my job so doing a big residential project was an itch I had to scratch. I got a lot of inspiration for the interiors from boutique hotels,” says Carole.

“The house hadn’t been touched for years and it needed a lot of work but it was the project I was looking for and it is in a fabulous village. It’s friendly and it’s only five miles from the A1, which is perfect as I work between Leeds and Newcastle.”

The house, which boasts underfloor heating, LED lighting and a sound system, has a dining hall, sitting room, snug, inner hall, boot room, an open pan living kitchen with handmade pippy oak units and bi-fold doors onto a courtyard. On the first floor, there are two large double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. The master bedroom suite features bespoke built in wardrobes. On the second floor, there are two further double bedrooms and a bathroom.

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A glass corridor links the Georgian House to the two storey barn conversion/annexe to the rear, which is designed to be flexible and suitable for a range of uses.

The gardens with raised vegetable bedsThe gardens with raised vegetable beds
The gardens with raised vegetable beds

Carole admits that she “probably made the builders lives a misery: “I have very exacting standards and attention to detail is very important to me,” she says.

Outside, there is a garage and parking area. The gardens and grounds extend to 0.65 acres and there is a walled courtyard with a sunken dining area and two further patio areas The property also come with a paddock. The previously overgrown garden is perfect for those who want to live “The Good Life”. There are chickens with a hut straight out of Grand Designs and a vegetable garden with raised beds.

“Our friends call us Tom and Barbara but everyone benefits from the produce we grow. When we move we will create another vegetable garden as I can’t imagine being without one now,” says Carole, who is selling to downsize.

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Estate agent Tim Gower, of Robin Jessop, says: “The property offers the best of both worlds. It comprises a period property which has been modernised to suit contemporary living.”

*For details contact Robin Jessop, tel: 01969 622800, www.robinjessop.co.uk

Ravensworth is five miles from the A1 and has a pub.

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