A LARGE detached home is now for sale, set in its own grounds and tucked away in a private position at the end of one of Hexham’s terraces.

Helen and Chris Milner have lived there for the past 16 years with their children Josie, David and Emma. Josie and David have left home and Emma is now at university so the couple are downsizing.

“It’s a big house,” said Chris, who runs the Hextol Foundation charity in Hexham. “There are four floors with two bedrooms and a shower room in the loft – put in by the previous owners – and rooms in the basement.”

The property’s lower-ground floor has a good-sized utility room with ceramic tiled flooring, fitted cupboards and worktops and plumbing for a washing machine. Storage cupboards and a toilet are off this room. Externally is a large garden storage room under the house.

The Milners moved to Hextol House in 2001 from a nearby estate.

“We didn’t know the house existed until it came on the market,” said Helen, who also works at the Hextol Foundation as projects and marketing manager.

Chris added: “We discovered it when we were looking; although there are houses around us, it feels very private.”

Hextol House is hidden away at the end of Hextol Terrace, within walking distance of all the amenities of the town centre.

The house was built in 1921 and has period features such as the original fireplaces, bay windows, coving and picture rails.

Chris said: “It’s got a nice larder and some interesting little spaces like the cellar underneath the house where we keep garden equipment and other bits and pieces.”

Front double doors lead to a reception hall with an impressive staircase, a cloakroom and doors to the reception rooms.

The living room has a feature brick fireplace with log-burning stove and the dining room also has a fireplace, this one incorporating a real-flame coal-gas fire, and built-in shelving. Both the reception rooms have bay windows and ornate cornice ceilings. The breakfasting kitchen is a spacious L-shaped room with fitted cabinets and built-in crockery cupboards with overhead lockers.

The room is warmed by a Rayburn cooking stove and for summer use there is a gas hob cooker and separate oven.

A walk-in pantry has additional ample shelving and to the back of the kitchen is a fully-glazed new porch with a staircase to the lower-ground floor.

Chris said: “The kitchen is the favourite room for both of us. It’s just very homely.

“We have all our meals in there, there’s enough room for all the family to gather round and for us to enjoy ourselves and the Rayburn keeps it nice and warm.”

Going upstairs, there’s a separate toilet on the half-landing and a four-piece family bathroom on the main landing, along with three bedrooms, all with fireplaces and one with built-in shelving.

There’s a study area under the staircase leading to the top floor which has two bedrooms, with sloping ceilings and Velux windows, shower room and built-in cupboard on the landing. Large mature gardens surround the house with trees, bushes, shrubs, flowerbeds and pathways.

“We dug out a large vegetable patch with a shed at one end and there’s a small ornamental pond as well which is quite nice,” Chris said.

“The whole garden is enclosed by a beech hedge so it was lovely for the children to play in when they were younger. We’re going to miss the garden when we move.”

Helen added: “The house’s situation is a real plus point, you can walk to the schools and into town. We have parking and we’re tucked away.

“Passers-by can see the garage but they can’t see the house. I’ll miss all the nooks and crannies, the old features of the house.”

Hextol House, Hextol Terrace, Hexham, is for sale at £595,000 through Andrew Coulson, tel. (01434) 600146.