A VICTORIAN woman advised to move to the country for her health wanted to replicate her impressive home in rural surroundings – with her former home, in Darlington, being reminiscent of the grand London terraces of the time, 1864.

That’s one explanation for the existence of the impressive Hollin Hill Terrace in Riding Mill, a street of listed red-brick properties.

Art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner has a different opinion, stating in his architectural guide, Buildings of England, that the street’s surprisingly urban style was due to the arrival of the railway in Riding Mill in 1835, leading people to move out of the city to more rural commuter areas.

Whatever the truth, there’s no doubt that the houses in Hollin Hill Terrace are breathtakingly different to the other stone-built properties in the village.

One of them, offering four floors of stunning and spacious accommodation in this sought-after location, is now on the market, having been the family home of consultant anaesthetists David Laffey and Anne Coleman for 25 years.

The couple, who worked in Hexham General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, respectively, are now both retired and are downsizing.

“We knew the area, having lived in Hexham for four years,” Anne said. “The attraction of this house was the beautiful Victorian architecture and the huge amount of space it offered, both inside and out.

“We had two small children at the time – Harriet, now a trainee doctor in Australia, and James, a wine merchant in London.

“Riding Mill is a great place to bring up children. The village has an excellent first school and loads of activities – an active church and village hall, cricket and tennis clubs, lots of other sports and art-related clubs for both adults and children, and a very well-regarded drama group.”

Her home is in a central yet private position within Riding Mill with a peaceful front garden and paved rear courtyard. It is packed with period features, including original ceiling cornices, fireplaces, floorboards, staircase, bay window and stained glass.

It has a living room, breakfasting kitchen, utility room, cloakroom and wine cellar on the lower-ground floor; reception hall, drawing and dining rooms and shower room on the ground floor; en-suite master bedroom and second large bedroom on the first floor and two bedrooms, a study/bedroom and landing with extensive storage on the top floor.

Anne said: “We did a lot of structural work when we moved in, including replacement of roof timbers, conservation pointing to the front elevation, restoration of decorative plasterwork, cornices and Victorian fire inserts, and installation of a third bathroom.

“More recently we have installed a new roof, using reclaimed slates, insulation to the house and a new garage roof. We renovated all the bathrooms and the kitchen, and put in a new central heating system.

“My favourite room is the drawing room, which has a huge, south-facing bay window looking out over the woodland surrounding the terrace, so is very light and very peaceful.

“I’d have to say that the unique selling point of our home is the surprise of finding a terrace of eight classical Victorian townhouses in such a rural setting.

“We are only five minutes’ walk from the centre of the village, but the terrace is set on a private road in the midst of private woodland, so is extremely peaceful with lots of trees, grass and birdsong.

“We have an enclosed back courtyard and a south-facing front garden and patio, and also a quarter-share in the area of grass and woodland opposite our house, which has mature trees and ample space for climbing frames and so on.”

The house is also very conveniently located, close to Corbridge and Hexham, with easy access to the A69 and on both the train and bus routes between Carlisle and Newcastle. There are ample walking and cycling routes nearby.

“What I’ll miss most is the sheer beauty of the building, and the scale of the rooms,” said Anne. “It was a great place to bring up teenagers, with plenty of space for them to have friends over, and endless storage space.”

The property in Hollin Hill Terrace, Riding Mill, is for sale at £600,000 through Rook Matthews Sayer, tel. (01434) 601616.