FULL OF character
25 Beautiful Homes|October 2024
The tranquil location and beautiful period features are what drew Alison Elliott and her husband James sual Victo Sampson to their unusual Victorian townhouse
MARISHA TAYLOR
FULL OF character

Originally from County Monaghan, Alison Elliott, an architect, met her husband, James Sampson, a doctor, while they were both working in Belfast and a few years later they moved to the North of England for work. ‘We’d been living in a rented two-bedroom maisonette near the east coast but we were keen to start a family and buy our first property together,’ Alison recalls.

‘We both grew up in rural areas and wanted to raise our children in a similar way, surrounded by nature, in a characterful period property.’ The couple have a daughter, Nina, four, and one-year-old son Rory. A good connection to the city centre for work was also essential. The house they found was exactly what they were looking for – in a quiet hamlet, a short drive from Newcastle and surrounded by rolling countryside.

‘Our six-bedroom Victorian property was one of eight townhouses that made up a striking red-brick Victorian terrace which seemed quite out of place in its secluded woodland setting. We’ve since learnt that it was built by a wealthy Victorian lady, who’d been advised by doctors to move to the country for health reasons and didn’t want to lose out on the glamour of high-class society!’

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