About this property
Chester House is a wonderful stone-built, detached 19th century cottage located in 3 acres of it’s own land, situated adjacent to the village of Westgate, within easy reach of Stanhope. It has been renovated to an incredibly high standard and is heated via a ground sourced heating system. Individually styled and furnished, this fabulous cottage is a unique property steeped in history, offering traditional accommodation with beautiful oak beams and open vaulted rooms, ideal for extended families and groups of friends looking to discover this delightful area. With the benefit of its wonderful location near the popular Weardale Way, this Weardale cottage rests amongst glorious countryside with a great local public house less than a mile stroll away in the hamlet of Westgate, serving fabulous home cooked local speciality dishes and with it’s very own onsite micro brewery. Bright and cheery throughout and offering stunning views from every window, guests will find plenty of space in which to relax and unwind, with each of the rooms offering the luxury of underfloor heating, each room can be individually thermostatically controlled. The cosy living room in this Weardale cottage has beautiful oak flooring; the furniture is centred around the large wood burning stove and flat screen TV for those chilly evenings. The kitchen/dining area provides an excellent space to gather together over dinner and discuss the events of the day. The kitchen units are bespoke built from oak complete with quartz counter tops. A ground floor bedroom with double-size bed has beautiful exposed stone walls with an adjacent shower room, and is great for those requiring downstairs accessibility. A further three bedrooms of varying sizes and layouts can be found upstairs. All upstairs bedrooms have high vaulted ceilings, original oak beams and skylights for night sky viewing. There are two bedrooms each with double beds, one with an original stone fireplace, and an additional bunk room with two single beds. Every room offers breath-taking views of the Weardale valley landscape and provides a comfortable night’s rest. The property is situated just outside a lovely hamlet location and is ideally placed for exploring the historic small market town of Stanhope and further afield Wolsingham, both offering Victorian architecture, independent shops, fabulous teashops, restaurants and traditional public houses. Also in the area is the medieval Stanhope Castle, a heated open air swimming pool, the Weardale Railway, Killhope Mining Museum, Weardale museum, Weardale Ski centre and the stunning High Force waterfall. A luxury cottage, perfect for family and friends to get away from it all and enjoy the peace and tranquilly of this increasingly popular area.
Westgate is set in rural countryside and is home to a pub, whilst further amenities can be found in the village of Stanhope, five miles away. Stanhope is described as the "Capital of Weardale" as it occupies a sheltered position on the north side of the Wear at the confluence of the river and the Stanhope burn. Stanhope is home to the Durham Dales Centre, offering tourist information, a coffee shop and local arts and crafts.
Accommodation
Over two floors.
four bedrooms: 1 x double on the ground floor with adjacent shower, basin and WC, 2 x double rooms on the first floor, 1 bunk room with two singles, (the bunk bed is accessed via a steep ladder, not suitable for small children) a bathroom with cast iron freestanding bath, separate walkthrough shower, 2x basins and WC.
Ground floor kitchen and dining area with woodburning stove, ground floor sitting room with woodburning stove, outside utility room with washing machine.
Ground sourced underfloor heating system, with two woodburning stoves.
Rangemaster cooker with 6-ring induction hobs, 2 x electric ovens, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, 1 x TV with Freeview, WiFi, selection of books and games.
Fuel, power and starter pack for stoves included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Cot and highchair available upon request.
One well behaved pet.
Ample off road parking, 2 spaces in front of the house & multiple spaces adjacent to the front gate.
Bike storage available in the utility room.
Courtyard garden with 6 person hot tub.
The hot tub is housed in its own dedicated hut complete with luxury bathrobes, fairy lights & an Amazon dot so you can listen to your favourite tunes whilst taking a dip in the tub.
Wrought iron table and 6 seats for outdoor dining plus BBQ.
Conservatory with underfloor heating & seating, a great place to watch the sun go down.
Sorry, no smoking.
Nearest shops are 2 miles away in St Johns Chapel, public house less than a mile to walk in Westgate.
Note: The access road is a long, bumpy farm track and not suitable for low slung vehicles.
Note: A chef service is available consisting of a home-cooked 2, 3 or 4 course dinner, afternoon tea, BBQ, Sunday Roast & bespoke cakes for all occasions – all prepared by a trained chef using locally sourced produce at an additional cost, please contact the owner for more information.
Note - The Check in time for this property is 4pm
Note - This property does not accept any Stag, Hen or similar parties.
Note: A spa service is available on site offering a full suite of beauty treatments from facials, massages, reikhi, pedicures, manicures all provided in the luxury of Chester House by a 5* trained beauty therapist, for an additional cost, please contact the owner for more information
Reviews (31)
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Madelein
Maybe we were just unlucky to experience so many issues during our stay but we were actually glad to return home at the end of our holiday. We booked Chester house for a family holiday for 2 adults, 3 children and 1 dog. Upon arrival we were disappointed to discover one of the bedrooms hadn't been made up. When we contacted the owner about it, we were informed that the housekeeper assumed we wouldn't need the 4th bedroom. Although the owner told us where we could find extra bedding to make the bed ourselves, it definitely created a negative first impression. We were also disappointed to discover no welcome basket (apart from a bag of dog treats), despite a welcome email and the information booklet both mentioning treats to enjoy upon arrival. When we asked the owner about it, we were told it was due to the local shop having no milk on the morning of our arrival. Personally, I wouldn't consider milk as a welcome treat. Examples of welcome treats we have had at other properties previously, include a selection of cakes, scones, pasties, wine/fresh fruit juice, biscuits and/or chocolates and normally there's no prior mention about these welcome treats so it is great when you find an unexpected treat. Maybe our expectations were raised due to the prior mention of it in the welcome email, but it was a disappointment to find no welcome treats. The kitchen is gorgeous and was my favourite room in the house, but we feel that the wooden surround around the woodburner isn't safe. The wooden pieces are coming apart at the corners and this creates sharp edges which caused a nasty gash when accidentally kicked. When mentioned to the owner, we were informed that the wooden surround was installed to protect from the slate fireplace. We feel it's been poorly done and in our opinion actually more dangerous than the slate fireplace, but that is only our personal opinion. Another issue we had was with the WIFI. It was pretty much non-existing during our stay. The owner did reach out to the provider to check if there were any issues with WIFI in the area but unfortunately we experienced issues during our whole stay, The owner did issue a small refund due to the WIFI issues. The upstairs shower wasn't working during our stay. Again, the owner tried to get it sorted while we were there but unfortunately it wasn't sorted out in time. There were some positives. The location is gorgeous and remote. The hot tub is a great addition. The house is spacious and beautiful, but we feel it is in need of some TLC. There were plenty of family games available. The owner was very responsive and helpful. Maybe we visited during a bad week for Chester house or maybe we were just unlucky but we will not return to Chester house again.
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Cath
The drive to the location was breathtaking. The accommodation is remote which allows you to experience the peace, quiet & wildlife. The panoramic view of the landscape is stunning. We are 3 generations and it suited us all. The hot tub was a hit with the children, enjoyable walks from the doorstep, cosy fires, secure garden for the dog, food, wine & laughter. Lovely memories made & an extremely relaxing stay. Thank you Karen for your welcome call. Your house is a little gem.
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Michael
Nice and quiet you can hear the owls hooting at night! Great hot tub too!