Restored WITH LOVE

Drawn by the peaceful setting and history of the property, Alison Elliott and her husband, James Sampson, have lovingly improved their elegant Victorian townhouse

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Originally from County Monaghan, Ireland, Alison and her husband James met while both working in Belfast and, a few years later, they relocated to the north of England for work.

'We'd been living in a rented two-bedroom maisonette near the east coast,' recalls Alison, 'but were keen to start a family and buy our first property together.'

'We both grew up in rural areas and wanted to raise our children in a similar way, surrounded by nature and simple pleasures, in a characterful period property,' says Alison. Good connections to the city for work were also essential, and the couple found exactly what they were looking for in a quiet hamlet, a 20-minute drive from Newcastle, surrounded by rolling countryside.

'Our six-bedroom Victorian property was one of eight townhouses that made up a striking redbrick Victorian terrace, which seemed quite out of place in its secluded woodland setting,' recalls Alison. 'We've since learnt 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!'