1:14pm Thursday 21st January 2010
Television archaeologist Miriam Cooke has just finished turning an historic building in the heart of Barnard Castle into a comfortable family home… and now she’s got to move on, she tells Jenny Needham.
WITH connections to the castle after which Barnard Castle was named and a story that goes back further still, 44 The Bank is truly an historic home. It is fitting then, that for the past six years it has been home to someone with a deep love for all things historical.
TV archaeologist Miriam Cooke, 37, and her screenwriter husband Nigel Horne, 44, have breathed new life into the house, which was an outward bound shop when they bought it.
“After six years, it is almost finished, but now we have to move to be nearer work in London,” says Miriam. “It was quite a thing to take on a listed Grade II* building but we talked to the conservation officer throughout the project and didn’t encounter many problems – except, of course, the fact that with an old house, you never quite know what’s underneath.”
The couple have spent £100,000 on improvements – putting in central heating, replacing the kitchen and bathroom, creating two internal lobbies, renovating the attic to turn it into a master bedroom suite and installing a staircase to a spacious cellar. Not much has been left untouched, but Miriam is probably most pleased with the attic room, where she wanted a more contemporary look.
“It’s worked really well,” she says.
Up to 400 years ago, the property, together with its neighbours, was a single dwelling known as the Manor House. Built in 1620, it is believed it was home to an official of the castle or the chief agent to the lord of the manor and, because of its status then, that some form of building may have stood on the same site since medieval times.
Early in the 18th Century it is believed that the Manor House was converted into an inn. Doubtless it would have been a busy establishment thanks to its location close to the County Bridge, which brought visitors across the River Tees, as it does today.
Number 44 was created from the single building some time before 1820 and was later a series of shops, including a chemist’s.
Since becoming a home, the original features and character have been enhanced so that it now has the same reputation as a very desirable residence it had four centuries ago.
Outside, the house boasts ornamental stonework and other signs of 17th Century architecture. The period stonework continues inside and is exposed to dramatic effect in the kitchen where the imposing chimney breast houses an Aga and is complemented by a beamed ceiling and stone-flagged floor, which continues into the lovely sitting room.
Packed with the kind of desirable features that appeal to modern buyers – fireplaces, oak beams, stripped wooden floors – the property is a great example of history that works in the 21st Century.
Much of the stonework and blackened beams were rescued from the castle itself, and the emphasis on natural materials is warm and welcoming.
The house currently doubles as a family home and bed and breakfast establishment, and breakfast is served in the stone-flagged Great Hall with its inglenook fireplace.
One of the bedrooms is famous for its rare Jacobean hand-moulded ceiling, believed to be one of only four in the country.
Reached by a private ancient alleyway, the property’s sunny courtyard and pretty enclosed garden make for a quiet oasis from the hustle and bustle of this busy and popular market town.
Number 44 is just a few doors away from Blagraves, a first class restaurant which dates from the 15th Century and is known for its connection with both King Richard III and Cromwell.
Further into town are antiques shops, galleries, tearooms and other services, as well as Barnard Castle’s famous Bowes Museum and the independent Barnard Castle School.
Former fashion model Miriam will be sad to leave the area. “We originally came here because I wanted to study for a PhD in environmental archaeology at Durham University.
Nigel’s family is from Toft Hill and we’ve loved living here. There is so much to do on the doorstep in beautiful countryside and the schools are great.”
The couple have two children – Daisy, five, and twoyear old Wilfrid – and are looking for a home in Brighton.
Since she appeared in the channel Five series Egypt Detectives, Miriam and Nigel have been developing ideas for factual programmes through their production company Viking Film & Television, and commuting from the North has become increasingly difficult. “We are up and down on the train from Darlington a lot and living so far away makes it difficult to do anything workwise on the spur of the moment,” says Miriam.
“Barnard Castle is beautiful. There’s so much history here. It’ll be a wrench to leave, but I’m looking forward to living by the sea.”
■ The Ancient Manor House is on the market for £445,000 with Fine and Country.
Tel: 0843-314-3852
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