Once serving as the mill farm for the now ruined Haggerston Castle, this 18th-century house has recently undergone extensive renovation. Taking great care to retain the original character of this handsome home, original features including sash windows with snug-fitting wooden shutters, high ceilings and large stone inglenook fireplaces have been meticulously restored and now sit alongside upmarket furnishings, and stylish paintwork. Homely and grand they strike the perfect – and hard to achieve – balance between cosy, contemporary and traditional.
The numerous areas in which guests may gather or — and we’re thinking of space-loving teenagers here — segregate have also undergone extensive renovation. That includes a devoted cinema room, fitted with blackout blinds, a 75-inch, surround-sound Smart TV and even LED ceiling lights; a bar area where you can clink cocktails on stool chairs; and a games room whose full-size snooker table, console-supporting TV, football and dartboard options all vie for attention.
Also on the ground floor is a large dining kitchen (seating 14), featuring numerous appliances – such as a rangemaster electric cooker, American-style fridge-freezer, built-in wine cooler and Nespresso machine – where family and friends will no doubt congregate to rustle up something for supper over a bottle of wine. Though you may prefer to enjoy your evening aperitif in the large, light-filled sitting room, where bi-fold doors open out onto the garden. Completing the ground floor, there’s a warm utility room where dogs can sleep and a cosy, stove-heated snug for reading or card-playing.
You’ll find all of the bedrooms upstairs. A dozen steep steps lead from the sitting room to two super-king-sized chambers that can also feature twin single beds on request; these share a lovely family shower room. Another, shallower staircase connects the entrance hall to a pair of characterful super-king rooms (one with en-suite shower room) which can each have a child’s daybed added on request, a two-bunk room and a big bathroom whose slipper tub allows for sumptuous soaks. Accessed via low-ceilinged steps and featuring two super-king or twin bedrooms, the second floor suits adults or teens keen on some seclusion. In total, 14 adults and two additional children can be accommodated.
Brockmill Farmhouse is just as impressive on the outside, with its large, south-facing lawn garden offering giant chess, giant Jenga and croquet. There’s also a pretty patio, edged with rose bushes around two large tables and a barbecue, which is a lovely spot for al-fresco dining on sunny days.
The Garden is enclosed whenever the farm gate and iron driveway gate are shut. And while occasional cars may pass by, bound for the neighbouring cottages and farm or a five-pitch caravan site, you should expect ample doses of rural quiet amid this picturesque coastal corner. As such, it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for passing deer, hares or barn owls in the surrounding fields.
With Holy Island and its transient causeway on the doorstep, it’s a short five-minute drive or 35-minute walk across to Lindisfarne, although you’ll need to pay attention to the ever-changing tides. Also close by is the excellent Barn at Beal restaurant, while Cheswick Sands beach and bewitching Bamburgh Castle are less than ten miles away.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION
For guests looking to holiday together but enjoy their own space, Brockmill Farmhouse will be available to book in conjunction with the adjoining Mill Cottage, sleeping four, and nearby Granary View sleeping 6 (2 minutes' walk door to door).
Getting availability
