“A Historic Schoolhouse with Cinema Past, in the Heart of the North Pennines AONB”

Tucked into the rugged beauty of Upper Weardale and wrapped in dry-stone walls and moorland skies, Barrington Hall is no ordinary country home.

Built in 1819 at the instruction of Bishop Shute Barrington, this handsome stone-built residence began life as the village schoolhouse, educating generations of local children through the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the 1930s, its high-ceilinged hall became the village cinema, a gathering place for stories, laughter, and warmth through the war years.

Today, beautifully restored and full of soul, it offers something increasingly rare: a home with genuine depth of character, quietly updated for modern living.

A PLACE OF CHARACTER AND COMFORT

The house opens into an elegant interior of over 1,560 sq. ft, arranged across three levels and finished to a move-in-ready standard.

At its heart is the cathedral-ceilinged living room, a breathtaking space flooded with light from the original arched window, crowned by exposed beams and a 12kW log burner that anchors the space with warmth and presence.

The bespoke kitchen offers a classic country feel, with painted units, open shelving, and a traditional AGA Rayburn range cooker. There's a lovely outlook to the side garden – where deer and pheasants often pass by – and a calm, intimate atmosphere for cooking or conversation.

Tucked off the hall is the principal bedroom, complete with the original school caretaker’s fireplace, a rare and evocative detail. In total, the house offers three bedrooms, a family bathroom with thermostatic shower over bath, and a stylish cloakroom WC with concealed utility area.

A sunroom opens directly onto the front garden, providing the perfect transition between indoor and outdoor life.

RECENT UPGRADES

– Three new bespoke external doors installed, including an 11-foot full-glass garden door – replacing draughty, rotten originals

– Secondary glazing added to key hardwood windows – preserving character while improving insulation

– New flooring fitted to approx. 75% of the house, including a bespoke stair runner

– Multiple new column radiators, including installation in the second bedroom (previously unheated)

– Electrical upgrades, including rewiring in key areas, new sockets, and full safety certification

– Rayburn professionally refurbished and reconnected, now fully operational

– Nest smart heating system installed – app-connected for remote control and energy efficiency

– 12kw log burner installed, replacing the broken original

– Roof repairs

– New secure fencing to rear garden

– Major structural repairs to historic garden walls

– Sun room refurbishment, including internal works and leak-proofing

– Full fibre broadband (FTTP) – not just FTTC – offering ultrafast speeds up to 1Gb

– Full professional redecoration throughout

– High-end fixtures and fittings, blending heritage charm with modern comfort

The house sits within securely enclosed gardens to the side and rear with additional front garden and driveway, with stone walls, fencing and wooden gates. A small stream meanders through the rear garden, creating a seasonal waterfall in the wetter months – a soothing soundscape for those craving nature and stillness.

There’s off-road parking in front, with scope to create a wider driveway if desired (subject to simple landscaping).

Abundant local wildlife – deer, grouse, pheasants, owls and more – can be spotted from the windows or on the many footpaths just outside the gate, leading to Burnhope Reservoir, the River Wear, and the long-distance trails around Cross Fell and the Pennine Way.

LOCATION

Located in Wearhead, a quiet Pennine village on the edge of County Durham and Cumbria, the property sits in the North Pennines AONB – a designated landscape of outstanding natural beauty, with dark skies, wild fells, and a strong sense of community.

There’s a local school (Ofsted Good), café a mile away, and community life, yet the setting feels profoundly untouched, offering solitude, inspiration and stillness – yet with fibre broadband ready when needed

PART A

Local Authority – Durham County Council

Council Tax Band – E

Tenure – Freehold

PART B

Property Type – detached

Property Construction – Stone

Number & Types of Rooms – Please refer to the details and floorplan, all measurements taken being the maximum dimensions available between internal walls

Electricity supply – Mains

Water Supply - Mains (unmetered)

Sewerage – Mains

Heating - Oil fired boiler with radiators

Estimated Mobile phone coverage – Please refer to the Ofcom Website - https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage

Estimated Broadband Download speeds – please refer to the Ofcom Website – https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/broadband-coverage

Parking: off road parking - Scope to create a driveway with clever landscaping

PART C

Building Safety – The Vendor is not aware of any Building Safety issues. However, we would recommend that the purchaser engages the services of a chartered surveyor to confirm

Restrictions - None

Rights & Easements- An Easement is noted on the title dated 1976

Flood risk – very low

Coastal Erosion - NA

Protected Trees – no

Conservation area – Yes and within the North Pennines area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Planning Permission – no

Accessibility – The property has not been altered for accessibility

Mining Area – no

Selective License Area – no

No other Material Information disclosures have been made by the vendor. This information has been compiled in good faith using resources readily available online and by enquiry of the vendor prior to marketing. However, such information could change after compilation of the data, so J W Wood cannot be held liable for any changes post compilation or any accidental errors or omissions.

Furthermore, J W Wood are not legally qualified and conveyancing documents are often complicated, necessitating judgement on our part about which parts are “Material Information” to be disclosed. If any information provided, or other matter relating to the property, is of particular importance to you, please do seek verification from a legal advisor before committing to expenditure.

HMRC supervises the legal obligation for all estate agents to conduct identity checks on their customers, this includes buyers when their offer is accepted. This must be completed, per purchaser, who in the transaction will result in being the legal owner(s) of the property. There is a £30 (inc VAT) administration fee per individual purchaser, for these checks