House in Allenheads, Northumberland

Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines

Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines

Photo gallery for Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines

The old school house in spring
The old school house on the hill
Common area overview
Common area detail
Common area

Overview of Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines

4.9 out of 5 Exceptional
4 bedroomsSleeps 1248 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Hot tub
  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Dryer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Free WiFi

Explore the area

Allenheads, Northumberland
  • Popular LocationKillhope Lead Mining Museum8 min drive
  • Popular LocationWeardale Museum8 min drive
  • Popular LocationNenthead Mines10 min drive
  • AirportNewcastle (NCL-Newcastle Intl.)72 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 12)

Shower room 1

Shower only

Shower room 2

Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining Area

About this property

Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines

The space:

* Minimum stays vary so please contact owner to confirm minimum stay for your preferred dates.

* Ask about discounts for less than 8 people - or more than 3 nights!

Overlooking England’s highest village, the Old School House offers panoramic views over the stunning rural landscape of the North Pennines. It is an ideal place for a relaxing yet invigorating escape from the daily routine.

The west wing of the Victorian schoolhouse, originally used as a classroom and library, has recently been refurbished to provide spacious, self-contained, accommodation for visitors. It is a beautiful space which includes an open-plan living area with high ceilings, a wood-burning stove, big comfortable sofas and a long dining table with a fitted oak kitchen.

Since summer 2012 we have had a number of delighted visitors including groups of friends and families, artists, writers and poetry groups, musicians, film makers, photographers, and cyclists on the coast to coast route.

An on-site observatory (North Pennines Observatory) is now open for guests to explore one of the country's best dark sky areas for stargazing. Additional charges and pre-booking for this are required. Please contact us for more details.

The property has been listed in the September 2016 edition of The Guardian’s top places to stay in the UK over Christmas and New Year.

“I’m not looking forward to going back to the real world, this has been an amazing place to stay.”
- Ditte Elly, Newcastle

“It would be hard to find a place more rural and remote, yet on the inside it has the feel of a New York studio loft.”
- Elaine Williams, The Guardian.


Location:

The village of Allenheads has a friendly pub, a café serving delicious home-made food, a small shop, Heritage Centre and Nature Trail.

For anyone wanting to tour the North of England and Scottish Borders the Old School House in Allenheads is the perfect location, and only about one hour’s drive from the A1 or M1.
At 1350 feet it is England's highest village and situated within a designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

It is also located in an area with some of the best Dark Sky Discover Sites in the UK and we the North Pennines Observatory at ACA is located on our premises. Star gazing equipment and telescopes are available for use before or after the completion date to give you direct access to these nationally acclaimed skies. Additional charges may apply for tuition and access to the large telescopes. Pre-booking is required.

Allenheads is just over an hour's drive from the nearest cities of Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, Sunderland, Middlesborough and Carlisle, but it feels a world apart within the rolling North Pennine hills.


Facilities at the Old School House include:

Large open-plan area:
- Fitted kitchen with solid oak doors. Integrated dishwasher (please bring dishwasher tablets and washing up liquid), fridge-freezer, built-in oven and ceramic hob. Cutlery, crockery and glassware (including wine glasses and champagne flutes) for 12 people. Pots, pans and utensils etc.,
- Sturdy, solid oak dining table extending to fit up to 12 dining chairs,
- 3 leather sofas.

Bedrooms:
- 2 twin or double bedrooms
- 2 bunk rooms with 4 beds in each
- all bedding is provided

* Please let us know in advance which bedroom layout you require in the twin or double rooms

Bathrooms:
- 2 bathrooms with 1 toilet cubicle, 1 shower cubicle and 2 sinks in each.
- please bring towels, toiletries and toilet paper.

Heating:
- Central heating throughout.
- Additional portable oil filled radiators in bedrooms if required.
- Coal & log burning stove in main open-plan room for extra comfort.
- Electric instantly heated showers.

Other facilities:
- Lock up room for bikes.
- Clothes washing machine, tumble dryer and clothes airer.

Other rooms and equipment for leisure or professional use:
- East wing: large classroom (8 x 8 metres) for meetings, conferences, workshops, performances or exhibitions with; big screen projection, surround sound speakers, window blackouts, slide projector, overhead projector, laptop & DVD player.
- Full size table tennis table.
- North Pennines Observatory @ ACA **from spring 2017** (extra charges will apply)
- I.T and admin services such as copying, scanning, printing.
(May incur extra cost)

In the village, in the former village Post Office and Shop, a versatile venue of approximately 7 x 4 metres can also be made available for meetings, workshops, presentations and exhibitions.

Pets:
Well behaved dogs are welcome at a surcharge of £10. Please dispose of any waste properly and remove fallen fur.

Please let us know your eta and the number of cars you will arrive in for parking.

Check in is from 4pm and check out is before 11am.

Property manager

Helen Ratcliffe
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Amenities

Hot tub
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 11:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

Events allowed

Pets

Pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
Smoking allowed outdoors

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events are allowed on site

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Hexham

Located in Hexham, this cottage is in a rural area. Weardale Museum and Housesteads Fort and Museum - Hadrian's Wall are local landmarks, and the area's natural beauty can be seen at North Pennines and North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Fishing offers a great chance to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with ecotours, cave exploring and cycling nearby.

What's nearby

  • Killhope Lead Mining Museum - 8 min drive
  • Weardale Museum - 8 min drive
  • Allendale Forge Studios - 10 min drive
  • Nenthead Mines - 10 min drive
  • North Pennines - 13 min drive

Getting around

  • Bardon Mill Station - 24 min drive
  • Carlisle (CAX) - 76 min drive

Restaurants

  • The Blue Bell Inn - 10 min drive
  • Hare & Hounds - 11 min drive
  • The Golden Lion - 10 min drive
  • Chatterbox Cafe - 10 min drive
  • Hive at Nenthead - 9 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Old School House, Beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the Pennines located?

Situated in a rural location, this cottage is 5.6 mi (9 km) from Weardale Museum and within 12 miles (20 km) of North Pennines and North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Derwent Reservoir and High Force are also within 16 miles (25 km).

Reviews

4.9

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 5 - Excellent. 12 out of 14 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Good. 2 out of 14 reviews" "
Rating 3 - Okay. 0 out of 14 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Poor. 0 out of 14 reviews" "
Rating 1 - Terrible. 0 out of 14 reviews" "

4.6/5

Cleanliness

4.9/5

Check-in

4.8/5

Communication

4.9/5

Location

4.8/5

Listing accuracy

Reviews

5/5 Excellent

john k.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great location
Visited with a group of mountain bikers and the location was ideal a remote very picturesque The owner was excellent and very helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

5/5 Excellent

Kieran C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Lovely
Enjoyed the stay, fantastic service with no issues👍

4/5 Good

Diana T.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Old school house
We stayed in the property with another family with young children and had a good stay. It has a good size open plan living dining space for everyone to mingle. The childrens bedrooms are situated on the other side of the adults bedrooms so the children need to be confident at night. There is a great view from the garden but unfortunately not much space on the garden furniture (little picnic table for 4 max). We really enjoyed the woodburner.

5/5 Excellent

Mikal P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The Old School House, Allenheads
A great place for a family get-together: warm, plenty of room and amazing location. Owner was friendly and helpful, and property was well-equipped 🙂.

5/5 Excellent

Robert D.

Great Host / House
Great house in ideal setting for a group of 12 to meet up for the weekend. Would highly recommend
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

About the host

Hosted by Helen Ratcliffe

Host profile image
I live in a separate part of the building with my family - we don't get in your way but are here to help if you need anything. Out of season, we also run arts projects at the Old School House and offer the large classroom in the East Wing for exhibitions, functions and meetings.

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