Helen’s hideaway

THE most common reaction from guests arriving at the Hideaway at Herrington Hill, a Georgian house concealed among trees and with a view of Penshaw Monument, is surprise. Most are first-time visitors – it only opened as a guesthouse early last year – and have booked with only the website as their guide. They are simply unprepared for the historic grandeur with which they are greeted. “It’s lovely to see people’s surprise,” says owner Helen McCall.

“They are so overwhelmed.”

Originally built in around 1838 as a hunting lodge for the Earl of Durham, known as Lord Lambton, Herrington Hill House was occupied by a succession of tenant farmers before Helen and her late husband Peter bought it, in 1998. It retains many of its original features, including a beautiful arched doorway and hunting-themed dining room, and the sense of character is palpable as you step into the quiet hall.

Yet there is nothing stuffy about Herrington Hill. Helen greets you with her soft Geordie accent and natural warmth and all around are hints of quirkiness which are all her own: a sign reads, “What if the Hokey Cokey really is what it’s all about?” and there is a picture of foxes apparently at a party.

It was Peter who was first captivated by the house’s charm. “He always knew this house existed and he thought it was in the perfect location because it is so secluded yet so close to everywhere,” says Helen, 51. “He thought it would be a great place for our daughter Katie to grow up. Now she has grown up and gone on to Manchester University to study languages and she is very happy working in Austria.”

Sadly, Peter died from a long illness after moving to Herrington Hill. Helen thought about leaving, but simply couldn’t find another property that measured up. “My partner Philip Ramshaw and I decided we were going to buy another house together, but every house we looked at didn’t come up to this one, even though it needed a lot of work doing to it,” she says. “So Philip decided to renovate this.”

It was an epic task – windows, electrics and heating all had to be replaced, and there were countless other jobs like plastering and landscaping.

Philip, a retired dentist, took on the manual work while Helen took charge of interiors.

Finally, the house was just as they wanted it – then when Katie, 23, left; along with Philip’s children, Lucinda, 29, and James, 25, it suddenly seemed empty.

“We were used to having life and people’s voices and dogs running around and it was so quiet – it seemed a waste,” says Helen. “So we thought we would have a go at running a guesthouse.

It started off as a hobby and it’s becoming more and more serious.”

Helen and Philip still live at Herrington Hill but let out two double bedrooms and a self-contained apartment, once the servants’ quarters.

Helen designed the Roses Room as a romantic haven, with soft colours and luxurious fabrics, and styled the Holly Room, by contrast, in stylish black and white.

Modern touches like wall-mounted plasma TVs have been added, yet the house strongly retains its traditional feel. The fact that guests have use of the living room, dining room and sun room means that they are truly integrated into the household. Helen thoroughly enjoys playing host, cooking breakfast and generally tending to people’s needs. “We usually organise tables at restaurants and taxis for people,” she says. “Soon we will be doing afternoon teas.”

It is a far cry from her former career as a model, which, at one point, seemed the ultimate dream. “I travelled all over the country and made a reasonable living out of it,” says Helen, whose crowning glory is a mane of coppercoloured hair. “I did photographic and catwalk modelling and was in London Fashion Week. “I did that for about five years, but I didn’t really like big cities and modelling is in big cities, so I didn’t want to do it anymore. I’m a country girl really – country and horses. I married Peter and I stopped travelling.”

The couple once owned West Herrington Riding Stables, near the house, and Helen still owns land and properties, but her main job now is running the guesthouse. “Modelling was a young dream and I did love that time but I’ve got a real dream now living here,” she says. “I love doing the B&B.”

Such is the charm and uniqueness of Herrington Hill that demand has rapidly increased, with guests choosing to stay when visiting children at Durham University, attending matches at Durham County Cricket Club or working at nearby Doxford Park. With three acres of land, there is obvious scope for weddings and this is something Helen is considering.

“I wouldn’t do more than 50 people,” she says. “It would be small, intimate weddings. The ceremony would be in the gazebo in the garden. It would be lovely. I can picture it.”

Since the guesthouse’s inception, Herrington Hill has entered a new phase in which its history as a vibrant place full of noise and activity is continuing.

The best thing for Helen is the people who are drawn to it.

“Everybody who has been here has been lovely,”

she says. “It’s restored my faith in humans. People are so different and so interesting. I had four vicars staying last year who were absolutely delightful.

A man from Portugal has been about four times in the last two months. I’m still in touch with quite a few of the guests. It’s a nice place for nice people.”

Undoubtedly, part of the attraction is the house’s seclusion and the sense of peace it inspires. For Helen, it truly is a hideaway. “It’s like coming onto an island,” she says. “It’s removed from the real world, but it’s close enough to get there.”

W: hideawayatherringtonhill.co.uk