House for Sale: Briardene, Durham City

Location

Briardene is a harmonious development of 35 houses on what was formerly Cathedral land, designed by Donald Insall Associates, built in 1972-8, and described by Martin Roberts as "noteworthy" (Durham: 1000 Years of History, Tempus, 2003, p. 174).

The development is an easy off-road walk to the Market Place where you will find a Tesco Metro and a Marks & Spencer on Silver Street. You can walk through St Margaret's graveyard to Framwellgate Bridge or through the allotments to Prebends Bridge at the end of the South Bailey, and from here to the Cathedral and riverbanks. It is a five minute walk to St Margaret's CoE Primary School, a ten minute walk to the bus station, a fifteen minute walk to the railway station, and a twenty minute walk to the University Science Laboratories.

The sixteen houses of Lower Briardene (numbers 1-10 and 30-35) enclose a very large communal garden comprising banked lawns and mature trees and shrubs. To the front they look over the St Margaret's allotments and the wooded riverbank. Number 35 is aligned roughly along the east-west axis of the Cathedral, which is visible from the first and second floors. From the second floor it is also possible to see the Castle, and out as far as the hills above Houghton-le-Spring, about five miles away. Road access is off Back Nevilledale Terrace, via Summerville. There is off-road parking, and a large internal garage.

Description

The house is built in dark-brown brick, faced with hanging tiles on the garden side of the first and second floors. On the ground floor there is kitchen/breakfast room with access to a patio and the garden, a sitting room (or dining room, or fourth bedroom), and a toilet. On the first floor, a second larger sitting room and the garage. On the second floor, three bedrooms and a bathroom. The loft space is partly boarded and useful for storage. The rooms on the ground and first floors are 8' (96") in height; those on the second floor are 7'8" (92").

The house was built in 1977. It has gas-fired central heating and water heating, and the radiators have thermostatic valves (excepting the radiator in the bathroom). The windows and doors were replaced in 2011 with uPVC double-glazing. Most of the windows have horizontally-hinged opening sashes. The soffits, fascias & guttering were also replaced in 2011.

The house is in a good decorative state, with walls painted in pastel shades and with white ceilings in all rooms. The internal doors are varnished dark wood, and the skirtings and door- and window-surrounds are generally white. There are plain fitted carpets in the hall, stairs, and landing, and in the two sitting rooms. The fittings in the kitchen and bathrooms are in good working order but unchanged during the current occupation.

Total floor area is approximately 146m².

Room By Room

Ground floor

Outside Area 14'4" by 9'9". From Back Nevilledale Terrace, the front door is reached down eleven steps into a walled paved area, which is lit at night by a motion-sensitive halogen light. The original single-glazed wooden front door has been replaced by a uPVC double-glazed door.

Kitchen/breakfast room 15'2" by 11'6" with a full-length window and glass door onto the patio and the garden, and a large side window overlooking the garden. There are wood-fronted fitted kitchen units down two sides, incorporating a white ceramic sink, with space for a stand-alone gas or electric cooker and plumbing for a washing-machine & dish-washer. Large radiator (69") on an internal wall. Water meter.

First sitting room or dining room 20' by 9'8" with two full-length windows onto the patio and garden. Large radiator (76") on an internal wall. Cornicing.

Toilet 7'4" by 3'10" with an opening frosted-glass window. Toilet and pedestal basin (blue), electric shaver point, wiring for electric heater, and built-in bookshelves.

Hall Radiator (55").

Under-stairs cupboard Wall-hooks for coats and scarves. Fusebox and electricity meter.

Immediate garden The kitchen door opens out onto a patio that runs the width of the house (8' deep). The patio gives way to a flat lawn, in what is technically communal garden, at the edge of which are two flowing cherry trees and a purple-leaved flowing plum tree, and a bed of herbaceous plants including a shrub bay tree.

First floor

Second sitting room 21' by 11'6" with two full-length windows looking across the garden (view of the Cathedral tower), and two narrow full-length side windows, one looking south along the length of the garden and one looking north. Two radiators (55"). Cornicing.

Landing Full-length window. Door to garage.

Garage 22' by 9'10" (8'6" in height). Up-and-over garage door, window to garden, gas-fired central-heating and hot-water boiler. Gas meter. Built-in shelving.

Second floor

First bedroom (double) 13'6" by 9'11" with two windows looking across the garden (view of the Cathedral and Castle), and a narrow full-length side window looking south along the length of the garden. Fitted wardrobe. Radiator under windows (36").

Second bedroom (double) 11'9" by 9'11" with two large windows looking across the garden (view of the Cathedral and Castle). Fitted wardrobe and shelved storage cupboard. Radiator under windows (46"). Stripped floorboards, natural colour.

Third bedroom 9'9" by 7'7" with a single large window overlooking Back Nevilledale Terrace. Stripped floorboards, darkgreen wood-stain. Radiator under window (36"). Cornicing.

Bathroom 7'5" by 5' with an opening frosted-glass window. Bath with shower and shower curtain, toilet and pedestal basin (buttermilk, with pine bath-panel). Tiled walls. Cork-tile flooring. Electric shaver point. Airing cupboard containing the hot-water tank. Small radiator (17"). Access to the loft, via a pull-down step-ladder.

Landing Full-length window. Radiator (55").

Loft Partially boarded, making a storage space of approximately 8' by 6'. Double layer of fibreglass insulation.

Additional Information

Schools

The house is five minutes walk from St Margaret's CoE Primary School and about a mile from Durham Johnston Comprehensive School.

Parks

There is a large flat area suitable for ball games at the bottom of St Margaret's graveyard across the road. For swings, etc, there are two small parks in the Viaduct area (10 minutes walk with a pushchair), and Wharton Park above the railway station.

Allotments

It is not possible to have a large vegetable patch in the garden, but the St Margaret's allotments are just across the road.

Residents' Association

The Residents' Association acts on behalf of the Cathedral Dean and Chapter. It levies a fee each year to cover expenses such as gardening, insurance and maintenance. The fee for the current year is £170 for 'non-mowers' and £60 for 'mowers'.

Covenants

In common with other houses in the Briardene development, there are a number of restrictive covenants (available on request).

Parking

The streets around Briardene are part of the City's Residents' Parking scheme.

Council Tax

The house is currently Band E. The annual Council Tax charge for the year beginning April 2012 will be £1868.04.

Water and Sewerage

A water meter has been installed. The fixed charge for water and sewerage services in the year beginning April 2011 will be £112.70 (there is a volumetric charge on top of this). See Northumbrian Water's Metered Charges for further details.

Energy Performance Certificate

Directions

Driving

Driving along Margery Lane, turn into Summerville (left, if you have come past Durham School, right if you have come from the traffic lights at the bottom of Crossgate Peth). The street bends to the left and becomes Back Nevilledale Terrace. Number 35 is the first modern house on the lefthand side.

Walking

Walking along Margery Lane, turn into Briardene (left, if you have come past Durham School, right if you have come from the traffic lights at the bottom of the Peth). Lower Briardene is on your right. Go up the footpath with the laurels on your right. The communal garden is on your right, between the two rows of houses. Go up the brick steps and turn right at the top. Walk down Back Nevilledale Terrace to the last modern house on your right.

Contact Us

To arrange a viewing, contact the Durham City branch of Robinsons on 0843 3143838.

Disclaimer

We've tried to make the particulars as accurate as possible, but we're obliged to point out that they can't be relied upon. The room measurements are taken from the brochure drawn up at the time the previous owner bought the house (July 1996); they are only approximate.

Links

• Information about the property & area from Durham County Council
• House listed on Rightmove