A Historic Schoolhouse with Cinema Past, in the heart of The North Pennines AONB
A Home with Story and Stillness
Barrington Hall is a place where history lingers in the walls and the landscape speaks softly all around you. For the right buyer, it offers not just shelter – but soul.
An Upper Weardale Gem
Tucked into the quiet drama of the North Pennines AONB, Barrington Hall is no ordinary country home
Built in 1819 by Bishop Shute Barrington as the local schoolhouse – and transformed into a community cinema in the 1930s – this handsome stone residence has always been a place of learning, gathering, and story.
Today, beautifully restored and full of soul, it offers something increasingly rare: a detached rural home with genuine historic character, tucked into one of England’s most scenic and unspoilt landscapes.
Where Character Meets Comfort
Inside, over 1,560 sq ft of warm, move-in-ready living space unfolds across three levels, combining traditional features with carefully considered upgrades.
The centrepiece is the spectacular cathedral-ceilinged living room, where large solid wood windows fills the space with light. Overhead, timber beams evoke the building’s educational past, while a new 12kW log burner anchors the room with presence and warmth
The bespoke kitchen – complete with AGA Rayburn – enjoys a quiet
outlook to the side garden and blends cottage charm with creative touches. A sunroom offers a calm, contemplative space with direct access to the front garden. Just beyond the cosy mezzanine – where the 1800s wood flooring still gleams – the principal bedroom retains the former caretaker’s fireplace; a nod to the lives lived here before Two further bedrooms, a family bathroom (with bath and thermostatic mixer shower), and a separate cloakroom with concealed utility area complete the picture.
Recent Works Include:
New flooring to approx. 75% of the house
Eight new column radiators and a recent Grant oil boiler with Nest smart controls
Secondary glazing to key original windows
Full redecoration
Bespoke hardwood windows and three external doors
Full fibre broadband (live and WFH-ready)
Gardens, Wildlife & Wider Horizons
Barrington Hall is wrapped in stone-walled gardens to the front, and a secure fenced garden to the rear, with gates, mature planting, and space for dogs to roam or children to play. A seasonal stream and waterfall runs along the boundary – a truly rare feature – and the sound of flowing water adds a grounding rhythm to daily life.
There’s off-road parking with scope to create a wider drive (subject to landscaping), and the surrounding fells, reservoirs and rivers are a walker’s dream – with trails leading from the doorstep to Burnhope Reservoir, the River Wear, and Cross Fell.
Wildlife is abundant: deer, grouse, pheasants, owls and curlews are regular visitors.
Location
Set within Wearhead – the most elevated village in County Durham – Barrington Hall sits at the edge of the North Pennines AONB, where stars dazzle on dark winter nights and the landscape opens wide in all directions.
Though deeply rural, you’re well-connected: the nearest village shops and cafés are just 2 miles away in St John's Chapel, while Stanhope (8 miles), Alston (10 miles), and Hexham (20 miles) offer a wider array of services, independent shops and heritage attractions.
This is a place where sky and stone meet – ideal for those seeking beauty, quiet, and breathing room. The air carries a clarity that’s hard to find elsewhere.
For young families, Wearhead Primary School is wellrespected with its Good Ofsted rating.
Key features
Detached former schoolhouse and 1930s cinema
Internal area: 1,561 sq ft / 145 sqm
Cathedral-ceilinged living room with 12kW log burner
Three bedrooms, plus family bathroom and ground floor
cloakroom
Handmade kitchen with AGA Rayburn
Restored sunroom opening to the garden
Full fibre broadband
Freehold | Not Listed | Council Tax Band E
Off-road parking; scope for driveway expansion
Gardens enclosed with stone walls and fencing
Seasonal stream and waterfall
Wearhead Primary School (Ofsted Good)
Ideal main home, second home or unique holiday let (STC)
What 3 Words
https://w3w.co/mixers.price.townhouse
Wayleaves, Easements & Rights of Way
The property is being sold subject to all existing wayleaves, easements and rights of way, whether or not specified within the sales particulars.
Viewings Strictly by Appointment
JWW Wood
Listing including video tour: https://jww co uk/buy/BAO250380
Tel: 01388 604 273
Email: m hunter@jww co uk
