{"id":23588,"date":"2023-07-31T12:30:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T10:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2351fb40-ff02-4e35-844f-974f003b2834"},"modified":"2023-07-31T12:38:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T10:38:00","slug":"an-edwardian-seaside-home-in-northumberland","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/an-edwardian-seaside-home-in-northumberland\/","title":{"rendered":"An Edwardian seaside home in Northumberland"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Alice Roberton\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 31 July 2023 at 10:30 AM<\/p>

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Looking along the elevated seafront of Northumberland\u2019s Whitley Bay, the eye is drawn to the curious architectural mix, which ranges from the late 1800s to the present day.\u00a0<\/p>

The terrace includes three double-fronted houses, one of which is home to radio reporter and producer, freelance photographer, and sometime filmmaker, Caroline Briggs, her husband, Dan, and their two young children.<\/p>

Having left London for Newcastle, the couple felt the sea beckoning and it was agreed that, if they were to live on the coast, a sea view was essential. A pin was dropped in Whitley Bay and the search began; it didn\u2019t take long.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2018I clearly remember firing up my computer and there she was. I shouted to Dan that I had found \u2018our\u2019 house,\u2019 recalls Caroline. \u2018We knew she was right the second we saw her \u2013 her wonderful bone-structure and elegance, like that of an Edwardian lady, won our hearts.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Wowed by the Minton floors, grand fireplaces<\/a>, ceiling roses<\/a> and far-reaching views of the bay, they made an offer.<\/p>

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\u2018We owe a lot to the previous owner, who was an interior designer,\u2019 says Caroline. She had lifted carpets to reveal the original floor tiles<\/a>, returned ceilings to their former heights and reinstated beautiful marble fireplaces \u2013 vast in size, they overshoot the chimney breasts and took seven men to carry into the house.\u00a0<\/p>

Missing ceiling roses were replaced and cast-iron radiators were fitted. \u2018Although she had a very different taste in decor to me, everything she did made me want to live here,\u2019 says Caroline. \u2018Every time I sink into the Victorian roll-top bath<\/a> she installed I thank her.\u2019<\/p>

Once settled in, the couple decided to open up the higgledy-piggledy rooms at the back of the property and extend into the small backyard to create a large family-orientated kitchen-diner. They designed the space themselves, using salvaged materials throughout, which reflects the way they have chosen to furnish the rest of the house.<\/p>

Although Caroline doesn\u2019t consider herself a collector in the classic sense, she does concede that she is something of a treasure hunter and it was her late grandfather who introduced her to the joy of chance discoveries.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2018He used to help me collect stamps<\/a> as a child, so I think this is where it started,\u2019 she says. \u2018As I got older my love of \u2018old things\u2019 kind of crept up on me \u2013 my twin sister shares my passion, so perhaps it\u2019s genetic.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

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It\u2019s the serendipitous nature of collecting that appeals to her rather than seeking something out, she explains. \u2018If nothing else catches my eye when I\u2019m visiting flea markets<\/a> and auctions<\/a> then maybe, just maybe, I\u2019ll find something to add to one of my collections.\u2019<\/p>

Caroline enjoys the feeling of falling in love with an object, recalling a four-year obsession with the pocket-sized Observer\u2019s Books<\/a>. \u2018I kept a list of all the titles and ticked them off as I found each one.\u00a0<\/p>

I felt both elated and sad when my parents gave me the last title and the display cabinet was full \u2013 I definitely enjoy the thrill of the chase and the small private pleasure of an unexpected find.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Reflecting both her passion for photography and her career as a photographer, Caroline also collects vintage cameras<\/a> and delights in the fact that she has used all of them at least once. \u2018There is an honesty in this collection, as cameras are fundamental to who I am and what I do. Displaying them acts as a signpost to an important part of my life and creativity.\u00a0<\/p>

All my collections are to be enjoyed, not hidden away, which is perhaps why I have several display cabinets \u2013 you could say I collect these too!\u2019 Caroline also collects vintage maps<\/a>, though a personal rule dictates that she must have some connection to the place.<\/p>

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As a journalist and photographer, storytelling is everything to Caroline, from an object\u2019s history through to the tale of its search and rescue. \u2018While doing the extension I spent a depressing hour at IKEA trying to work with a kitchen designer, until it dawned on me that my inability to decide was due to it not being \u2018true\u2019 to my heart.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

An original Victorian kitchen<\/a> \u2013 an extraordinary chance find made by her sister \u2013 was the game-changer here. \u2018For \u00a31,500 I had beauty, functionality and inspiration.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>

Once it had been designed into the space, alongside the sink and drawers the couple had saved from their old kitchen, with the addition of a reclaimed timber island, Caroline had a one-off kitchen \u2018with bags of narrative\u2019.<\/p>

Even the flooring came with a story. \u2018It was from my children\u2019s school and has been walked on by hundreds of children over several decades and now, as a family, we walk on it daily,\u2019 she says.\u00a0Whether it\u2019s the huge bank of blue drawers in the kitchen, which had been hidden away in a garage for 50 years, or the reclaimed parquet flooring<\/a>, these evolving and involving stories are clearly important to Caroline: \u2018I feel a sense of responsibility when it comes to the provenance of an item and take great pride in adding to its story.\u2019<\/p>

One half of the open-plan kitchen-diner features freestanding furniture, much of which Caroline found on eBay, including the bank of blue drawers that had been hidden away in a garage for the best part of 50 years. The parquet floor came from the local school.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
The Victorian kitchen cost just \u00a31,500 and came from Fern Avenue Antiques Centre in Newcastle, one of Caroline\u2019s favourite haunts. She commissioned her joiner to reconfigure it from a corner design into a linear layout. The sink unit and drawers are from the house\u2019s old kitchen, and the \u2018new\u2019 island was constructed from reclaimed timber.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
<\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
Caroline at her kitchen table in the new extension.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
Natural wood is the \u2018golden thread\u2019 that weaves from room to room and the hall, complete with original Minton floors, is no exception. As a long-term project, Caroline is hand-stripping the staircase with a view to returning it to its original glory.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
The impressive marble fireplaces were reinstated by the previous owner and are among the many striking period features that drew Caroline and her husband to the property.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
The double-fronted house has two sitting rooms at the front, either side of the entrance hall. Both light-filled rooms are home to Caroline\u2019s many treasured collections, from paintings to vintage maps.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
Caroline\u2019s light-filled rooms are home to her many treasured collections, from paintings to vintage maps.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
Passionate about display, Caroline uses glazed cabinets \u2013 something she inadvertently collects \u2013 and glass cloches to show off her flea-market finds.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
A full set of pocket-sized Observer\u2019s Books, amassed over many years, fill a glazed cabinet in one alcove. Lighting is a mix of antique and vintage, as is the furniture.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure>
With its spectacular views of the sea, Caroline decided to keep the bedroom decor simple and furnished the room with vintage cupboards and a classic cast-iron bed.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure>
Caroline decided to keep the bedroom decor simple and furnished the room with vintage cupboards and a classic cast-iron bed.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
A pretty Art Nouveau fireplace, with original tiles, is the focal point in the main bedroom.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>
\"Edwardian<\/figure>
The Victorian roll-top bath was installed by the previous owner, but Caroline has added her own touches with clean white metro tiles and Minton-style floor tiles, to create a modern bathroom that is in tune with the Edwardian property.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>