Derwent Bridge House, Derwent Bridge, Cockermouth, Cumbria. £565k

July 15, 2019

I include this lovely three storey mid/late 18th century house, because it is so tastefully decorated, so beautifully and thoughtfully furnished and so generally divine. Of course it is next to a river that flooded dreadfully only a few years ago so one would take a risk in buying it. I wish I could just have it, as it is, with all its furnishings and paintings, for nothing, to go and stay in when I felt like it.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1052352

First take a look at the dusky rose dining room. I wouldn’t have thought of combining that shade of ochre/mustard of the rug, window seat and seat covers of the Hepplewhite chairs and the wing chair, beside the fire, with the old rose, but it works very well. The Regency/William IV mahogany table is lovely and the right size and style for the room and picks up the pink of the walls in its reddish hue, while the more mellow sideboard picks up the gold. There is an original fireplace, which I hope still works and the panelled shutters are in place beside the 16 pane sashes.

Next the gold and blue drawing room. Have you ever seen anything prettier than that square piano in that blue and gold alcove? What could be more perfect for that space? The original hob grate seems to be working well, but I would be rather fearful of bringing the coal in across that pale blue carpet on a muddy, Cumbrian winter’s night, I wouldn’t want to brush past those lovely sofas and chairs or let the dog in there after a walk in the hills. One would have to improve one’s standards and try to be civilised like a townie.

There is a further reception room with lovely, subtle grey green features and another period hob grate and chimneypiece. I love the Turkish style runner in the corridor, and the original staircase, although the plain pale carpet is again rather impractical. The kitchen is in really good taste, not all naff and fitted, not too dark, and the country long case clock is a great touch, as is the still life above the range, the Persian rug divides the cooking area from the eating area, though of course in reality one would inevitably eat half one’s meals looking at dirty pans and other preparations, as one does if one eats in the kitchen, unless one is completely obsessed and neurotically tidy. This is why dining rooms are a good idea, and should never have gone out of fashion.

The property has 3 bedrooms and a lovely bathroom with Jocasta Innes, style ‘Paint Magic’ floor and Roman mural and a free standing bath. The bedrooms are decorated with the same flare and taste as the rest of the house, including period style Chinoiserie paper, and interesting period paint colours and combinations. The fireplaces are sealed off, so no risk of trampling coal or soot into the fitted carpets here.