Two in a tower (From Living Northeast)

Two in a tower

10:50am Monday 23rd March 2009

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If you hanker after a room with a view, the fifth-floor library of the newly restored Outchester Ducket in Northumberland is as close to heaven as you’ll get, says Jenny Needham.

THE view from the top is heavenly. A patchwork of snow-covered Northumberland fields in one direction; the coast and Holy Island in the other.

And should you be able to tear your eyes away from the stunning outlook, there’s a selection of books and magazines to relax with in this room at the very top. And I mean the very top...

The newly converted Outchester Ducket – origins uncertain – really is a one-off. It stands sentinel in the middle of the countryside a couple of miles inland from Bamburgh, a windmill-shaped tapering tower which now houses those in search of an unusual getaway.

The security gates swing slowly open and on a blowy, snowy early spring afternoon, owner Heather Sutherland greets us at ground level. She and her husband John have tussled for years with planners and rigid regulations to realise their ambition of converting the tumbledown, roofless, windowless tower on their land, and now it’s done, she’s quite rightly very proud of the result.

“It’s listed so we have to keep it up, so we thought we might as turn it into something nice,” says Heather. “We got planning permission, then English Heritage said no way because it’s Grade II listed. Eventually we got English Heritage on side, and then the planners said no. At one point they said we could make it into a holiday cottage, but we couldn’t put windows into it. Imagine coming on holiday and not being able to see out!”

Now there are windows on both sides, and a conical tiled roof. Double outer doors help to keep the chill Northumbrian wind at bay and lead to a small hallway with automatic lighting, and a cheery yellow bath and shower room with white tiles. White robes hanging behind the bathroom door have signs above stating that they are for the use of The Duke of the Ducket and The Duchess of the Ducket.

Then it’s up the spiral staircase – a floating work of art wrought from oak and galvanised steel – to the bedroom, a chintzy room with bespoke bed, sheepskin rugs and a recess with curtain for hanging clothes. In fact, recesses are everywhere, pressed into use as cubby holes for microwaves, Scrabble and other games, and objets d’art such as vases and wooden puffins.

Up the staircase again, and there’s the cutest pale blue kitchen. The units have been built to fit against the curved outer wall, and opposite is a little diner unit, also with curved back, to create the effect of a cosy cook’s cocoon.

There are pretty china mugs, a dinky dishwasher, hob oven, microwave, fridge, and all the utensils you could possibly want. It’s small, but beautifully formed.

Up again – and because the tower is cone-shaped, the spaces get smaller as you rise – and there’s a sweet little sitting room with pink chair and small two-seater, footstool footstool, flat screen TV (one of three in the Ducket), and shelves with a good eclectic selection of DVDs and CDs.

And – onwards and upwards – there’s more. Here’s a little landing with floor lights, then the final climb to the turret room. This is where the best views are, the place to sit with a gin and tonic and watch the tide go in and out and the sun go up and down and to spy on all the comings and goings at Budle Bay. Voyeurs are even supplied with binoculars.

When we stayed it must have been one of the coldest days of the year, and it was chilly at the top, so we retreated to the kitchen for supper. The Ducket is selfcatering so we had brought lots of goodies, but it was a nice surprise to open up the fridge and find a dozen oysters waiting to be eaten. And they were as fresh as fresh can be: another of Heather and John’s enterprises is the Lindisfarne Oyster Company, based at Ross, three miles due north of the Ducket, where the couple live.

The oyster farm was set up in 1989 on the site of the oyster beds established by the monks of Lindisfarne Priory. Once we’d got the hang of shucking them, they were delicious.

The evening was spent cosying up in the little sitting room, where there were fresh flowers, a flame-effect Dimplex heater, and curtains to pull across the spiral staircase to stop any draughts.

On a side table, alongside glossy mags and a file containing instructions for any awkward mod cons, is a photo album detailing the transformation of the Ducket.

First the conical roof was added to make it water-tight, then the staircase arrived in sections. “We weren’t allowed to put anything into the walls, so the whole thing has to hang off the ceiling. It’s very clever,” says Heather.

“In fact, I would like to come and live here.”

The strange thing about the Ducket is that no one really seems to be certain what it was built for. “It’s been suggested it was a windmill,” says Heather. “Or a mark for seamen getting into Budle Bay, but I doubt that as you can’t see it from Bamburgh.”

Another theory is that it might have been a kind of “live larder”, a place where pigeons were kept and bred when pigeon was prized as food and most country houses kept them. “The only thing I can say is that pigeons were definitely the last incumbents before we did it up,”

laughs Heather.

But those are just theories. No one can say for certain what the Ducket was. After spending the night there, though, I can confidently say what it is now: a unique and comfortable holiday cottage with 57 steps and fantastic views.

The Outchester Ducket and Ross Farm Cottages, Ross Farm, Belford, Northumberland, NE70 7EN. Tel: 01668-219385; email: enquiry@rosscottages.co.uk; website: www.theducket.co.uk. Weekly rate from £495; short breaks (Monday to Friday or Friday to Monday) from, £395, inclusive of electricity, linen and towels.

Lindisfarne Oysters: Tel: 01668-213870; email: enquiries@lindisfarneoysters.co.uk; website: lindisfarneoysters.co.uk

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