Our Victorian home
flows much better now
H
aving lived in a four-bedroom
new-build house for seven years,
Lorraine and Paul McGill were
craving a period property. ‘We’d had older
properties before and wanted a character
house again, especially after visiting my
sister’s period home in Stratford-upon-
Avon,’ says Lorraine.
Although Paul wasn’t keen to move,
Lorraine had been lusting after a specific
Victorian property in Ryton, west of
Newcastle, that had been languishing
on the market for almost two years. Thevillage had more of a community feel than
their new estate in neighbouring Winlaton
and as their daughters attended a school
nearby, they already had friends in the area.
‘As soon as Paul saw the house, he fell in
love with it too,’ she says. ‘It was so quirky
and I absolutely loved the sun room and the
loft space as well as the wooden windows
and doors.’
Although the couple adored the
original floorboards, they were stained
a different colour in each room and the
dizzying array of different wall colours feltAfter moving from a new-build to a much older
property, Lorraine McGill has woven her subtle
New England style throughout the house
Good idea!
Lorraine painted over the badly
stained marble fireplace surround
and the Laura Ashley mirror
with chalk paint.