A five-year labour of love has seen the restoration of a large Victorian town house which is to be let out to holiday-makers in Penrith.
Matt Robinson, 43, bought Egerton House, in Victoria Road with his mother, Chris Jameson, who lives in Carlisle.
A joiner by trade, Matt has now transformed the property back to its former glory, complete with modern contemporary furnishings, and an open day is being held on tomorrow, Saturday, November 16, from 10am to 4pm.
The property, which occupies a prominent location, has four bedrooms, including three which are en suite, and can sleep up to eight people.
There is also a bathroom and separate shower room.
There are two living rooms, including a downstairs snug, and a large kitchen.
Matt has a booklet of photographs, which will be on display at the open day, showing what the property looked like before the work started.
“Even when I look back, I can’t believe how bad it was,” said Matt.
He said that whoever first lived in the house must have had money because a number of servants’ bells were found, but unfortunately they were too old and dilapidated to keep.
“They were all covered over with plaster and plasterboard and under floor boards and hidden in loft spaces,” said Matt.
Bells were found connecting to the front door and reading room. In the downstairs snug, Matt has placed a bit of Perspex over one of the pully mechanisms to create a little feature, which provides a snapshot, looking back in time.
In years gone by, individual rooms at Egerton House would probably have been let out, as there was a sink in each of them, which have now all been taken out, said Matt.
Challenges he faced included a bit of damp, which needed to be fixed. But he said he could not be happier with how it has turned out and cannot wait for guests to come and use it.
