Westfield Road, Newport

Prepare to fall in love with The Laurels. Architecturally stunning, and with a strong sense of grandeur, this substantial home is set in beautiful grounds.

A good-sized porch opens to a lovely, wide hallway. Delve underneath the carpet and, perfectly preserved, you’ll discover the intricate pattern of encaustic tiles. There’s a guest W.C. and china pantry, and through another door is a cellar just made for wine.

In the living room, a beautiful bay with enormous sash windows allows the light to flood in. We adore the fireplace, complete with marble mantle, which features Minton’s China Works tiles, designed by John Moyr Smith in 1877, depicting scenes from Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels. The tiles form part of the British Museum’s collection and are simply exquisite.

Ornate fireplaces also feature in the sitting room to the front and the lounge to the side. Both rooms are, again, light and bright with large sash windows, and a bay in the lounge. The ceilings are elevated, enhancing the spaciousness, and there are some lovely original touches, including Victorian door carvings, cornices, decorative plasterwork and picture rails. All reception rooms enjoy the backdrop of the scenic gardens.

The breakfast room is generous in size, accommodating even the largest of tables, and is well-equipped for family life. There’s an Aga to cook a hearty breakfast, and a built-in dresser to store crockery, as well as a fitted ceiling airer. And, just off the breakfast room is the kitchen, which boasts a must-have walk-in pantry with a slate slab to keep provisions cool.
There’s also a laundry and wet room with a shower.

Upstairs, the sizeable landing leads to five bedrooms, some of which have fitted basins, and a spacious family bathroom. The principal bedroom has a large bay window to drink in the natural daylight and views over the lawn. It’s en suite with fitted cupboards and a shower and makes a lovely dressing room as well.

The window seats in the second bedroom invite you to enjoy garden views from its generous bay. And underneath you’ll find an abundance of storage. There are two additional very large bedrooms and, at the rear, the fifth bedroom has a built-in linen cupboard.

When it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, pour yourself a G&T and escape to the beautiful gardens. Generously filled with mature shrubs, which produce a gorgeous display of flowers throughout the year, it’s the perfect spot for relaxation. Add a cocoon chair and while away the hours. When it comes to something altogether more energetic, there’s plenty of room for garden games and even enough space for a large marquee for family celebrations. We can almost hear the wedding bells…

The two impressive Sequoia trees can be seen throughout much of the city, and on the top lawn, you’ll find formal flowerbeds, where a kitchen garden could easily be produced beside the Wisteria.

A patio overlooks the bottom lawn, just one of three seating areas, and it’s here where you’ll be able to host gatherings for friends and family, with a brick-built barbeque area, and enjoy al fresco dining. And the accessible W.C. lends itself to stress-free entertaining.But the fun isn’t just confined to warm, summer months. In winter, the banks are superb for sledging and making snow angels.

There are a couple of additional outdoor buildings, which would work well as a home gym, garden bar or storage, and there’s handy access to Fields Road as well as a tandem garage.

• Three words :  Victorian. Sizeable. Gardens.

Our favourite part
The architecture. And all those period gems within…