An historic North East county – famous for its city and cathedral – is revealing some of its hidden corners to house buyers from across the UK.

While Durham itself routinely attracts visitors from around the world, keen to explore its cathedral and castle – both UNESCO World Heritage sites – the wider county often goes unexplored.

But now the spotlight is falling on some of its lesser known towns and villages as house hunters seek dream homes in country and coastal settings.

Major building developments in the county have highlighted the historic charm of Chester-le-Street – a former Roman settlement – along with the stunning coastline of Seaham – once home to Lord Byron.

Its Derwent Valley location is helping Consett find favour with buyers as is the unchanged nature of villages such as Tanfield – the home of the world’s oldest railway.

“Here in the North East we’ve long been aware of County Durham’s hidden gems,” said Patrick Arkle, regional managing director at Miller Homes North East, which is spearheading a number of developments in the county.

“But now people from outside the area are discovering that there’s far more to County Durham than meets the eye.

“It offers the holy trinity of city, country and coast and that gives it enormous appeal.”

Miller Homes current developments include Lambton Park and Trinity Green at Chester-le-Street and Station Fields at Tanfield.

It has also begun selling at its new £250m Seaham Garden Village development, delivering 375 homes.

In addition, future projects include the Bishops Walk development, on the outskirts of Durham city centre and Fellside Gardens at Consett – bringing a total of 898 new homes to the county.

“One of the most appealing aspects of living in County Durham is that it meets so many different requirements,” said Patrick.

“It’s awash with very good private and state schools and there is still a strong sense of community life in its smaller towns and villages, which are often well equipped with facilities, from supermarkets to sports clubs.

“And, of course, its transport network is superb. It’s on the main East Coast rail line so not only are three cities of Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle easily accessible but you can be in the centre of London in just over two and a half hours.

“We’ve always known it was God’s own county and now people form all over the UK are finding that out for themselves.”

For more information on Miller Homes’ North East developments visit: https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/locations/north-east-of-england.aspx