Hello there – and thanks for coming by to visit the St Cuthbert’s House website!
We’ve prepared this page to let you know that SCH has closed its doors, and is no longer receiving guests.
Perhaps that’s as much as you need to know. But if it would help for us to give you a little more background, then do read on…
So, what happened?
Well, the first thing to say is that SCH isn’t a ‘victim of the pandemic’ in any way. Whilst the timing of this decision has certainly been prompted by the pandemic and its effects on the world as we’ve come to know it, we don’t want to suggest that SCH has somehow been dashed by it. We are aware that countless businesses certainly have been crushed by it, but we are not one of them.
This news of closure may well be disappointing for you, and might even have come as a bit of a shock, if you were looking to make a return visit. We want to assure you that it is, however, a decision we’ve made together and after a lot of heart-searching, and much consideration.
It seems that for very many people, including us, the pandemic has created a desire and an opportunity to think carefully about the future. We, and our family, have crossed some important life thresholds recently and so we'd already broached the subject of how we might hope to shape the next phase of our life; we knew we were ready to 'do things differently' because we wanted to create more flexibility at this stage in our life together. And then, the world changed…
The several lockdowns during the pandemic caused us to think carefully about all of this, and something most definitely 'shifted' in our hearts and minds over the course of 2020 as we moved from one lockdown to the next. As we’ve said, this felt like an entirely positive dawning of realisation, and not the terrible situation which so many businesses have found themselves in.
We're sorry if the closure of SCH is in any way a disappointment to you - as, in some ways, it is to us. It has been a privilege to share so many special days (and evenings!) with so many special people, many of whom have become special friends over the years. Our lives have been enriched as we’ve shared such lovely encounters with folks - who arrived as guests, but often left as friends. We do not take that for granted, and it hasn’t felt like ‘hard work’ very often at all. This decision to bring to an end something we’ve so loved doing has not been taken lightly, and it is tinged with genuine sadness, amidst the excitement of new opportunity.
We are genuinely thankful for all the lovely affirmation and comments we’ve received - not only as we close the business, but over many years - and for the recognition and reputation for excellence which SCH has garnered. It's been such a privilege to have had the opportunity to be steered and stimulated by all that’s involved with running a successful small business.
Thank you, to those of you who have been part of the journey with us. We sincerely hope that perhaps our roads may intersect again…
If you need to be in touch with us, then you can still leave a message on the answering machine and we'll call you back (01665 720456) or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
It's been an absolute privilege to have been able to renovate this historic building from a dilapidated ruin and create a serene haven for visitors to the Northumberland Coast – a landscape so beautiful that it’s hard even to fathom or communicate its calming and restorative effect on the human heart and condition… if you’ve not yet visited, then please press on to find somewhere lovely to stay; Northumberland will reward you, beyond measure! We wish you peace in your heart.
Jeff & Jill