Inside incredible transformation of Sunderland seafront property reborn as an occasion house

One Roker Terrace had stood empty for decades, its floors and period windows rotten, its Victorian brickwork shrouded in render, and its rooms pretty much untouched since the 1960s.

But, as Sunderland business partners Joe and Laura Lane and Angela Tsang, viewed the double-fronted home, its bay windows offering uninterrupted views of Roker Pier, they looked past the fact it didn’t have so much as gas or electricity and saw its potential to fill a gap in Sunderland’s accommodation market.

They got the keys in March 2023 and have spent the past two years tirelessly repairing and renovating each of its rooms, with building works done by JLH Property, which is Joe and Laura’s property firm, to create an occasion house for locals and visitors to the city.

It’s been reborn as The Beach House at One Roker Terrace, a multipurpose accommodation, which can be booked via the room for couples wanting a seafront break, or as a whole house for friends wanting a get together or companies wanting a bespoke events space.

In total, there’s five bedrooms, each with an en suite, including The Skyloft which spans the length of the former attic.

“It’s been such a labour of love,” said Angela. “We had the vision of what this property could be right from the start. We really feel there is a gap in the market for a property like this, which offers more of an experiential stay and we’re working with local businesses to offer something bespoke to guests.

“So, for example, if you’d like to upgrade your stay with a continental breakfast we work with Carmichael’s in Seaburn to provide breakfast hampers.”

Couple Joe and Laura, who are both former military, already have a short-term let property portfolio in Sunderland and had renovated an old property for a holiday let in Appleby, Cumbria. They were looking for another renovation property to get stuck into.

Angela, meanwhile, a former buyer at Fortnum & Mason, moved from London back to her home city of Sunderland with her family and was looking for like-minded people to work alongside.

She met Laura through their children who all go to school together and, on a trip to Go Bananas with the kids, she mentioned One Roker Terrace which had been on the market for a number of years due to its condition.

“We really wanted to expand our portfolio and we all just fell in love with this property,” explained Laura. “We all really wanted to take on a project and contribute to the city which we all really believe in and it all happened naturally from there.

There’s been lots of passersby as work has taken place over the past couple of years, as Joe, who completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq during his time in the Marines, explained. “The amount of people who have stopped and stared, almost every day, is amazing.”

Joe added: “We’ve had so much positive feedback. This is such a great, prominent location and people say they’re glad to see something being done with the building and the care that we have taken with it. We’re so glad people recognise that, because there’s not one decision we have taken lightly.”

Structural works have also included replacing the wall which borders St George’s terrace, incorporating some of the old stones, making it more structurally stable, adding coping stones and improving the public footpath that runs at the end of their carpark.

Meanwhile, for the interiors of the house, which dates back to 1853, the partners sourced vintage pieces from the likes of O’ Brien reclamation in Boldon and Boldon Auction Rooms.

They also bought pieces from local artist, Debbie Perry, who created artworks showing scenes from Sunderland’s past and are looking to work with more local artists.

Angela said: “The styling reflects all the different decades the house has lived through, so you have some Victorian pieces, some modern, some classic. It would have been easy to go to one place and style the whole house from top to bottom.

“But we wanted to create something more bespoke and different, everything has been carefully sourced.”

Speaking about the partners investing in their home city, Angela said: “Over the past few years, we could all see the changes being made in Sunderland. You could see the level of investment being made at the top and could see that that would trickle down.

“Sunderland deserves all the positive changes that is happening now, it deserves to be in the Premier League and it deserves accommodation like this to cater for local’s and visitors’ needs.”

Prices and how to book

There’s five bedrooms in total, four are super-king size and one is queen-size and can be made into an adjoining room with one of the super-kings for families.

Four of the bedrooms also have views of Roker Pier.

Each room is en-suite with a fridge and welcome basket with refreshments and snacks.

All guests booking by the room have access to the board room and drawing room, which are communal rooms at the front of the house.

The reception rooms can also be hired for meetings and events.

Guests who hire the whole house also have access to the kitchen, which is fully-fitted for those wanting a self-catering stay.

There’s private on site carparking which can accommodate five cars.

Bookings are now live at https://www.onerokerterrace.co.uk/ with an introductory starting rate of £110 for a room or two nights for £198.

The price to hire the whole house is from £675 a night for a minimum stay of two nights.

Corporate hire starts from £200 for the events space.