Anyone familiar with the unspoiled beauty of Strangford Lough in County Down might be interested in hearing about a period house for sale in Strangford village. Strangford Cottage, one of a row of four Victorian terraced houses on Castle Street, has four bedrooms in the main house and there is a one-bedroom guest cottage in the garden. Agents HOK Residential is quoting £475,000 sterling by private treaty sale.

The Grade A listed house has been restored in keeping with its period and there are views across the lough to Portaferry and the Ards Peninsula. A trading port in busier times, Strangford is now a quiet haven for local yachtspeople and visitors.

The only regular user of the harbour is the ferry which links Portaferry across the Narrows. The nearest large town, Downpatrick, is eight miles away and Belfast is 28 miles to the north.

The three main reception rooms in the house are large and stylishly arranged. A diningroom has a polished wood floor, original white marble fireplace and corniced ceiling. The most striking feature in the sittingroom is an exposed brick wall with an open fireplace and there is a timber floor here also. The office/ family room looks out over Strangford Lough. A quarry-tiled hall to the rear leads to the working area of the house. Here, a big country kitchen has quarry tiles on the floor, pine ceiling and an oil-fired Esse range. Off this are a laundry room and a pantry with built-in presses. Upstairs, three of the bedrooms are double and a fourth is either a small single room or good-sized dressingroom. The three larger bedrooms have bathrooms en-suite and period fireplaces. The compact guest cottage has a large open-plan living/ sleeping area and a shower room. A cobbled courtyard includes an ornamental water feature and the main garden is planted to provide colour in every season. Stone steps lead to a more formal garden with a gate to Compass Hill and views over Castle Ward, now in the care of the National Trust.