Meet Drs Anne and Alan James, owners of Warksburn Old Church – a globally-unique and ultra-luxurious Net Zero conversion of a 19th century church, in beautiful rural Northumberland close to Hadrian’s Wall and Kielder Water.
What first inspired you to create Warksburn Old Church as a retreat?
Our inspiration was to create a home that would, in turn, inspire our guests. A place of both genuine luxury and absolutely zero compromise on sustainability. So when the opportunity arose to save the 1875 church next door to our own home from dereliction, we jumped at the chance. Our vision was to prove that luxury living and a Net Zero footprint could not only coexist but actually enhance each other.
The goal wasn’t just to renovate; it was to combine cutting-edge building physics with unique design to create an ultra-comfortable modern 21st Century home, within the solid stone walls of the original 19th Century building. The result is the world’s first Passivhaus-certified church-to-home conversion. Warksburn Old Church is not designed to shout about its eco-credentials, but to gently whisper to our guests that they should simply relax and enjoy their stay, not only in this globally unique home, but also in the incredible beauty of Northumberland which surrounds it.
Have you always been in hospitality? If not, what else did / do you do?
No, we’ve never owned a hospitality business before, but we’ve stayed in many over the years, and our own experience has been that only a handful truly ‘surprise and delight’ their guests. As an example, we fondly remember the impeccably uniformed member of staff at the Gritti Palace whose sole job is to deter the seagulls from stealing guests’ breakfasts on the terrace overlooking the Grand Canal. We’d always said to ourselves, if we ever did run a hospitality business, we’d absolutely want to be amongst that tiny minority which just ‘get it right’.
Alan summarises his background as “leading complicated projects involving innovation”, particularly in ultra-fast transport and smart energy systems. “In my work on tomorrow’s 1,000 km/h ground transport systems, I worked alongside engineers developing airtight, spacecraft-grade vehicles. That gave me a pretty good head start when it came to developing an airtight Passivhaus building.” Anne is a successful ceramic artist working from her solar-powered studio next door to Warksburn Old Church. Some of her work – alongside fine art, photography and stained glass pieces by a carefully curated selection of other Northumberland-based artists – is on display in the renovated church itself. Anne says: ‘I love to blend inspiration from nature with a meticulous and detailed approach which stems from my original training as a scientist. And that duality came in very handy when I was integrating the design aesthetic of this historic structure with the 21st Century engineering which makes it one of the most energy efficient buildings in Europe’.
We weren’t just building a holiday rental; we were consciously engineering the ultimate, sustainable luxury escape. At times we wondered whether we were being over-ambitious. So it has been not just a pleasure, but also a reassuring endorsement that we were, in fact, ‘barking up the right tree’, to win accolades like the Green Tourism Gold Award, the ultra-rare Airbnb ‘Luxe’ status, and to be shortlisted for Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year. We’re delighted that, following quality assessment by VisitEngland, we’ve not only achieved 5 star status, but have also been awarded their coveted Gold Award. This accolade “celebrates accommodation establishments that outperform in their category, offering exceptional quality within their star rating. The awards help guests find special places where hosts go the extra mile.”
What’s the best thing about being the owner of Warksburn Old Church?
The best thing is reading the visitor book and seeing how delighted our guests are by the experience of actually living in a Net Zero Passivhaus home. People perhaps come to Warksburn Old Church to be right in the heart of the rich history and natural beauty of Northumberland, or maybe to use it as a great base for sampling the fantastic local restaurants and pubs, but literally everybody comments on the sheer comfort and tranquility of the accommodation. We constantly hear how people have enjoyed the deepest, most restful sleep they’ve had in years because the interior environment is so consistently relaxing and the world outside is completely hushed.
Beyond that, I suppose we both simply get a ‘mission accomplished’ kind of feeling, when we stroll over on a crisp winter’s morning and just look at the place. Five years ago, it was a decaying, cold, damp and draughty shell, and now it’s a world-leader in sustainable heritage renovation. That alone makes the whole process worth it – the fact that our guests love the result brings us real joy.
Living right next door to the property is also an advantage, as we are close at hand to assist guests if required, maybe to provide a few local tips. But we’d never impose ourselves: if guests want total privacy they have it; if they want to chat over a drink we’re happy to join them. We’ve met some wonderful people from all over the world.
What’s your favourite feature of the retreat?
From a design perspective, it’s the soaring, triple-height space of the main living area; a vast volume which invites you just to look up and contemplate the calmness. The way the light spills through the Victorian stained glass windows and reflects around the interior is breathtaking.
That’s what you can see, but the Passivhaus tech you can’t see also contributes. That’s what creates the tranquility. We just love it that our guests can enjoy the architectural drama in shirtsleeves – in January!
Thinking a little more broadly, we’re delighted that Warksburn Old Church has become something of a ‘favourite feature’ for the media too, with extensive coverage focussing on how we managed to transform a cold, damp and draughty Victorian structure into one of the most energy efficient homes in Europe. Our Media and Awards webpage gets a lot of traffic, and not just from guests. That’s where we publish the links to all the TV shows, print and online media that have featured us. It is really great that our own ‘Beyond Net Zero’ journey is inspiring others to similarly slash energy use in their own homes.
What do you love about the local area?
We love the incredible sense of history and the breathtaking dark skies. Here in Wark, we’re minutes from the Roman sites of Hadrian’s Wall and the stunning natural beauty of the Kielder Water and Forest Park. But the showstopper isn’t really local, it’s light years away. We’re on the edge of the largest International Dark Skies Park in Europe. Just step out into the garden on a clear evening and look up. With no light pollution, the star-strewn sky is an experience that stays with all our guests – and it still ‘gets’ us too, every time we see it.
What’s next for Warksburn Old Church?
For our guests, we’re currently working on bespoke local itineraries to help them to explore the hidden gems of Northumberland. For ourselves, the focus is the North East England Tourism Awards, where we’ve been shortlisted in two categories: Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year and New Tourism Business of the Year. So we’re looking forward to the awards ceremony in March 2026. If we’re lucky enough to win, we’ll go on to the VisitEngland finals, where we’d love to showcase our commitment to Style & Sustainability on the national stage.
If you couldn’t stay at your place, where would your ideal holiday be?
If we couldn’t stay at Warksburn Old Church, our ideal holiday would be somewhere that offered a similar blend of stunning architecture, great sustainability, and deep restfulness. Maybe an Eco-Luxe home on the West Coast of Scotland, or a restored farmhouse in Italy perhaps, or an ultramodern ‘showstopper’ with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the New Zealand Alps. Anywhere that ‘treads lightly’ on the planet, whilst offering a total wind-down from the frenetic distractions of the modern world. And – hopefully – really comfortable beds!
Sum up Warksburn Old Church in three words
Style Meets Sustainability.
If you were visiting, how would you spend a day at Warksburn Old Church?
We would start with a ‘proper breakfast’ at the statement dining table, whilst enjoying the morning light streaming through the church windows. Then we’d head out for a walk along the central section of Hadrian’s Wall, before lunch in one of the many excellent local pubs.
In the afternoon, the historic market town of Hexham, centred around its magnificent Abbey, is just down the road, as is the exquisite village of Corbridge, with its great independent shops and cafés. In the evening, there’s a choice. Either eat out at one of Northumberland’s great restaurants, ranging from the gastropub 200 metres away, to Michelin-starred cuisine a few miles away, or prepare a meal in the chef-grade kitchen which forms the heart of Warksburn Old Church. The end of the evening is a no brainer. We’d be outside on the patio with a drink in hand, just looking up over the Dark Skies Park. Once you’ve seen a billion stars you’ll never look at our own world in quite the same way.
Find out more about Warksburn Old Church via their Host Unusual listing below!
