A PIECE of land on the site of an old coaching inn near Alston is up for sale.

Located within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and surrounded on three sides by ancient and typical dry stone walls, dotted with trees, the 0.44 acre paddock was once the site of an old coaching inn called Shaw House.

Shaw House Inn served travellers making the journey by a horse-drawn coach known as the ‘Balloon Coach’ in reference to the long, almost perpendicular climb between Penrith and Alston.

Hexham Courant: The former Shaw House InnThe former Shaw House Inn (Image: H&H Land & Estates)

READ MORE: Food hygiene ratings given to three Hexham establishments

But in the 1830s the inn closed its doors for the last time, and today almost no trace remains of Shaw House, its barns, outbuildings, and stables.

The grazing land, situated 2.5 miles south west of Alston, has been listed for sale through the Carlisle office of H&H Land & Estates with a guide price of £8,000.

Hexham Courant: The grazing land is situated 2.5 miles south west of AlstonThe grazing land is situated 2.5 miles south west of Alston (Image: H&H Land & Estates)

Emma Smith, H&H Land & Estates Associate and Chartered Surveyor, said: "This is a stand-alone patchwork piece of land, which we anticipate appealing to a range of different purchasers.

"It is in a spectacular location, and has a unique history, interestingly we have a copy of the original particulars when it was sold as an operational inn on the 13th of February 1830."