Two famous properties in historic St. George's are now on the market.

Former Progressive Labour Party MP Delaey Robinson is accepting offers for Aunt Nea's Inn ¿ a venerable guesthouse located in the heart of the Olde Towne ¿ and its neighbouring cottage, Harbour View.

As he and his wife Andrea Dismont are now living in England, they decided to sell the properties rather than try to manage their operation from abroad.

The 12-bedroom Aunt Nea's Inn dates back to the 1700s, and is prized for its early Bermuda architecture and its link to a volume of romantic verse penned by Thomas Moore, the noted Irish poet.

Harbour View, a (circa) 1805 Georgian-style home, gained the attention of millions of television viewers in 2004 when its renovations were aired on the acclaimed PBS series, This Old House. Its sale price is listed as $1.875 million.

The Robinsons could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Dale Young, the sole agent for the two properties, confirmed the sale was linked to the owners' move to the UK.

"Their nine-year-old son is in school in England," she said. "They got him settled and decided to stay for a bit. The guesthouse is for sale along with the cottage to the front ¿ Harbour View."

She highlighted Aunt Nea's proximity to the many amenities in the World Heritage Site and said the multi-million dollar hotel planned for the area would only encourage further tourism development.

"It's in a great spot," she said. "It's so charming and has so much potential. It's been in the same family forever ¿ (Mr. Robinson's) parents had it. It would be a real shame for it to no longer be an inn."

Owned by the Wright Robinson family since 1916, the property first opened as a bed and breakfast in 1961 under the name Hillcrest Guest House.

Its more recent name came from a volume of verse written by Thomas Moore, Odes to Nea. The poet stayed at the inn for a short while in 1804 and fell in love with Hester Louisa Tucker, a young woman who lived next door. The love was unrequited ¿ Miss Tucker married a cousin, William Tucker ¿ and Mr. Moore put his feelings for her on paper.

Further acclaim came in recent years in light of the inn's historic features including four-poster, canopy or sleigh beds and tray ceilings with exposed cedar beams.

In 2003, the property was one of a handful on the island considered for restoration as part of the PBS series This Old House. Producers eventually chose Harbour View, featuring its refurbishment ¿ alongside snippets of various attractions on the island ¿ in eight episodes of the popular television show and five issues of This Old House magazine.

Producers of This Old House outlined their work on the property in the comments below, posted on the show's web site.

"For Delaey Robinson and Andrea Dismont, home for the last eight years has been a tiny apartment near Aunt Nea's Inn, the hotel they own and operate. Delaey, Andrea, and their two young sons, Kelsey and Miles, have been crammed into the 'temporary' space while putting all their time and energy into improving Aunt Nea's.

"For years they've been postponing the restoration of their real home ¿ a two-storey Georgian called Harbour View, on a hill overlooking picturesque St. George's Harbour.

"The simple but elegant structure sits in a charming historic neighbourhood divided by narrow cobblestone streets. Harbour View was once Delaey's bachelor pad, but it's been vacant for eight years, and it shows. The house and a small outbuilding are in a state of considerable disrepair, which was worsened by roof damage from Hurricane Fabian (in 2003). Delaey and Andrea are now ready to repair the damage, expand the house for family living, and give the home the kind of loving restoration and renovation it deserves."

The producers drew on local expertise to see the project to completion ¿ architect Colin Campbell of OBM International and contractor Alan Burland of BMC McAlpine Ltd.

The project saw the downstairs main staircase relocated, and an old galley kitchen torn out with the area expanded into a living room. A former storage area was "reborn" as a great room with a state-of-the-art kitchen.

Continued the producers: "The new living room extend(s) as far as the former outbuilding, (and is now) part of the home as a guest wing. Upstairs, the master suite (was) completely renovated and a new bathroom added between two smaller bedrooms for the children to share. Overall, the house (has been) made as hurricane-resistant as possible."

For more information on either property, please contact Dale Young on 535-3202.