Anwen Pegrum Home Tour

Like many house-hunters today, Anwen Pegrum first stumbled upon her future home online. Initially unconvinced that the property was right for her family, Anwen is thankful that she took the opportunity to take a closer look, ‘As soon as we walked in, I think we just knew it was the one,’ she says. Many of the original features of Downcross House - a 15th century Welsh longhouse - had been covered up over the years, and it took Anwen’s creative thinking to visualise the beautiful family home it could become. ‘When we first arrived at the house, the front door was UPVC! Can you believe it?’ Anwen recalls. ‘But we loved the old cottage character inside and the original features we could see. It has bags of character - I don’t think there’s a straight wall in the house! The stone spiral staircase literally stopped me in my tracks when we came to view it.’

Anwen and her husband Christian moved into Downcross House in late 2007, awaiting the imminent arrival of their daughter Martha, born a few months later. With their hands full, they were raring to go, and began renovation work as soon as possible. ‘We realised we’d have an uphill struggle to get it right, and 11 years later we are still planning new projects. I don’t think we’ll ever stop in all honesty!’ says Anwen. ‘But all the major stuff is done now, we are just revisiting the outside space, after our rush job when we first moved in.’

Located in the coastal town of Llanwit Major at the heart of the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan, Downcross House is around 30 minutes’ drive from Cardiff. Anwen feels they have got the balance just right in choosing this setting; ‘we are so lucky here to be well-connected yet have space to breathe. The house overlooks a pretty brook and field with horses, and we can walk to the beach in about 20 minutes,’ she says. ‘I love being out here, especially in the summer months, though I do still miss the city in the winter months!’