RURAL CHIC These experienced renovators turned

HALLWAY The huge flagstones date back to the 1700s

Frances and Andrew Morton-Jenkins are no strangers to doing up listed buildings.

‘This is our fourth,’ Andrew enthuses. ‘But I wish we did not always fall in love with historical buildings. They always turn out to cost twice as much to renovate and take twice as long. We apparently can’t help ourselves.’

Having decided to give their daughter a country upbringing, they were looking for a new home in the West

Country and fell in love with the house they had booked for a B&B weekend.

IDYLLIC

LOCATION

‘We were attracted by its position surrounded by seven acres of fields and unspoilt views of the countryside,’ says Frances. ‘It had original flagstone floors, stunning Georgian square rooms, high ceilings and original sash windows. When told the house was for sale, we were over the moon until we found out the asking price. It was way over our budget.’

Frances and Andrew scoured the West Country for alternatives, but when they discovered the farmhouse was still on the market six months later, they put their London house up for sale, swapped it for a London flat and with the difference bought the farmhouse of their dreams.

ONGOING

PROJECT

Frances says it was just as well they didn’t know the scale or cost of the restoration project in advance, but as Andrew’s background is in building and property maintenance, they felt naively confident. ‘The house was painted in a spectrum of psychedelic colours and there were seven bedrooms, spread over three floors, so there was huge potential,’ she says. ‘Initially we thought it would just be a case of repainting walls, but soon discovered the boiler needed replacing, the chimneys needed rebuilding,

DINING AREA Once an old store room, the breakfast room overlooks a meadow filled with sheep. Cabonne cabinets, £1,344, Maisons du Monde, have a similar look. Blind, made in Artichoke fabric, £26m, Sophie Allport

25bh

country

BATHROOM The planking for the walls was found on eBay. Walls in Bone China Blue, £47 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. For a similar bath, try the Cheshire, price on request, Victoria + Albert Baths

BEDROOM The beams were left unpainted for a rustic feel. Walls in Mouse’s Back, £56.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Cabbages & Roses’ Tulips and Roses fabric, £75m, would make a similar throw

the windows rattled and none of the floors were straight.’

To compound their problems, conservation rules didn’t allow double-glazing, but their most pressing problem was a lack of light in the kitchen, the oldest part of the house, which overlooked a courtyard and had no access to the garden. ‘Knocking out a chimney breast in the kitchen was an arduous job,’ Frances recalls, ‘but it paid off.’ It opened up a gap into the breakfast room and dramatically lightened up the kitchen. By creating a second opening from the breakfast room, they now feel part of the great outdoors.

FRESH

UPDATE

To bring the house up to date, the couple installed a woodchip boiler, a new kitchen, a larder, laundry and cloakroom. Next they converted an old garage into a media room. ‘We were careful to preserve traditional elements like the old bread oven,’ says Frances. In fact, they even had to replace the Aga to gain access to it.

The couple describe their style as old-school traditional country, which works well with their inherited artwork. ‘We wanted relaxed, peaceful colours and an informal look for every room,’ Frances adds.

RURAL

DELIGHT

Soon after the house was finished, work started on their gardens. ‘In hindsight we should have started on the garden first,’ says Andrew. ‘Borders and vegetables take a long time to get established.’

With the garden looking impressive and the last lot of curtains hung –all selected by Frances –the couple opened up the house as a B&B. ‘This has not stopped us putting our individual mark on every room, so it feels totally ours,’ says Frances. ‘It is rather satisfying knowing others can sometimes enjoy the house as we do.’ For details about Frances and Andrew’s B&B, call 07734 448122 or visit huxhamfarmhouse.co.uk

GARDEN Frances checks for progress in the vegetable garden, while Andrew attends to the sheep, who were enlisted to help keep the grass under control