YORKSHIRE WATERMILL
A LOVE FOR OLD HOUSES LED JO HOWAT TO DISCOVER A FORMER WATERMILL, WHICH SHE HAS RENOVATED TO CREATE A WONDERFUL FAMILY HOME
A love of old buildings led to the discovery and renovation of this character property
It
was a case of going back to their roots when Jo Howat and her husband, Graham Senior, decided to up sticks from London and move to the countryside. They are both from Yorkshire originally and, with their son Archie then a baby, they were keen to return to the area to raise their family.
Finding their dream home was surprisingly straightforward. ‘This was the second house we viewed,’ says Jo. ‘We love old houses and the sight of this converted watermill from the road sold it to us. As we approached, we had to cross a stream with a little bridge to get to the property – we were blown away.’
Over the years the house had evolved. ‘It began life as a working mill with a house attached and was altered to suit whoever lived here, so it had lots of character – including a water wheel at its centre,’ says Jo.
The family moved in and work was gradually undertaken, starting with the bathroom and kitchen. ‘I wasn’t happy with the kitchen as it was a bit small,’ says Jo, ‘so we decided to relocate it to where the dining room was. I’d always wanted a Chalon kitchen and I said to Graham that if I got one, I’d never want another!’ Once the kitchen was completed, Jo and Graham planned to take a break from any further renovations for a while but then – in 2012 – disaster struck when the
house was flooded. ‘The weather was so bad that the bridge was washed away and the garden destroyed,’ says Jo. ‘The water came into the ground floor and ruined everything.’
The family had to move out to a rented house while repairs were done and flood defences put in to ensure they weren’t flooded again. Jo and Graham then decided they may as well do the other jobs they’d always wanted to, at the same time as repairing the flood damage. Top of their wishlist was adding an orangery on the back of the house. ‘We wanted to create a social space – an open-plan kitchen diner with a seating area where we could entertain,’ says Jo. The Chalon cabinets had survived the floods, although the wooden flooring was damaged, and the orangery was built onto that space. In addition, new windows were put in throughout the house and an office, games room and boot room created. In the main bedroom, an adjoining dressing room was knocked through to create a bigger space and the floor taken out and lowered to provide more headroom.
It took 18 months for the work to be completed but the family were able to move back in after eight months. ‘We lived in a building site for a while – at one stage we were doing the washing-up in the bath!’ With the work finally finished, the family are able to enjoy their home. ‘It’s truly a wonderful place for the children to grow up in,’ says Jo.