A WINTER’S TALE
Set in a hamlet in the Warwickshire countryside, a 17th-century farmhouse has been thoughtfully renovated to create a modern home that’s true to its historic roots
A thoughtful renovation and a pared-back approach have revived a 17th-century farmhouse in Warwickshire
Shakespeare country in winter has a character all of its own – a landscape of briar hedges and churned fields, scattered copses of ancient woodland, frost pockets and ice-edged canals and riverbanks. When Paul Clarke and his wife Alex headed there to find a home, Paul, who is originally from north London, was struck by its wide, starry skies and lack of streetlights, all to the amusement of Alex because, for her, it was a homecoming.
They were living in London at the time and were feeling a little bruised by having missed out on a house in Sussex, where they had intended to set up an estate-agency business. “I grew up around this area, so it seemed the natural place to come and take stock,” Alex remembers. Gradually, the idea of staying close to her family took hold, and she and Paul began to look at the local market with increasing interest.
Then, in the midst of a cluster of farm buildings at the edge of a tiny hamlet, the couple found their home: one half of a brick-andtile farmhouse. Originally a pair of cottages, its confusing layout and dated interior were offset by its glorious setting. “It had been on the market for quite a long time,” Paul says. “I think people were wary of the Grade II listing. Also, three plots were being sold, so it needed all three purchasers to fall into line.” But, suddenly, their plans began to coalesce. “We did buy this house still wondering
where we might end up,” Alex admits. “And we had the business to set up, too.” This didn’t ruffle the couple though, and neither did taking on a period house. “Everyone kept asking, ‘Are the beams OK?’ ‘Is there woodworm or rot?’” Alex says. “But our view was, it’s been standing for a few hundred years, so it’s fine.”
Even so, making sense of the floorplan was a challenge. The farmhouse’s past life meant there were two front doors and an awkward bathroom dividing the ground floor. A second bathroom upstairs had two doors, both opening onto one bedroom. A further strange legacy was a staircase that began in the kitchen and led nowhere. “The builder said it would be simpler to just strip everything back and start again,” Alex says.
The couple set about reworking and reinvigorating the space: opening up the kitchen and giving it character with a run of cobalt-blue cabinets, adding a new storm porch to make a proper entrance, redesigning the upper floor so the three bedrooms and bathroom were clearly defined, and landscaping the garden.
Having local contacts certainly paid off. The team of builders shared Alex and Paul’s sympathy for period buildings, and enjoyed the couple’s willingness to be imaginative and take a few design risks. Pendants loop from the ceilings on lengths of long flex – “so we can easily move the lighting around if we need to in future,” Alex points out – and one bedroom window is now framed by bare pink plaster and brickwork. “All the bricks had been
The essence of the finished house is simplicity and purpose
damaged around it and the plasterer asked if he could have a go at making it pretty. We liked it so much, we left it as it was,” Alex says.
The couple’s rough-cast kitchen floor was another happy accident. “It’s just what was underneath when we ripped up the old lino,” Paul says. “We thought of having wooden floorboards or polished concrete, but we were told that wouldn’t work because the floors are so wonky, so it’s just stripped back with rugs on top. You can see the old bitumen and patches of screed – everyone who has visited has admired it.”
Downstairs, hidden beams have been uncovered and others sandblasted clean of thick black paint. Upstairs, taking down two false ceilings in the biggest of the three bedrooms has made the space feel lighter and more open. Walls are all in the palest of grey-whites – a clear backdrop for Alex and Paul’s eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary furniture. “A lot of it has come from reclamation yards and antiques shops,” Paul says. “I like that they all have stories. It’s the same with the house. It’s lovely to think about who has lived in it before – and who is going to live in it next.”
There was never any grand plan, Alex explains. “When we’re looking for pieces for the house, we buy things we love, knowing that wherever we put them they will fit in. If you love something, it will always work.” She has faith in instinct and acting fast. “It’s the only area where she is impulsive,” Paul says. “With everything else, Alex is so organised and methodical, but when it comes to buying things for the house, she makes quick decisions.”
The essence of the finished house is simplicity and purpose: light-filtering linen at the windows, soft leather seating, weathered woods throughout, earthy woollen rugs to lend warmth, and utilitarian accessories. “Maybe we’re just frugal,” Paul says, laughing. The work was complete in time for baby daughter Theodora’s christening. “It was really low-key, but wonderful,” Paul continues. “Afterwards, we had a big barbecue with trestle tables in the garden. We see far more of our family and friends now than we used to, because they all love coming here. I don’t know if we would get that from another house. In our business, we usually say to everyone, ‘Move, find other houses!’ but when you discover somewhere you love, you want to stay there.”
For more information on Alex and Paul’s bespoke estate agency, Mr & Mrs Clarke, visit mrandmrsclarke.com.
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