BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
A 16th-century Kentish farmhouse is the perfect showcase for the colourful individual style of its interior designer owner
A 16th-century Kentish farmhouse is the perfect showcase for the colourful style of its interior designer owner
akent fter descending half a mile of bumpy farm track into a beautiful secluded valley where
meets East Sussex, visitors are rewarded by the quintessentially English sight of an ancient russet tile-hung farmhouse, with a clutch of mellow brick oast houses across the yard. The only clue that the interior of the property might not be quite as conventional as its exterior lies in the gleaming Air Force blue open-top Land Rover parked jauntily outside. Found rusting away in a client’s field, it was restored and given a new lease of life by Alexis Wylie, who finds it great for whizzing along the country lanes to her interior design jobs. And in summer, she, husband Fergus and their three children – Finnbhar, 18, Tabitha, 16, and Jonjo, 11 – plus dogs, all pile in for picnic outings and trips to the seaside.
The family arrived at Bourne Farm 15 years ago, after more than a decade in South Africa, followed by a short stint in London. Keen to move out of the city to be closer to Alexis’s parents, they were looking for an isolated rural property with some land that was still close enough to the capital for Fergus to commute to his job as a PR consultant. Surrounded by fields, with glorious views of the Weald of Kent and only 20 minutes from the coast at Rye, this 16th-century homestead near Bodiam Castle fitted the bill perfectly.
Although in rather an unloved state, it came with five acres and the bonus of outbuildings, including an oxbay, granary and a triplekiln oast, which already had planning permission. First on Alexis’s agenda was tackling the conversion of these derelict buildings, built centuries ago for drying hops. A major project, it took five intense months but, once complete, she was able to turn her