YORKSHIRE’S FINEST
Quite by chance, Wendy and Dean Simpson stumbled upon their dream farmhouse and rescued it from the ravages of time with elegant additions and improvements befitting its stately presence
The loving touch of one owner has reinstated a sense of grandeur in this historic farmhouse
Interiors blogger and Instagram influencer Wendy Simpson and her husband Dean had no intention of moving until they spotted a farmhouse for sale on an estate agent’s website five years ago. ‘We were intrigued, as having lived in this area for 11 years, we’d never noticed the house before,’ says Wendy. ‘From the moment I stood on the doorstep admiring the old blue door with its pretty patterned glass, etched with stars and polka dots, I was totally smitten. The house is set back on grassy banks with a cobbled path entrance amid rolling hills. Dean warned me to play it cool, but I couldn’t contain myself and showed my hand the minute the agent opened the door.’
The previous owners had lived here for 47 years and the house was well-loved and abundant in high-quality carpets, curtains, wall coverings and impressive architraves. More importantly, the ‘bones’ of the house were so good, with elegantly proportioned rooms, fireplaces and staircases. ‘The Georgians completely got it right in terms of architecture,’ says Wendy.
Six months passed and the couple felt like their chance to buy the house of their dreams was slipping away as they struggled to sell their current home. Sure enough, it went under offer to another buyer and the couple were left deflated, even after accepting an offer on their house. Soon after moving into rented accommodation, they received a call to say the house was back on the market. ‘I screamed with delight!’ says Wendy.
The couple moved in with their three children Molly, Grace and Kitty, and dogs
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Scooter and Reggie, on the coldest Easter with snow falling on moving day. So the priority was installing new central heating, replumbing and rewiring. Ceilings were also removed and some of the windows replaced in the coldest, dampest weeks of the year. The kitchen was the warmest room in the house, thanks to the inherited vintage Aga that had been converted from solid fuel to oil. ‘It ran like an inferno, which was great during the record-breaking cold weather, but not so good when it couldn’t be turned off in summer!’ says Wendy. ‘In the end, we sold it.’
Despite the property being Grade Iilisted, consent was granted straight away for a modern kitchen extension. Old bricks were reused from the previous structure, while a new roof lantern and four sash windows flood the space in natural light. There were delays when the builders uncovered a Georgian water chamber that had to be inspected for toxicity and signed off by local conservation before it could be drained and filled in.
The renovation threw up many other surprises along the way, each discovery strengthening the bond Wendy feels with the house. ‘During our first year here, an elderly couple visited from Australia so that the wife could see her ancestral home,’ says Wendy. ‘Her great-great-grandfather lived here with his wife, seven children, 11 servants and their children, until they emigrated to Melbourne in 1854.’ Those early residents couldn’t have found better custodians than the Simpsons, who have breathed new life into this historic house.
LAST WORD ‘We’ve always had a strong sense of wanting to do the “right thing” for the house. Now it’s finished, we feel like we’re living the dream’