NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NEW BUILD

Clever design and a wealth of architectural finds make Josephine and Will Maydon’s house look as if it has stood here for centuries

Reclamation finds make this grand new home look as though it’s been around for years

Josephine Maydon is a magpie for old things and her favourite pastime is scouring reclamation yards, so it should come as no surprise to find her living in a Georgian house with Regency and Victorian extensions. Except, gorgeous as her characterful home is, it isn’t period at all. Josephine lives in a cleverly designed new build that looks as though it’s evolved over time, yet it was built over a 12-month time span in 2014.

‘We moved from North Yorkshire in 2009 to be closer to family,’ she explains. ‘My sister was in nearby Moreton Pinkney and we had always walked around this area, setting off across the fields from her house. There was this beautiful spot, a real hidden gem, just outside the village; my brother-in-law suggested we post a letter to the owner asking if they would consider selling. We didn’t know that the owner was in a nursing home and, when they decided to sell, they gave us first refusal.’

Originally a farm worker’s cottage, the house that stood on the site had been extended over the generations with a mishmash of additions. Most had no foundations and there was little, if any, insulation.

‘We spent a year living in it trying to work out what to do,’ explains Josephine. ‘We had always planned to renovate it somehow but friends pointed out >

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how crazy that was, so eventually we decided to start again.’ Work began by knocking down the old shed on the site and building a three-bedroom cottage on its footprint, providing somewhere to live while they demolished the old house and built the new. They were careful to salvage as much as possible: floorboards were sandblasted and re-used, masonry from the house was crushed for hardcore for the drive and the bathroom fittings were carefully dismantled and cleaned. Anything not wanted they sold on ebay, so they created very little waste.

With a blank canvas, the couple decided they would like their home to have a classic front with five windows above the front door and two either side. ‘We didn’t really give much thought to the back,’ admits Josephine. ‘A local architect did some drawings and we booked a two-hour consultation with George Saumarez Smith of ADAM Architecture, who specialises in classical design, just to make sure we were on the right track. He was very polite,’ she laughs. ‘He gently pushed our piece of paper to one side and drew the most incredible picture in front of us. And that was that – we couldn’t go back.’

Rather than one massive stone building, George’s vision was a house that looked as though it had evolved over time. It included a rendered part

in Regency style and a brick section that looked Victorian. Using recycled building materials has helped establish a sense of age – the bricks for the Victorianstyle section are all reclaimed Victorian bricks and the roofing is also reclaimed. Josephine has continued that ethos indoors, too. ‘It’s the details in a room that make it feel lived in. All our internal doors are from reclamation yards. I bought wide Georgian doors for the Georgian part, Regency ones for that bit and Victorian ones for the brick-built-section,’ she explains. ‘At one point we had 50-60 doors all marked up in the shed with the builder having to build individual openings to fit.’

Josephine recalls that sourcing for the house was a full-time job. Her best buy was the Plain English kitchen that she bought on ebay. ‘Bidding on that was hairy as there was enough cabinetry for both the kitchen and the boot room,’ she says. It was hers for £1,200, and she even managed to squeeze a Villeroy & Boch roll top bath in the van on the way home when collecting it.

For the family at Christmas, it‘s all about time spent together. ‘We go to church in the morning, and do presents after that,’ says Josephine. ‘Then it‘s a long walk in the afternoon and a Christmas movie in the evening. It’s all very low key, but lovely.’

The house and cottage are available to rent at gonetoashbrook.com

Kitchen The ‘stone’ mantel in the kitchen was actually made of wood by Josephine’s builder, skimmed with plaster and distressed using Annie Sloan wax. Pendant and wall lights, all Dowsing & Reynolds

Kitchen The round window to the boot room brings borrowed light into the kitchen and allows Josephine to see visitors at the back door. Plain English cabinetry, ebay. High-back bar stools, Neptune

Dining room This room is spacious, with Georgian proportions, creating plenty of room for the wider family. Dining table, Petersham Nurseries. Chairs, Cane-line. Rug, Crucial Trading. Cushions and throw, Birdie Fortescue

Dining room A window pane mirror adds interest above the console table. Similar mirror, Graham and Green. Lampshades, Pooky

Dining room Facing directly south, every room is filled with light and has views. Walls painted in Old Pink, Konig Colours. Flowers on mantel, Melissa Davies @the_little_bazaar. French limestone fireplace, Renaissance London. Wall lights, Oka

Living room Salvaged features including cornicing, the fireplace and grand glazed doors bring character to the orangerystyle space with its arched windows. Walls painted in Falcon Grey, Konig Colours. Fireplace, Norfolk Antique & Reclamation Centre

Study The painting is of Josephine’s mother when she was young. Rug and rattan armchair, Perch & Parrow. Shutters, The Old Flight House

Living room Traditional style furniture and accessories add to the room’s period feel. Curtains, Clarke & Clarke fabric with bobble trim from Harlequin, made by Interior Fashion. Round table, Station Mill Antiques. Rug, Oka

Bedroom Architectural features create the look of an authentic period house. Rug, Wardington Antiques. Bed linen, The White Company. Seaweed prints, Oka

Exterior The landscaping is an ongoing project as this was recently farmland. Josephine had The Land Gardeners help with the bare bones of the garden and create a vegetable plot

Bathroom Everything in this space was reclaimed as Josephine couldn’t see the point of buying the taps or bath brand new when there is so much for sale on ebay. Bath and taps, both ebay. Bath mat and basket, So Souk

Bedroom A wood and cane bed adds a period touch while a palm tree print quilt evokes an eclectic air. Bedside table and lamps, Coach House. Lampshade, Pooky. Quilt and basket, So Souk. Cushions, Birdie Fortescue