Effortless GEORGIAN CHIC
An artful blend of French furnishings and British antiques brings easy, eclectic charm to this 18th-century home in Hay-on-wye
A map on the wall proves the property is in Wales, despite its Herefordshire postcode
The impressive façade of Radnor House displays the typical symmetry of Georgian style, with three storeys of well-proportioned windows and a central doorway surrounded by a wrought-iron, trellised porch. Once across the threshold, the design is decidedly different. There’s a distinctive French feel to the furnishings and decorative details, offset by Welsh and English antique and vintage finds.
While respecting the structure and age of the house, rebuilt around 1760 and listed as the Post Office in 1889, David Bartlett and Julia Joplin have reinterpreted the interior with artistic flair, to suit their new venture as first-time B&B owners. It was already being run as such when they moved to Hay from Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. David’s background as a charity director and Julia’s in hospitality and human resources gave them the people skills and management experience to take it over, while freeing up time for other interests.
“We wanted to create a beautiful place that was comfortable and welcoming, but not too precious,” David says. “So we moved here in early August 2018 and opened for business on the 18th.” He enjoys being front-of-house, while Julia prefers the catering side – there is always cake for guests – and making soft furnishings. She upholstered the wood-framed sofa and two armchairs in the guest lounge: “The fabric on the chairs is from a monogrammed French bedsheet, which I dyed botanically.” On the wall behind the sofa is a gallery of pressed dried flowers from a 19th-century herbarium – appropriate since this was more recently a botanical bookshop, one of many that made Hay famous as a bookish town and inspired the annual literary festival, now in its 33rd year.
On the mantelpiece above the woodburner is a collection of kitchen and garden sieves and riddles. French shutters frame the fireplace, on the left of which hang leather panniers said to have sat on Colin Firth’s horse in Pride and Prejudice. There
are plenty of other talking points – the concertina book hanging on one wall, the window ledges dotted with foraged finds, and a lamp made from a rusty iron railing welded on to a metal base. Its twin stands in the breakfast room opposite, where adorning one corner is a Philip’s School Map that proves the town categorically is in Wales, despite the Herefordshire postcode. Its location in the district of Radnorshire gives the house its name.
On a windowsill sits a stack of ceramic saucepans, handpainted eggs, pastry brushes and a compendium of English country dances, reflecting David’s interest in music. Above the fireplace, rows of glass bottles are usually topped with candles, their flickering light reflected in the antique mirror. “I can’t get enough of mirrors and chandeliers,” Julia says. “They add light and depth everywhere. I buy from Emma Leschallas in Tetbury and Catherine Waters in Ashburton, and we have our own crystal palace in Hay, Goosey Ganders, where Simon can rewire and repair any lighting you find.”
For what is expected of it, the kitchen is small, with everything stored in a tall wooden cupboard. “David periodically tidies it up,” Julia says, “whereas I mainly throw things in and quickly shut the door before an avalanche of baking tins comes cascading down, sounding like the pot wash at The Dorchester.”
After breakfast service (vegetarian and vegan a speciality), the back sitting room is a sanctuary, where David likes to play the piano. “We brought quite a few other pieces of furniture with us from Yorkshire, but we also love going to auctions and fairs and have found the Cotswolds and Malvern good hunting grounds,” he says. On a table above the sofa are two French metal table lamps, an assortment of cream glazed ceramics and invariably a bouquet of flowers from the garden (where they are building a tin tabernacle). “We painted the beams to lighten the room,” Julia says, “using a mixture of white, cream and grey paint, applied with a rag.” Elsewhere, the palette is from Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Fenwick & Tilbrook. From the back sitting
room, a second staircase leads up to the couple’s apartment, comprising a bedroom containing a roll-top bath, shower room and dressing room with a bressumer beam fireplace. An air of understated grandeur pervades all the bedrooms, in the largest of which a half-tester bed reigns supreme. “It’s not always practical to use old and precious fabrics,” Julia says, “so I made cushions and bedspreads from material by Kate Forman and Susie Watson Designs, and from the offcuts I sewed napkins and tablecloths for the breakfast room.”
The ensuite bathroom invites relaxation, featuring a double bateau bath, a gracefully curved mirror and a wooden table with barley-twist legs from a car-boot sale, on which stand two ceramic bowls that have been drilled for plugholes: “All very cost-effective with the help of a good plumber and plenty of patience.” Adjoining this room is a private dining area where an upcycled chandelier casts a romantic glow on a circular table and two Bergère chairs. Downstairs, supper parties and craft workshops are a regular occurrence.
“At the windows, muslin, fine linen and lace from charity shops keep the light but give privacy,” Julia says. “Over the years, I’ve spent a stupid amount of money on curtain poles... because you can. But our best one is a length of copper pipe secured by two pieces of plumbing brackets and some curtain clips found on ebay.”
In this house of surprises, David and Julia have used creativity and ingenuity to put their own stamp on a property of substance, starting a new chapter in its history and theirs, in this literary haven in Herefordshire.
FOR MORE DETAILS about staying at Radnor House, visit radnorhousehay.co.uk