A collection of 17th and 18thcentury oak furniture shines in this medieval Welsh hall house

Annie McKay and John Marchant’s passion for 17th and 18th-century oak furniture is evident in their medieval Welsh hall house

'Antiques have always played a big part in my life,’ says former antiques restorer Annie McKay, explaining that as a child she enjoyed mooching about antiques warehouses and fairs, and she bought her ! rst ‘antique’ – an early 1960s Sco"ie Wilson Royal Worcester slipware po"ery plate – when she was just 10 years old.

This passion prompted her to train as a gilder, which is how she met her partner, John Marchant, a furniture restorer. Over the years the couple have developed a particular interest in 17th and 18th- century oak furniture. ‘ I used to admire the early oak furniture displayed in the window of Christie’s auction house, which was close to where I worked,’ says Annie, adding that it wasn’t until they moved to their 15th- century Welsh hall house that they really started to collect in earnest.

Their move to the Welsh borders was pure chance says Annie. ‘ We

ABOVE The blackened carved oak stool was picked up from The Quiet Woman antiques shop in Chipping Norton. They found the French slipware jug at Antiques in Tents fair at Burton Court in Leominster. The cabinet is early c1700s, bought from an antiques shop in Hay-on-Wye and contains a collection of Scottie Wilson pottery and slipware. The majestic Georgian wooden peacock sitting on top of the cabinet was bought at an antiques warehouse in Leominster. The ochre velvet sofa from Timothy Oulton in Abergavenny, provides a bright contrast to the darker furniture. RIGHT The 15th-century aged oak panelling divides the dining and sitting rooms. The embossed leather backed dining chair is Edwardian and came from Builth Wells antiques fair. discovered the area while on a trip to visit a Land Rover dealer. We were a bit early, so we drove west and ended up here!’ They loved the area so much that they kept returning until ! nally making the move in 1998.

Set in an idyllic spot overlooking the Wye Valley, within reach of Builth Wells, Brecon and Hay- on-Wye, the house was a rare ! nd and, although they knew it was special, the couple had no idea of its age and history. ‘ It’s a medieval hall house, built in 1402 and o"cially the oldest house in Wales,’ says Annie. According to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, it was possibly built for Henry IV as a hunting lodge. Clues to its high status can be seen in one of the bedrooms, which has a ‘cruck frame’, and the huge bressumer beam in the living room ! replace – the vast piece of oak would have been beyond the means of all but the wealthiest landowners.

The house has a Grade II*-listing, which restricted any architectural alterations, so Annie and John focused their e#orts on undoing the previous owners’ ‘so- called improvements’. Keen to reveal the structure of the house, they pulled down the false ceilings to expose the ancient beams and scraped layers of newspaper from the walls to reveal the original ‘raddle’, a ‘paint’ made from pigs’ blood and used by farmers to mark their sheep.

When it came to furnishing the house, the couple were fortunate to

! nd they had excellent antiques shops, auction houses and fairs on their doorstep in Hay- on-Wye, a favourite local haunt. Builth Wells holds a fair twice a year, which is always a

Set in an idyllic spot overlooking the Wye Valley, within reach of Builth Wells, Brecon and Hay-on-Wye, the house was a rare nd

good source of Welsh furniture, and it has allowed Annie and John to incorporate traditional Welsh folk art into the mix.

Today, their home, which they also run as a B& B, is not only ! lled with the beautiful 17th and 18th- century oak furniture they have been collecting for many years, but also ! ne examples of 18th and 19th- century samplers, tapestries and quilts. Annie’s love of textiles extends to more contemporary designs which she enjoys using in combination with their antique counterparts, layering 20th- century needlepoint rugs with quirkier 21st- century designs. Annie says she enjoys adding a touch of the unpredictable to the mix, such as the dramatic "ocked wallpaper in the bathroom. ‘I don’t know why, but I love ravens and bats,’ she says. ‘ They aren’t to everyone’s taste, but they de! nitely suit the house and its era.’

Elsewhere, there are various unexpected pieces of taxidermy, such as a small dog in the si#ing room, and on every window sill and shelf there are groupings of curious and intriguing objects from a splendid Georgian carved wooden peacock in the si#ing room, to the metal skeletons in the bathroom. But although the house is ! lled with amazing things, the couple’s relaxed approach to their collecting and to the decor ensures that it doesn’t feel like a museum.

‘ We’ve taken a lot of pleasure in ! nding things for our home,’ says Annie. ‘ Le#ing it gradually evolve over time.’ For Annie and John there’s nothing more satisfying than ! nding something special at a car boot sale under torch light in the middle of a !eld or winning the ! nal bid in an auction. ‘ It’s such an exciting and unique way to shop,’ laughs Annie. The couple share their

FEATURE SIAN WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHS BRENT DARBY Annie and John’s medieval home has had an interesting past. Built in 1402, it’s believed to have been used as a hunting lodge for King Henry IV and has a Grade II*-listing.

The studded leather chest is Spanish, c1700. Decorated with hunting scenes it was used for storing saddles and bridles. The onion-shaped mercury Murano vase came from The End in Hay-onWye and the carved Indian shutters on each side of the window were bought at an antiques fair in Leominster.

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT Annie McKay and John Marchant were originally antiques restorers based in Richmond and now run a bed and breakfast business on the borders of South Wales; all the kitchen units were sourced from an antiques shop in Llandeilo. John then assembled them to fit the space. The modern copper sink reflects a collection of copper items (unseen). The plate rack came from Cheltenham and the caddies and tins were collected over the years; a collection of traditional wooden spoons is displayed in a 20th-century rack bought from The Keepers Pocket in Hay-on-Wye.

The Georgian plate rack in the dining room came from an antiques shop in Ludlow and they found the refectory table, c1600, in Brecon. Although Edwardian, the dining chairs are in a similar style to the table and came from Builth Wells antiques fair. The ornate framed Victorian mirror came from The End in Hay-on-Wye.

The couple bought the 17th-century chest from a dealer who was about to strip it and remove the lovely patina. He charged them less says Annie, relieved to have saved it. The rabbit lamp base is by Abigail Ahern, and the pheasant feather shade is by Fascinating Feathers. They found the c1860 patchwork quilt that hangs above the bed at Sunbury Antiques Market.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The dramatic flocked wallpaper in the bathroom is Raven Disney Villains by Barbara Hulanicki, and the wall is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe. The sink and roll-top bath are both from Victorian Plumbing and the tiles above the sink and on the floor are from Tiles R Us. The skeleton towel holder was from TK Maxx; the little Flemish cabinet was a present from Annie’s sister and underneath are two Felix the Cat perfume bottles bought locally at a car boot sale; Annie found the Coco Chanel glazed cabinet in a bric-a-brac shop in Hereford.