Collectors’ hoard
Filled with eclectic and varied collections reflecting their interests in history and art, Kathryn and Jonathan Reilly’s seaside home is as welcoming as it is interesting
Reflecting a passion for history and art, the Reillys’ home is as welcoming as it is interesting
Opening the door to her home in Deal, Kent, Kathryn Reilly says, ‘Welcome to the ends of the earth!’ This town certainly feels like it’s at the edge of England. France’s coastline is often visible from the end of the street where the Reillys have lived for the last six years. ‘If you’re not careful you can find yourself switched to a French or Belgian mobile network,’ says Kathryn. With no immediate association with the east Kent locale, their discovery was serendipitous. ‘So many people say the same thing: we didn’t even know it existed but once we did, we just found ourselves falling in love with the place,’ she adds.
The Conservation Area – Kent’s first, saved from demolition by Noel Coward and other forwardthinking protesters – is a mishmash of colourful boatmen’s cottages, captains’ houses and some grander homes built for the likes of Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806), a proto-feminist bluestocking who was the literary doyenne of the age. ‘Most of the houses have been pubs, boarding houses or brothels at some point – these were the mean streets at the time. Deal has a compelling back story for a history nerd like me,’ says Kathryn. The sense of age also appealed to her husband, Jonathan, who was prepared to endure the daily commute into London for the chance to live in a historic seaside home.
‘It didn’t take us long to find the house, but we were worried that the owners didn’t really want to sell. They had brought the place back from a pretty dilapidated state and clearly loved it,’ says Kathryn. ‘Things had been done in a very piecemeal fashion, though, and much of the work seemed to have been on a DIY basis. One electrician who came to do some work just after we’d moved in, said “show me a house round here that isn’t a death trap!” I didn’t sleep so well that night!’
Forty metres from the sea, the property is unusual in the area because of its large courtyard garden and garage. ‘We saw it as a blank canvas when we moved in,’ says Kathryn. ‘We did away with the dining room, adding a wood-burner and lots of bookshelves to make a cosy parlour – it’s wonderful in the winter.’ The first-floor sitting room has a double aspect, which is also unusual in the town, although there are many so-called smugglers’ windows, designed to help spot approaching customs enforcers. Generally, the couple added colour, painting the varnished panelling to chime with how the house might have originally been decorated.
‘We were hoping to discover more original details than we did,’ Kathryn continues, ‘But we at least have some original Georgian panelling, a wig cabinet with a secret hidey hole hidden behind a small metal panel, and the layout hasn’t been messed about with too much. There are mysteries like the holes we discovered in every riser of the staircase and the disproportionately thick walls in the cellar. The front part of this space is filled with rubble, the story being that smugglers were forced to destroy their illegal stores with stones from the beach. We’d love to investigate this further and open the space but that will have to wait.’
The house is liberally peppered with collections of the odd and intriguing. Kathryn collects automata, mourning jewellery, wonky taxidermy and weird bits and bobs (her cabinet of curiosities in the parlour is a pride and joy). Jonathan collects old books and prints by Edward Ardizzone, who they learnt lived a couple of streets away in Deal in the 1970s. Kathryn has returned to art over the last couple of years and examples of her paintings and collages are filling up the walls fast.
‘We’re exceptionally lucky living here. In the summer it can be glorious and in winter the streets become very Dickensian. Having said that, when there’s a storm it can be a bit bleak!’ says Kathryn. ‘We’ve met so many interesting people since moving here – and seen some incredible houses. It’s impossible to guess what might be inside just from the exterior. The tiniest-looking home can turn out to be a veritable Tardis. The quirky independent shops on the high street are a real treat and they definitely inspire people like us to take a risk with their interiors and just go for it.’
Living by the sea has been both refreshing and inspiring for the couple. Jonathan appreciates the sea air after the day in London and Kathryn has thrown herself into painting. ‘The seascape changes moment by moment, and the skies are incredible. It just makes you want to pick up a brush to try to capture some of the everyday beauty,’ she says.