Barn brought to life by winning bid sure to be going, going, gone again

THE auction room was packed with around 200 people when Brian and Joan Kemp beat the competition and made a winning bid for Langbaurgh barn and its run-down collection of farm buildings.

When the hammer came down it signalled the biggest gamble of the couple’s lives.

“The property had no planning permission and so it was fingers crossed. People thought we were mad and I admit it was frightening but our children had grown up, we were looking to move from our house near Stokesley and this looked interesting,” says Brian.

That was nine years ago, since when a small fortune and a lot of hard graft have transformed the derelict barn into a beautiful home with an income from the former cow byre, stables and shed that are now holiday cottages.

It took about a year to get planning permission and Brian, a stone mason, did most of the building work himself with a team from his company Stoneworkers Ltd.

His business specialises in building and renovating harbour walls, sea defences and bridges, so the grade 2 listed threshing barn and buildings that date back to the mid 18th century were a new challenge.

“We started off with mud floors, no roofs and no windows, so it’s been a big project and we have spent more than we should. The last thing we did was put an extension on the barn last year so we could create a utility area where we could wash the bedding and towels for the cottages,” says Brian.

The barn now has a magnificent hall with French doors onto the garden, a kitchen with Rangemaster oven, walk-in pantry, living area, office, sitting room, a bedroom, shower room and utility room. On the first floor, there are three bedrooms with en-suites

The three cottages are all detached, single-storey and have underfloor heating.

The largest has two double bedrooms and one twin plus a wet room, kitchen and sitting room with dining area. The other two have one bedroom each.

Outside, there are gardens and grounds with ample parking and play areas plus a useful commercial and domestic vehicle store/garage

There is also an attractive grass paddock extending to 3.38 acres approx.

The cottages are full almost all year round and create a good income, but Brian and Joan are retiring and looking forward to some far-flung holidays.

“We want to downsize and see a bit more of the world while we still can,” says Brian.

“We’ve enjoyed living here but it’s time to move on.”