Pretty as it is, this historic thatched cottage in a Cambridgeshire village needed a top-to-bottom renovation when its owners Jim and Jenny Bailey took it on in 2010.
It had taken the couple an extensive search to find their ideal home, but once over the threshold, they were in love. After a third viewing, they sat in the back garden and negotiated a price with the owners. ‘We walked away pinching ourselves that it would soon be ours,’ recalls Jenny.
The Grade II listed, four-bedroom house, built in the 1700s, has a varied history, and has served as a post office, shop, grocery store, draper’s, and even a stationer’s until 1948. ‘The Asplands, who built the house, had lived here for more than 280 years before the house was sold,’ says Jenny. ‘I believe we are the fourth family to have ever lived here.’
Jenny and Jim wanted to honour the building with a gentle renovation while making it usable for modern family life. Read on to find out how they did just that.
Restoring using traditional materials
The couple did as much of the work as they could themselves, but hired their friend, Mark Dawson, to help them out. ‘Mark had recently given up thatching to do building work and his patience and understanding of old buildings paid us back in dividends,’ says Jenny.
The couple discovered rotten that had to be replaced with new oak beams, and there were areas of old concrete to remove from walls to reinstate traditional lime plaster to suit the period of the house.
However, even with an expert on board, there were challenges – largely financial and mostly relating to the restrictions of a listed building. ‘It felt a bit like putting a puzzle back together,’ says Jenny.
The renovation offered rewards as well as challenges – revealing original traditional fireplaces and finding original pamment flooring hidden under a concrete screed in the entrance hall and laundry room, for instance. ‘Uncovering this was a very dirty job, but we were so excited and curious about what lay beneath,’ says Jenny.
Opening up the kitchen and dining space
The original layout of the L-shaped property has remained the same, apart from the kitchen and dining space. ‘We opened this up by removing part of the wall, with advice and permissions from our listings officer and structural engineer,’ explains Jenny.
There is now a pleasing linear flow through the cottage, as the dining area leads to the kitchen and onto the laundry room.
Creating a cosy living room
The living room with its impressive inglenook fireplace, is a welcoming space. Jenny wanted a cosy living room with a huge sofa to sink into for when the family gathers together.
She chose cushions in mixed sizes, some covered in Cabbages & Roses fabric, others sourced from Rosehip in the Country, creating a shabby chic look. The sofa is from Tetrad.
The biggest part of renovating the beautiful beamed living room was exposing the original fireplace, hidden behind a small 1980s fireplace. The Stovax multifuel woodburner came with the house, but Jenny had it reinstalled with a new liner to meet thatched roof regulations.
Indulging in a craft room
Jenny’s wondrous sewing room is what she describes as her ‘guilty little pleasure’. It has French doors opening out to the garden and is the room where she can retreat for a little creative time alone.
Stacks of vintage fabric-covered boxes, which she collects and sells, old sewing patterns, cabinets filled with sewing paraphernalia, and homemade shelving lined with jars of beads, give it all the hallmarks of an inspiring retreat
Jim made the rustic shelving unit in the sewing room from reclaimed wood and Jenny uses it to display lovely old antique books and other treasures. Pieces of costume jewellery catch the light, and baskets below overflow with fabric remnants. Everything Jenny needs to be creative, from ribbons and trimmings to jars of buttons and beads, are on display.
Filling the home with vintage finds
Jenny’s appreciation of period properties began in her childhood home, an old coaching inn. Her mother was a textiles teacher and her father an architect, and both were antiques enthusiasts. ‘It was a creative household, and I was surrounded by drawings, sewing materials, books, and curious old things,’ recalls Jenny.
This formative experience left her with the idea that a home should be comfortable and down-to-earth – an extension of one’s creative self. Years of collecting interesting pieces has helped Jenny achieve her vision.
Jenny’s magpie eyes draws her to pretty or curious things wherever she goes in the UK or on her travels overseas when she's hunting for pieces for her business selling European vintage and antique items, Trove. She brings them all together at home in a fascinating treasure trove of finds.
Peaceful bedroom styling
Jenny and Jim reach their peaceful bedroom through the pretty dressing room, where a floral fabric has been used to line the cupboard doors. The walls are painted in the light chalky shade Lime White by Fired Earth.
As there is not much storage space in the cottage, a beautiful Victorian haberdashery cupboard in the bedroom doubles up as a linen store, as a bedroom storage idea.
Vintage quilts and furniture give the space a wonderfully characterful and timeworn vintage bedroom feel.
Downstairs cloakroom
The downstairs cloakroom was the last room in the house to be renovated, all done on a shoestring. The reclaimed sink was a Facebook Marketplace find and Jim made the cupboard from reclaimed antique pine doors. The walls are painted in Neptune’s Lily shade.
While Jenny likes things as they are, being in the antiques trade means that she can swap items out for new finds gathered on her travels. ‘My work means it’s easy to love a piece for a bit then sell it on. That’s the beauty of using antiques in one’s home,’ says Jenny.
Her curated treasures create the perfect homage to this home’s rich history, and the effects are both eclectic and graceful.
