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By Beverley Nielsen | The Welsh border country in Herefordshire is a reminder of just how remote and wild parts of the county can be. Amid a big snowfall in early February, what were once streams are now swollen rivers in full flood.
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Full of surprises: Bill and Jane's Welsh Long House | Jane and Bill’s 18th century Welsh Long House is down a long and winding one-lane driveway, a large orangerie knitting it together with a trap barn. The whole piece is made homely with gothic-style windows, a delicate ironwork porch over the front door, slate slabs and a welcome showing of the first dewdrops of the year.
This is the hilly hinterland of Huntington near Kington, with the River Arrow, in feisty form, cutting a swathe through the grounds. Bill and Jane – both active in the West Midlands business community – moved in just 10 months ago, having decided to ‘downsize’.
Jane launched Masterkey, a corporate events company now being run by their son. Bill is known by many as a former partner in an established Birmingham law firm.
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Warm and inviting: the entrance hall, painted in Madder Red from Fired Earth | The house is a joy, with something for the eye to feast on in every room. The warm, inviting entrance hall, painted in Fired Earth’s glorious Madder Red, is furnished with an antique dining table, sideboard and paintings and dotted with pieces of bone china and glass. It has the feel of a period novel, rather than a 21st century home.
“The floors used to be damp with old slate flagstones set through the entrance hall and kitchen,” says Jane. “We took these out and put them on the terrace outside as they are lovely stones. Inside we put down some St James terracotta tiles from Fired Earth, which make a lovely warm colour on the kitchen floor.
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Pretty as a picture: the cloakroom | “I’m delighted with my royal blue 3-Oven gas Aga and do all my cooking here. I’m so impressed by the way Aga have managed to put three ovens into this size of gas cooker. It certainly makes it so much more convenient. I’ve been used to an oil-fired Aga, but have been really impressed with the gas version.
“For people with a small space such as we have, a 3-Oven Aga like this is the best of all worlds.”
As she speaks Jane is whipping up a little something for lunch – a Mediterranean salad with croutons and a gorgeous white chocolate mouse with caramel crunch.
“I love Fired Earth’s paints, so I’ve used them extensively through the house – Rose Mallow in the hallway downstairs, for example, leading into our cloakroom.”
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Simply stunning: Eden frameless shower screen and Classic shower fittings from Fired Earth | The cloakroom is indeed as pretty as a picture – olive green encaustic tiles on the floor, a Winchester basin and pedestal with a splashback of delicately coloured, handmade Moustier Lustres in Magnesium Green.
“The en suite bathroom in the master bedroom was entirely inspired by the Fired Earth advertisement with the two stone basins and the white doves,” says Jane. “I may not have the doves, but I have pretty much followed everything else to the letter.”
The bathroom is stunning; ‘his’ and ‘hers’ Luna Stone bowls, Venetian Marble mosaic in Crema, an Eden frameless shower screen and Classic shower fittings. There’s a lovely contrast between the soft blush and smoky pinks of their bedroom and the purity of all this stonework in the bathroom.
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'His' and 'hers': Fired Earth Luna Stone bowls | The en suite bathroom in the guest room is another tour de force by home designer Fiona Parry-Jones of Fired Earth in Hereford. It is a picturesque ‘French beach fancy’ and Fiona has made the most of the space to fit in a Flow Slipper bath with a Broadway Console and wall-hung pan. The drama is heightened with the use of horizontally laid tongue and groove boarding painted white and showing up the jewel-like sea tones of the turquoise, blue capri and aquamarine Moustier tiles.
“I think Fiona has done a great job for us,” says Jane. “I’ve been really impressed by her ability to design something that not only looks beautiful and fits our design brief, but is also completely practical and fit for purpose. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her. Indeed I already have – I know several of my friends are working on their bathrooms having viewed ours.”
Bill and Jane have created a self-contained studio for their children and their families. With four children and 11 grandchildren, it is in regular use.
“I wanted this to have a light-hearted holiday feel, so I used blue and yellow to give it an upbeat and happy feel. When our children come here we would like them to feel as though they’re really getting away and having a proper break,” says Jane.
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Gorgeous styling: Fired Earth tiles in the bathroom | It’s charming and cheerful and has everything any young family could wish for. It’s connected to the main house through the extended orangerie, so no one even has to step outside when they’re moving from one barn to another.
The barns curve around the most rustic part of the settlement. Inside Bill has been constructing a 48ft long great library hall. “It’s full of books I’ve collected over 45 years,” says Bill, who’s always loved reading and been an avid collector all his life. There’s a series of first edition Billy Bunter books, as well as reference books, autobiographies and an array of weighty political works.
And the surprises continue. “That was once Sir Robert Peel’s desk,” says Bill pointing to a handsome, formal desk and an elegant leather chair.
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