When Jules and Graham moved into the Grade II * Listed Manor House near Blakeney, they were pleased to have the extra storage space provided in the shape of a lovely old barn in the grounds. They realised the potential of this wonderful old building, built from local stone and beams that were centuries old.
Welcome to Lavendrye Barn
Although the barn was not listed, the planners treated it as if it was in the same category as the house because of its proximity to the main dwelling. Jules and Graham wanted to renovate it sympathetically, using original stone and a pantile roof so that externally it looked exactly the same as before the renovation. Unfortunately the roof had to be taken off as RSJs were needed and many of the original tiles got broken so had to be replaced with old tiles from the reclamation centre.
First sight of the barn
The couple wanted to create light and insisted that the old timber door was still in place, so it looked just the same as it did all those years ago, apart from the small detail of the door opening outwards to gain more space inside.
Jules had very precise ideas about how she wanted it to look. The tongue and groove panelling in the kitchen, the limestone flags (from Beswick Stone in Cirencester) downstairs and the eclectic mix of mid-century and modern furniture – Lavendrye Barn is totally charming and put together so well.
Fabulous floors from Beswick Stone
The clever additions such as the island furniture actually came from Ikea. Jules painted this to fit in with the kitchen colours, from Farrow & Ball, using Cornforth White and Purbeck Stone and who would know that it was not individually designed and hand built by a local craftsman!
Jules and Graham decided on top of range cooking facilities and installed an Everhot, funnily enough their first guests ate out most of the time, but commented on how good it was for cheese on toast!
The stylish Everhot
Upstairs, they used tongue and groove to add some texture to the bedroom, painting it in Downpipe. Another great idea was to use a synthetic flooring which looks the splitting image of flagstones, but has warmth and is easy to clean.
View from the landing
With the most amazing views, this fabulous barn conversion really is a magical escape from the world type of place. You can sit outside onthe terrace, listening to the birdsong and feel a million miles away from civilisation.
Beautiful surroundings
The Forest of Dean, designated as a National Forest Park in 1938 is located within the County of Gloucestershire, perfectly placed to visit neighbouring Wales, the Cotswolds, Brecon Beacons, the Wye Valley, Cheltenham and Gloucester.
Even though this wonderful barn gives you your own space and tranquillity, it’s only a mile and a half from the village of Blakeney with a couple of local pubs ,restaurant, shop, post office and takeaway.
We think the Fettes have done the most amazing job at creating a fabulous holiday home in this beautiful barn, keeping all the features and adding a contemporary twist to make it extremely comfortable. We hope you agree – it looks like the perfect place to come for a very relaxing English holiday break.
Lavendrye Barn
Nr Blakeney, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Sleeps 2 | Bedrooms: 1 | From £385
If you’d like to learn more about Lavendrye Barn and it’s surroundings, click on the link…
https://www.mulberrycottages.com/cottage/holiday-cottages-in-gloucestershire/405267-lavendrye-barn/
