Major makeover for historic house in Heartbeat country

For two years Tim and Fiona Gardham searched the country for the perfect location and property for their next bed and breakfast venture.

After touring the British Isles in a motorhome, from Devon to Scotland and back to Masham in North Yorkshire, they finally found it.

It was a neglected cottage in the heart of the North York Moors and it was leaking water from top to bottom and hadn’t been touched for years.

However, the couple were totally unphased by the task in front of them and set about a project that is just as much about their choice of lifestyle as it is a business.

Prior to this latest property, they had given up highly paid office-based jobs to run Dillons Guest House in Whitby and turned it into the town’s only five star B&B.

But, while Tim and Fiona love Whitby and the surrounding area they were keen to relocate to a more rural, tranquil area.

Tim says: “We used to live in Masham and it was so quiet. In Whitby you couldn’t pick a better place for a business in terms of footfall, but we wanted somewhere quiet again - we missed it. You can’t get much quieter than where we are now. The only thing keeping us awake at night is an owl.”

Fiona adds: “We came back from our tour with a refreshed attitude. It was all about finding the right property in the right spot and that is why it took us so long.”

Once they had found the cottage there was no stopping them and they got to work with a plan to revitalise it while keeping its period features. The house had been in the same family for over 40 years used only occasionally as a holiday home. It had not really been upgraded in that time either and had cloth wires, no heating and leaky windows.

Nevertheless, it stood out in Goathland, a village well-known to many as the location for the Heartbeat TV series.

Looking more like a ‘gingerbread house’ its arts and crafts style is unusual and reflects the taste of its original owner, classical German pianist Christian Gotlieb Padel. It was built in 1897 and includes stone from the old Goathland church.

Tim’s background in building and design was useful and he worked with the contractors to come up with a new layout inside so the property now works for guests and as a home.

Starting in January 2014, the couple tackled the re-wiring, re-plumbing, had the floors taken up, raised and re-set, replaced the lead piping and kitted out two of the three guest rooms and a guest living room.

Just over six months later the result was a light and airy but cosy cottage that opened for business in August.

In the guest sitting room, there is a roaring open fire and parquet flooring, which harks back to the pianist’s days.. Tim and Fiona added traditional country touches, such as leather sofas, trunks doubling up as tables, checked rugs and curtains plus cushions and throws in deep reds and browns.

The room also boasts the couple’s most indulgent buy which goes with them from one house to the next. It is a huge glass chandelier, bought from John Lewis years ago, takes pride of and would cost in excess of £600 to buy now. It is a classic piece that fits in with any colour scheme and style.

There are two guest bedrooms and in keeping with the musical theme, they are named after composers Vivaldi and Elgar. Overlooking the cottage-style gardens and the vast North Yorkshire Moors beyond, Vivaldi is elegant and luxurious.

Fiona, who took the lead on furnishing the house, chose striking and dramatic wall paper from Laura Ashley, which adorns one wall and is paired with simple yet classic Farrow and Ball paint on the other walls. This provides the perfect backdrop for statement pieces like the silver gilt edged mirror, deep plum velvet headboard from the English Bed Company and mohair throws. The ensuite shower room is tiled with travertine from Stone Trader in Leeds.

Elgar is the bigger of the two rooms and is a mini-suite with its own living area overlooking the moors towards the neighbouring villages of Darnholme, Beck Hole and beyond.

Floral feature wallpaper with green and purple hues delicately sets the room off alongside dstriking,oxidised dressing tables, mirrors and a bedstead sourced from Barker and Stonehouse. Again Farrow and Ball’s Lime White is used throughout the suite.

Fiona said: “How we have styled it is pretty personal ,but we wanted to make each room slightly different and both will appeal to different people.

“We wanted something a bit more opulent and special than you would have at home as for a lot of guests it might be that they are here celebrating a wedding anniversary or birthday.”

There is still work to be done on the property they have named Eighteen97, including an extension that will become Tim and Fiona’s permanent living quarters but first, they are preparing for their full season.

Useful Contacts

Eighteen97 B&B, www.northyorkshirebedandbreakfast.co.uk

Andy Bowman Roofcare and Building - 01947 603122

Keith Attridge Plumbing

First Contact Electricians - 07795514984

Drapers Carpets, Whitby - 01947 825454

Penny Clare Furniture, Crafts and Gifts, Newholm, Whitby - 01947 600371

Furniture, Barker and Stonehouse - www.barkerandstonehouse.co.uk