This pretty holiday cottage in Richmond is full of happy memories and a touch of Dutch

“We weren’t intending to buy a holiday property, it was a happy accident. The owners had bookings so we took them on,” says Helen, who was bowled over by the location and the outlook.

“I love the sense of history in Richmond, I’ve known it all my life and went to school there. The cottage is a few minute walks from the centre of town and you can walk directly from the cottage into the woods, along the riverside to the waterfalls, or across the fields towards The Station with its artisan bakery, café, gallery, brewery, shop and cinema.”

The view from the property was also a winner as it overlooks the south curtain wall of Richmond Castle. “The view changes according to the time of day and season and that was key to us purchasing the cottage,” says Helen.

While the house had been very well maintained by its previous owners, the de Wolfs were keen to make it their own and set out to create a timeless, restful interior that was respectful to building’s heritage,

It had originally been two cottages occupied by graziers, who reared cattle.

Repainting, largely in soft neutral colours from Farrow & Ball and Little Greene, was high on the agenda as was re-equipping the spacious kitchen/dining room as the couple are keen cooks.

“We love cooking and Richmond has so many amazing independent shops selling wonderful produce. There are delis, artisan bakers and Hamiltons Butchers plus Kiplin Hall, which is near Richmond and has the most amazing homemade jam,” says Helen.

In the sitting room, the walls were painted in China Clay by Little Greene, which has a slight pink tone, though the undoubted star of the show here is the wood-burning stove with a stunning surround of antique Delft tiles.

They were bought from Regts Tiles, a family business in North Holland. “They are 17th Century and very simple and we included one with a sheep on as a nod to my dad who was a sheep farmer,” says Helen, who adds: “Regts were fantastic. They helped us with the layout of the tiles and then shipped them to us.”

The building work on the fireplace and elsewhere was done by local company G E Brown and Sons from Low Row in Swaledale.

The super comfy sofas in the sitting room were reupholstered by B J Upholstery in Darlington, taking them from purple to a restful blue to tie in with the fireplace.

“We like to use local professionals that we know well,” says Helen, who made much use of her favourite William Morris fabrics throughout the cottage.

Curtains in Kelmscott Tree by Morris & Co. from John Lewis hang at the sitting room window and Richmond based soft furnishing specialist Alice Chalice of Chalice Interiors was also commissioned to make curtains in Willow Bough, another William Morris pattern.

These now grace the windows in the main bedroom and on the landing.

Alice also altered and re-lined Helen’s curtains in Morris’s Michaelmas Daisy design. They were upcycled to fit the kitchen and hall windows, while also creating a curtain for the front door.

Upstairs, the main bedroom has exposed beams and windows on two sides and the wallpaper is Tulip Trail by Fillipa Apelviken, a modern Swedish designer.

It was bought from Galerie Wallcoverings and appealed because of its William Morris like style.

The headboard of the super king bed was reupholstered by B J Upholstery and the primrose coloured cushions are by Tricia Guild, from Grey’s Interiors in Richmond.

The pretty second bedroom has a king size bed and a feature wall in Little Greene’s Garden colour. Both rooms now have radios and a smart TV plus a hairdryer with a socket in easy reach of a mirror.

Many of the new lamps in the property are from Pooky and the pictures have been sourced for their local interest with framing done by Greensleeves in Richmond.

They include a framed Ordnance Survey map of the area and two prints by Georgian painter George Stubbs, who painted a number of pictures of horses belonging to the Duke of Richmond.

Helen says: “Richmond has a long-standing connection with racing which was very visible when I was growing up,” says Helen.

“My dad was keen on horses and racing and I can recall seeing racehorses on the roads locally when I was a child.”

Outside, the cottage garden at the rear includes a table and chairs, a barbecue and a happy community of birds. At the front of the property there is a bench from which you can enjoy a view of the castle.

A friend, Sue, is helping the de Wolfs further develop the garden with lots of insect friendly plants.

“You can also hear Tawny owls around the cottage in the evenings, which I love,” says Helen, who adds: “While we are based in Amsterdam and love it, there is a huge emotional pull to this area for me, which I never expected when I was younger. There’s also an appreciation of what we have here. It is an amazing place.”

*For details of Evergreen Cottage, Richmond, visit holiday let site www.gorgeouscottages.com