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Lots of talent on tap

Glancing through Mandy’s photographs of this 16th century farmhouse as it was when the Chadders first moved in, it is hard to believe the family has only been in residence for three years. Although undoubtedly a beautiful building the house looked decidedly sad with dark and dreary furnishings inside and surrounded by an expanse of featureless lawn. Now it is a bright and welcoming home set in a picture perfect garden.

On a sunny summers day the garden is a vision of co-ordinated colour, all thanks to Mandy’s green fingers. There’s an avenue of topiary trees, a water feature and the beds spill over with pink, white, lilac and blue flowers. “I always felt the garden would suit lavender,” explains Mandy, “and so I’ve planted plenty of bushes which thrive here. It was only when I looked into the history of the house I found out that in 1798 this had been a lavender farm. Eating outside or in the conservatory on a summer evening is lovely with the beautiful views and nothing but the sound of the birds.”

The history of this Sussex hall house is fascinating. Built over 500 years ago it was an arable farm, then a herb farm supplying the flowers for Mitcham lavender water. Its most recent re-incarnation, prior to the Chadder’s purchase, was as a stud farm - the sand school is now a tennis court.

Martin and Mandy previously lived in a house in Ashdown Forest but with two adult children living at home, Sam is 19, Hannah 21, plus bull terriers Dave and Maisie and Sox the cat, the family were looking for more space. Add to this Martin’s hobby, he races catamarans, and the appeal of a farmhouse with ample outbuildings becomes apparent.

“When we first viewed the house we were shocked at the state it was in, but as we walked round I began to see what I could do with it,” says Mandy. Pale walls, off white upholstery and pretty accessories have rapidly replaced the dark red carpets, dusty orange paint and coloured bathroom suites. Mandy’s style is French country and she has kept this look throughout so that rooms flow effortlessly one into the other. She also has an eye for a bargain, buying a reduced price dining table and then chopping off the legs to make the outsized coffee table in the drawing room and snapping up off-cuts of fabric to create the many floral cushions and loose covers.

However, while it was easy to replace the dated furnishings some things were not so easy to shift, as Mandy explains. “The house had a bad feeling, a heavy presence and the previous owner mentioned the ghost of a little girl. Just by chance I met an exorcist and when she visited she could feel the bad energy too. She drove out the girl but there was also an elderly couple in the dining room and an old man in the sun room who were less willing to leave.”

Once the spectral presence was removed the renovation was speedy. “You have to move pretty quickly or you learn to live with things,” says Mandy. “Martin and I are good at delegating and we always try to choose the right person for the job. You have to find people who will listen to you and create what you want, not what they want.”

Sam’s shower room is yet to be completed and Mandy has plans to build a waterfall in the pond, but other than that the project is complete. “My favourite room in the house is our ensuite bathroom,” says Mandy. “I love having the space to walk around and there is nothing better than opening the shutters, lying back in the bath and enjoying the view.”

The house now has a friendly, relaxed ambience. This is partly due to its pretty makeover, but also to its position in the landscape as Martin explains. “We’ve checked it out and the house sits on a convergence of ley lines. 500 years ago when this was built people were far more in-tune with the natural world and this house has been positioned where it is for a reason. It is also built at an angle to the prevailing wind so that it flows over the house rather than into it. This was a farmhouse and farmers have always had to work with nature rather than against it.”

Address book:
Amdega, conservatories, tel: 01325 349589 or visit www.amdega.co.uk
Cath Kidston, vintage accessories, tel: 08450 262440 or visit www.cathkidston.co.uk
Chadder & Co, Forest Row, Sussex. Period bathrooms, tel: 01342 823243 or visit www.chadder.com
Dulux, paint, tel: 0870 444 1111 or visit www.dulux.co.uk
Esse, range ovens, tel: 01282 813235 or visit www.esse.com
Furniture Village, living and dining furniture, tel: 0845 085 0480 or visit www.furniturevillage.co.uk
Offspec, kitchens, tel: 01403 780000 or visit www.offspeckitchens.com
Oka, home furnishings and accessories, tel: 0844 815 7380 or visit www.okadirect.com
Period Flooring, natural flooring specialists, tel: 01737 823053 or visit www.periodflooring.com