KENT BARN
The chance to restore a stable block and rekindle childhood memories drew Tish Potter back to her family’s farm
FEATURE & STYLIST SARA BIRD
Growing up on the family farm in the Kent countryside and visiting her old home with her husband and children, was always seen as a privilege by sculptor Tish Potter. Living mostly in London, but with her sister based near her parents, there was adraw to be among them. ‘My parents’ home is special, but it was a lot to expect of them if we descended on them all the time,’ says Tish. ‘A property on their land was the best option. I’d always eyed up one of their barns and could see it was a property in the making.’
The barn was part of Tish’s parents’ farm, which they’d owned since 1980. ‘Most farms have outhouses full of equipment and this was one of those,’ explains Tish. ‘I’d walked by the barn for years thinking that it would make a great house and now, having my own children, I wanted to give them as much of my own upbringing as I could. Going out on bike rides for hours, making dens, taking picnics.’
The farm buildings were designed by Edward Austen (novelist Jane Austen’s brother) in the early 1800s when he inherited the local estate and took a tenancy on the old farmhouse. Once the restoration idea was on the cards, Tish’s initial look around it revealed it was in a fairly basic state. ‘Inside there was a mess room with a kettle and a place for a loo, but it was all pretty ropey. On the plus side, it was largely untouched, so we could work with the original walls and beams,’ she says.
To manage the task, the couple employed London-and Canterburybased architectural firm Lee Evans Partnership to draw up the renovation plans. Unbeknown to all, one of Tish’s friends, Sammy Bikoulis, was an architect for the same partnership. Sammy jumped on board to help with the design and renovation and turned out to be key as an advisory hand for the work, including recommending Cox Restorations, specialists in converting old buildings and barns us
