Berkshire Farmhouse
Tanya and James Greenham’s country house had been split in two but their careful restoration turned it into a harmonious single home once again
The handsome old farmhouse that Tanya and James Greenham now call home was a lucky find. Seeing a for sale sign when out walking, they were intrigued, as the house was barely visible beyond its overgrown rhododendrons and clouds of bindweed. ‘We’d lived in the neighbouring village for 18 years and never knew it was here,’ says Tanya.
Unfortunately, another buyer had already put in an offer, intending to demolish the old house and replace it with a number of new properties. However, nine months later that sale fell through and the house was back on the market. It was only at this point that James and Tanya discovered it was, in fact, two homes: the old farmhouse had been split in half, and both sections were up for sale. ‘We put in an offer there and then,’ recalls Tanya. ‘It wasn’t hard to imagine how good the house would look with a bit of care and attention.’
So the Greenhams became the farmhouse’s proud new owners, with no intention of demolishing it, and every intention of restoring and preserving its many period details. Their hard work and efforts at saving the house from demolition earned it the title of Period Living’s Home of the Year 2021.
The family remained in their village house for nearly three years as they worked their way through replumbing, replastering crumbling walls, replacing floors and installing central heating in the farmhouse. James tackled lots of the work himself with help from his father and brother-in-law, and called in an electrician for the rewiring.
Since the house was unlisted, there was no need for planning permission and James and Tanya weren’t making major changes. Still, they calle
