Amelia Harvey had just moved into her Cotswold cottage when the adjoining property came on to the market – it was an opportunity too good to miss
Having just completed the whirlwind renovation of a handsome Cotswold cottage, Amelia Harvey was both taken aback and intrigued when she heard that the adjoining property had gone on the market. ‘Even though I was in the middle of moving in and surrounded by cardboard boxes, I couldn’t resist finding out more,’ she recalls. ‘A friend had kindly come to help me unpack, and as we looked over the garden wall, we both agreed that buying the neighbouring cottage and its beautiful garden appeared to be a golden opportunity.’
It was back in March 2020, when lockdown struck, that the London-based entrepreneur began yearning for a bolthole in the Cotswolds. Just three months later, Amelia bought her first cottage in the pretty village of Shipton-under-Wychwood and had completely transformed the property by August. ‘Despite the challenging times, I really enjoyed breathing new life, colour and joy into my cottage,’ Amelia says.
The renovation, completed with the help of Karl Moore Construction, was so seamless that she wasn’t fazed by the prospect of doing it all again next door. Stepping inside for a viewing, Amelia could see that the second cottage had plenty of potential. ‘I loved the feel of the cottage and its wealth of stunning period features, including the exposed stone walls, beams and huge inglenook fireplace,’ Amelia says.
However, there were several aspects that jarred – such as the sofa that was placed in front of a gorgeous, gnarled wooden door, which rendered access between the living room and kitchen impossible. ‘As the layout was virtually a carbon copy of my first cottage, I realised that by blocking up the door in the hallway that led to the living room, I could reinstate the kitchen door and create a much better flow,’ Amelia says.
She began making plans to fit a new bathroom suite, install an en-suite shower room in a disused corner of the main bedroom, and refresh the kitchen cabinetry and walls with fresh paint.
Karl and his team arrived in September to start peeling back the layers of this Grade-II listed cottage, which was once accommodation for staff working at the nearby manor, Shipton Court.
It was important to Amelia that the renovations were sensitive to the history of the building. ‘This cottage actually has more original features than th
