David Reade undertook a major renovation of his parents’ historic home and discovered a centuries-old inglenook fireplace in the process
THE STORY
OWNERS David Reade, a barrister, and his wife, Linda, live here. The couple have two grown-up daughters, Natasha and Katie
PROPERTY A Grade II-listed detached house in Cow Honeybourne, Worcestershire. The original house dates back to the 16th century, with major additions made in the 17th century and some minor work completed in the 1980s. The house has four bedrooms as well as five bathrooms
WHAT THEY DID Removed a wall to create a kitchen-diner, uncovered a huge inglenook fireplace, installed a heating system and carved out space for four en-suite bathrooms and a downstairs shower room
Upgrading this historic house, which has been in his family for 80 years, has been a very personal project for David Reade. ‘I grew up here and went to school over the road, only leaving for good after university. My parents, John and Margaret, who ran a market garden from the land behind the house, carried on living here for the rest of their lives, so I have a very strong emotional tie to the place,’ says David.
After his mother’s death in 2008, the condition of the empty house started to go downhill. ‘It had no central heating and the water was heated up by a coal-fired Rayburn, so it was always cold. I recall one story of my mother’s hot water bottle falling out of bed in the night and it being frozen when she woke up,’ says David. ‘More recently, though, the whole thing came to a head with a large water leak in 2018, and I had to make the decision to either renovate completely or sell up.’
David’s family links to the house are strong, but the origins of the building can be traced back to the Elizabethan era. ‘There is some evidence that the house was originally a Tudor timber-framed structure and was later covered with Cotswolds stone,’ he says. ‘Also, that it is two houses joined together – one much grander, housing the master bedroom and living room, and the other more cottagey, with lower ceilings.’
It was the home’s heritage that won David over: he simply couldn’t let it go. With the decision made to renovate, he instructed architects and started the planning process, consulting historic building experts along the way. ‘I wanted to make it a comfortable home to stay in for family and friends, and while the planning process was going through, I spoke to an interior designer, Susie Stocks of Susie Stocks Designs, about how I could ach
