BEAUTIFUL BARN CONVERSION
Polly and George transformed this former stone hay barn into a luxurious home that perfectly blends modern and rustic aesthetics
For many of us, living deep in the countryside is the stuff of dreams. Rolling hills, wide open spaces and vast green views sounds like the ultimate calming oasis, and for Polly and George, that dream is a reality. Their cosy home is part of George’s family farm, and it’s been lovingly named The Old Hay Barn – as a tribute to its original purpose. The collection of five barns is set on the edge of a working arable and livestock farm, surrounded by fields in the heart of the Cotswolds. Back in 2017, Polly and George set about converting these redundant barns into living spaces.
‘Next door is still used as the main farm building,’ says Polly. ‘Due to gaining larger farm machinery and needing bigger grain stores, these buildings were no longer fit for purpose. But they are Cotswold stone, and being set above Bibury village gives them wonderful views of the countryside, so we decided to turn them into houses,’ says Polly.
‘We named each barn after its original agricultural use; so there’s the Old Hay Barn, Grain Store, Stables, Cart Shed and the Bull Pen – which was home to Falcon the bull, whose progeny can be seen munching on grass in the surrounding fields.’
The barns were in disrepair, but structurally in good shape. ‘Only one had to be underpinned, which was a relief,’ says Polly. ‘Our main focus was to retain as many of the original interior and exterior features as possible. We wanted them to tell a story about the barns’ heritage,’ she adds.
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