The Old Rectory sits on the bank of the river Arrow at the edge of the historic village of Pembridge, in Herefordshire. Built in 1852, this former Rectory is in the Gothic Style and its understated grandeur reflects the importance of the Rector in the village.

After being disappointed with losing the purchase of a Victorian property in Malvern, Lynn spotted The Old Rectory on a property website. We knew nothing about Herefordshire but driving the one hour journey from the M5, we were amazed at how beautiful and peaceful the County is. Herefordshire and Shropshire are the least populated Counties in England and provided a Motorway is not built, will remain so. 

While the house was structurally sound, it was in need of a complete restoration and we immediately set about the task of restoring the rooms and bathrooms. After nearly two years of research into everything from colour schemes, curtains and carpets, new bathrooms and furniture, we were nearly there. The last major tasks were the kitchen and gardens. We utilised the existing space of the old kitchen, cold room, boiler room and conservatory to create an open plan Orangey / kitchen. From design, planning and finding two local suppliers, it took eighteen months to create a fabulous bespoke space, which has become the heart of the house.

Lastly, the gardens. As a self confessed lawn fanatic I had worked on these from the outset but the borders were much in need of our attention. We restyled the borders, removing old trees, hedges and unwanted shrubs and replaced them (with the much needed help of our local garden centre) with hundreds of new plants. The garden now looks stunning from spring through to autumn.

Was it worth the years of plaster dust, workmen, hard graft and a considerable financial outlay? You bet it was. We now live in paradise, in our fully restored home, in the beautiful county of Herefordshire.