The sitting room in the newer part of the property (Pic: Jonathan Lawrence)

“We found the officers easy to deal with. They were not over-obsessed with the
property retaining its original character. We were allowed to extend the old
gatehouse into a modern home, complete with underfloor heating and cable
television, but made of traditional Warwickshire red brick.” A fitting
combination of traditional and modern essentials.

“It took three years from purchase to moving in. But we are happy with the
result.”

Tantara Lodge is on the market for £1.25m with Knight
Frank (01789 297735)

Case study: Mick and Alexa Newton

Mick outside his Grade II listed home, complete with the glass walkway he
added (Pic: Christopher Jones)

Mick Newton and his wife, Alexa, bought a Grade II listed 16th-century
farmhouse in the Cotswolds village of Lower Dowdeswell in 2006. They have
converted it into a stylish, award-winning home.

“We paid about £1.5m for the beautiful Grade II listed property in a tiny
Cotswolds village dating back to the Domesday Book,” says Mick Newton.
“There were Grade I and Grade II* listed properties within spitting
distance, so as soon as we started proposing changes to the property, we ran
into stiff opposition on the planning committee of the local council.

The lounge, with its traditional beams and stone fireplace (Pic:
Christopher Jones)

“We eventually had to get permission piecemeal, starting with the less
contentious proposals, such as re-roofing the property and replacing the
gutters.

“The sticking point was our proposed glass walkway linking two parts of the
property. It was only after we sat down with English Heritage and the
planners and made our case patiently but determinedly, that we finally got
the green light.

“The point we made was that the centuries-old property had already been
renovated dozens of times, and not always sympathetically. There were fake
concrete tiles on the roof and modern windows. It would have been silly to
deny us the opportunity to turn it into a working 21st-century home.”

The result is a stunning property oozing character.

Inside the glass walkway, which houses the kitchen (Pic: Christopher Jones)

Home Farm is on the market for £2.8m with Knight
Frank (01242 246959).