Brian Page visits a stunning set of barn conversions which beautifully combine the character of their origins with more contemporary minimalist styling.

“WHEN we first saw this place,”

Oliver Newby says, “it was just a cavernous barn, a big space all the way through, dropping to bits and over-run with pigeons and owls and bats – and a barn owl. It was in a terrible condition. Hard to imagine that now, isn’t it?”

Indeed it is. Two years of hard work have transformed that dilapidated barn. Hard work, together with a great deal of imagination, skill and craftsmanship of the highest order.

Today Oliver, from the marketing agents Stephensons, is right to admire the end result.

We’re here on a sunny autumnal morning, blue sky sparkling, while the finishing touches are applied to the equally-sparkling barn conversions.

There are two beautiful homes here now, sitting next to each other, set back from Towthorpe Road and surrounded by paddock land and open countryside, in a small development called Low Farm.

The development may be small, the homes are anything but… Rambling, sunlit, beautiful spaces are the hallmark of these two neighbouring properties. It’s evident from the moment you step through the front door at Plot 2 (the new owners may get the chance to give it a more attractive name).

The hallway is towering, broad and wide and deep. Here, too, you begin to get some idea of the character of these homes; exposed brickwork and original beams and trusses sit happily with a new glass-panelled staircase and tiled flooring.

“I’m sometimes not sure about mixing traditional features with modern styling,” Oliver says, “but it has worked really well here.”

Worked beautifully, in fact, which is a credit to the developers. This is a joint venture between Kevin Mohan and John Skelton, both of whom are well-known in Yorkshire for previous high-quality developments and their combination of building and architectural skills have certainly worked a magic spell here.

The characteristics of the old barn remain, particularly in the huge, high ceilings and the exposed beams and the sense of proportionate space, but the result is not just large and grand, but somehow cosy and welcoming; a difficult feat to achieve but achieved here nonetheless.

But enough of the preliminaries – in order to give space for pictorial evidence of just how well this development has been executed, let us give you a brief runaround tour.

Plot 2 begins with that impressive hallway, off which there is a study to the front of the house. We then move into a huge and brilliantly-lit kitchen and dining area. From here, you step off to the left into a long sitting room, a super space with French doors and windows looking out onto a stoneflagged courtyard patio. The kitchen also leads to a garden room – a fabulous spot with solid oak flooring and three sets of folding doors opening onto a lawned garden and with views across the paddock and open fields.

From this wonderful area, stairs lead up to another highlight, a selfcontained guest suite with sitting room/bedroom, another room off and an en-suite bathroom. With its own external staircase and door, this would be a super hideaway spot for teenage children or, at the other end of the scale, grandparents.

On the first floor, pausing to admire the view from a sweeping landing, you will find there are master and guest bedrooms with en-suites, another bedroom with en-suite and two further bedrooms and a luxurious house bathroom.

Now, for next door, Oliver says, in tones which imply that, while we think this plot can’t be bettered, Plot 1 might impress still further.

And it does. This is another sprawling, sunlit home with a real ‘wow factor’ in store.

The entrance hallway, it should be said, is not quite as impressive as that of its neighbour. But that’s by the by in view of what we’ll soon discover.

Off the hallway there are three reception rooms – family room, study and sitting room – and then you step into a jaw-dropping space, an exhilarating kitchen/dining/family room that spreads upwards and outwards, beams and trusses combining with glass and chrome and the high whites and dark blacks of the kitchen units and appliances reflecting the light tumbling in through French doors and high windows.

“Now this,” says Oliver, “is what I call an entertaining room.”

In all senses of the word, we have to agree… So much so that we are still in a daze while touring the five bedrooms and three bathrooms on the floor above and so much so that we almost fail to mention the separate garden room across the courtyard (an ideal spot for a home office or studio).

What more can we say?

Well, naturally, in such a brilliantlyconceived development the ecospecifications of both properties are in the world of high-tech, ensuring your energy bills will be kept to the minimum, while the zone-controlled underfloor heating keeps you nice and toasty.

And, space inside, space outside, each home has a double garage and store and land stretching to around an acre with further paddock land available by separate negotiation.

Low Farm, then, has certainly come a long, long way from the tumbledown barn Oliver first set eyes on more than two years ago.

On thing remains, however. The barn owl is still resident – located to a nice comfortable new home a few hundred yards away.

* Low Farm plots 1 and 2 are on the market at a guide price of £775,000.

You can see them for yourself when Stephensons hold an open viewing weekend on Saturday September 21 (10am-noon) and Sunday September 22 (11am-1pm). For an appointment, contact Stephensons on 01904 625533.