|| OUR FORMER HOME

This was our home until November 2012, it is an Elizabethan farmhouse dating from the early 1500's and retains many of it's original features, some of which we uncovered during it's restoration. The full and varied history of the house can be found at the bottom of this page. I hope these may be of interest and I will continue adding photographs as I find them so do pop back!




Above image: photograph The Paper Mulberry - the pale Ancaster limestone is local to the area with the roof in Collywestern stone slate - the front door is painted in "Card Room Green" no:79 with the porch in "Stony Ground" no:211 the windows are in shade "Matchstick" no:2013 all by Farrow and Ball. The lace panel curtains are vintage but similar can be found here 

The Sitting Room:

Above image: The sitting room with original oak beams, with traces of the old limewash paint - the walls are Farrow and Ball Clunch with the ceiling and woodwork in Farrow and Ball Pointing - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry.

Above image: the sitting room fireplace (there are 5 fireplaces in total - 3 on the ground floor and 2 in the bedrooms) the bressumer beam is oak - the walls are Farrow and Ball Clunch - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the sitting room ceiling beams are oak and thought perhaps to predate the house maybe coming from the nearby demolished Norman castle stables - the doors are of various dates throughout the house with this one (in pine) perhaps dating from the Victorian period with a later Bakelite handle - - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry 

Above image: the half glazed pine door looking from the snug into the sitting room - the main oak spine beams in the ceiling are an unusually long span of around 20 foot in length - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the sitting room fireplace with niches to either side - in the early 1900's this was the main post office room. Many of the bottles shown on the shelves were dug from the gardens - - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the niche in the sitting room from it's days as the village post office - the post box was on the other side - the old oil lantern was used by my Husband's Grandparents - - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry 

Above image: the sitting room ceiling beams are oak and show traces of a lime paint they are thought perhaps to predate the house maybe coming from the nearby demolished Norman castle stables - the doors are of various dates throughout the house - the carpet is natural seagrass and the walls are painted in Farrow and Ball 'Clunch' - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry 

Above image: the sitting room carpet - natural seagrass in a herringbone weave - (Fingle our cat who is now enjoying settling in to our new home!) photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry 

The Snug:

Above image: the new 'potbelly' wood burning stove we installed - behind (just seen) a pair of blacksmiths tongs found in an antiques fair - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the snug - we installed the oak floorboards which are new but left them unsealed/un-oiled so that they aged naturally. The leather chair was a junk shop find hidden beneath a nylon slip cover - I recovered the seat pad with tweed - photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the kitchen - we "unfitted" the kitchen and hunted through reclamation yards to find suitable old doors, door furniture and shelving etc - the slate on the cupboard top to the left of the range is from an old dairy and the fretwork panel (MDF) on the door to the larder on the right of the range is from Jali the back is lined with linen - Paint shades: main walls in Off White No 3, the larder door is Stony Ground both Farrow and Ball 
photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the kitchen - we "unfitted" the kitchen my Husband made this dresser Paint shades: main walls in Off White No 3, the dresser is Stony Ground both Farrow and Ball the china is Asiatic Pheasants by Burleigh
photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the kitchen - detail of the dresser Paint shade: Stony Ground Farrow and Ball the china is Asiatic Pheasants by Burleigh
photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

Above image: the kitchen - detail of the dresser Paint shade: Stony Ground Farrow and Ball the china is Asiatic Pheasants by Burleigh
photography Glenda Steel The Paper Mulberry

The Master Bedroom

Vintage monogrammed linen sheet used as a bed drape as the length is particularly good for this purpose and the texture and weight of the linen sublime!

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry | vintage linen sheet seen here as a bed drape the bed is painted in Farrow and Ball Stony Ground

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry | white bedlinen is from The White Company

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry
 
Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the master bedroom: our cat 'Fingle' on a vintage toile de jouy quilt

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry | we stripped the old pine doors and left the patina from the old lead paint

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry | the blue and white toile linen curtain fabrics are from Laura Ashley sadly no longer available

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the master bedroom: the cupboards and bedstead are painted in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' shade 211, the curtains are a French blue and white printed linen Toile from Laura Ashley that I bought around 10 years ago. The trunk at the end of our bed is an antique grain chest and the coat hooks on the wall are a vintage French find. The cushions on the settee are made from vintage toile and grain sacks. The settee itself I have draped with a cotton dust sheet (similar at Baileys Home & Garden). The white photo' frames are from Homebase and the dark wood tallboy is an inherited piece.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the master bedroom: the cupboard is the airing cupboard and we have painted it in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' shade 211,the coat hooks are a vintage French find. The chimney breast on the left of the cupboard is from the snug fireplace below

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the master bedroom: the

bedstead is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' shade 211, the curtains are made from a French blue and white cotton check fabric from Fired Earth that I bought around 10 years ago. The trunk at the end of our bed is an antique grain chest. The white photo' frames are from Homebase and the dark wood tallboy is an inherited piece. The fireplace has an original Georgian hob grate and we have added slate tiles on the hearth which hides the pipework for the central heating!

Above image: Glenda Steel | The Paper Mulberry 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the master bedroom: the rusty lantern on our mantlepiece with my favourite white roses ('Iceberg')and honeysuckle (woodbine) (Lonicera periclymenum 'Graham Thomas') from our garden - the honeysuckle grows up through the apple trees and fills the bedroom with it's gorgeous perfume!

One of the guest bedrooms and bathroom:

One of the newly restored bedrooms:

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom: The fireplace has an original Georgian hob grate of cast iron with decorative mouldings of sea creatures and lion's heads (sorry for my bad photography which may not show it!) I cleaned away layers of paint with a wire brush before polishing with black shoe polish and a toothbrush! Quite a few hours of hard work but we're really pleased with the results. The woodwork is painted in Laura Ashley 'Ivory' eggshell with the walls in 'Antique White' emulsion from B & Q The grey willow wreath on the fireplace was from Heals

 Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom: my Husband made the cabinet which is painted in Laura Ashley 'Ivory' eggshell  glass door knobs also from Laura Ashley the wall mirror is vintage. I had intended to shorten the curtains (made from unbleached loomstate cotton) but I loved the puddled drape! 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - a guest bedroom

The Bathroom

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: we tiled the  bathroom with plain white gloss ceramic tiles on the walls with a white rustic, tumbled travertine marble floor and co-ordinating white tumbled travertine mosaic tiles on the plinth(which hides the plumbing!) The vintage glass pot contains white stones fragranced with The White Company's 'Seychelles' oil which is one of my favourites! The porcelain rose also holds the fragrance oil. I'm pleased to say that the woodworm in the oak beam is now treated and gone!!!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the tongue and grove panelling on the bath is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Stony Ground' shade 211 with the bench painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 The floors on this level are made from limecrete (a 1500's version of concrete) making it impossible to conceal any pipework. In the bathroom the pipes and waste for the bath, basin and toilet are concealed within the wood panelling.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the tongue and grove bench is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: we tiled the  walls with plain white gloss ceramic tile and white rustic, tumbled travertine marble on the floor with underfloor heating for the chillier months! The tongue and grove bench (which also conceals the pipework for the bath and shower) is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the bathroom accessories are from Samuel Heath ('Curzon' Collection)

Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: I filled a tall florists glass cylinder vase with seashells. The floors are white rustic, tumbled travertine marble and the skirting board is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 eggshell. We tiled the bathroom ourselves to preserve the uneven floor and walls that we love so much! It took me quite a few hours to do the grouting and although it may not be perfect I do now appreciate the back braking work that professional tilers go through!

  Above image: The Paper Mulberry - the bathroom: the waffle shower curtain is held back with grey tassel. We painted the tongue and grove storage cupboard and skirting in Farrow and Ball 'Shaded White 201 eggshell with crackle glazed porcelain knobs on the cupboard doors

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - an occasional table in the smallest bedroom showing one of the wall beams that we uncovered under layers of wallpaper. The lamp is from Laura Ashley the white box picture frame from Homebase (rose from the garden - a climbing rose named Iceberg) 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the vintage wrought iron daybed is French and can be turned into a child's cot 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the antique corner cupboard was from a Victorian kitchen and we have left it unpainted inside with the warm colour of the old pine giving a lovely contrast.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - this shows the wobbly ceilings we have throughout the house (the floors are the same) and the depth of the window ledge shows the thickness of the old wattle and daub walls.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the sunlight shows the texture of the original lime plaster and the rather quirky uneven height windows. If you crawl on the windowsill on the left it takes you behind the wall on to the staircase(see below)! 

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the landing on the first staircase - the windowsill that leads through to the smallest bedroom! It also makes a great spot to sit and read. The windows are painted in Farrow and Ball Green Stone, sadly no longer available.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - the 'secret' windowsill passage that leads through to the staircase (shown above). The Rococo style mirror is a new find (see below). The curtains are made from a gorgeously thick slub cotton fabric bought at The Conran Shop around 20 years ago, over the years I have re-made the curtains to suit various windows.   

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the smallest bedroom - I couldn't resist this mirror which is a soft chalky taupe shade (my photography is awful!)

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the second staircase - this leads up to the attic bedrooms. If you crawl along the windowsill it takes you behind the wall on the right into the smallest bedroom shown above!

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - down the second staircase from the attic bedrooms to the first floor landing. The balustrades are the original old oak

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the first floor landing - this also shows the white travertine marble floor in our bathroom and the wobbly floors, walls, etc! Walls painted in 'Chalk' by Zoffany

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the backdoor (painted in Farrow and Ball Card room green no.79) with grapevine above. The lead pots are actually fibreclay reproductions.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the backdoor (painted in Farrow and Ball Card room green no.79) with grapevine above. The lead pots are actually fibreclay reproductions.

Above image: The Paper Mulberry our restoration project - the back garden terrace - windows painted in Farrow and Ball Card room green no.79 with the bench and table in Farrow and Ball French Grey No.18.

 Above image: The Paper Mulberry the view into the kitchen | 
windows painted in Farrow and Ball Card room green no.79

More to follow.....!!!
Following our sale of this house I am now selling some of my vintage brocante and collectables please click here for details and updates

The rather varied History of the house:

Earliest record: 

From 1550 to 1609 the house was a 3 Bay Farmhouse

From the internal layout and construction it is thought to have been built around the mid to late C16th (although it may well have been earlier) and typical of farmhouses of that period. The indications are that it was originally thatched with the Collywestern slate roof and stone frontage, windows etc being added later possibly in 1788. Constructed of wattle and daub with accommodation over 3 floors. It still retains 5 working fireplaces with examples of C18th hob grates. Of particular interest are the unusually long oak spine/main beams, each running over 20ft in one single length and almost a foot in width, perhaps recycled from an earlier building, may be from the remains of the Norman castle. Also of note are the many marks made in the plaster and carved into the beams thought to ward of evil spirits.  The graffiti on the external rear elevation of the house is dated from the period when it was used as a prison! The porch was added in the early part of the 20th century.

From 1609 until 1808 the house became The First House of Correction (prison)! 

Extracts from a book about the history of the village features an account of our home when it was a prison (Addresses have been removed for security reasons):-

"The next place of confinement was that of a large house, on the east side of the square. In 1609 it was used more as a workhouse, its purpose to hold able-bodied vagrants. Persons, male or female, traveling through the area without a relevant pass obtained from the parish constable, could be apprehended on sight and detained until bought to the courts. They could be then sentenced and perhaps suffer other punishment for, from the Poor Act, wardens had to provide stocks and a whipping post for each parish. These were given over to the care of the constable.

On the eastern side of the square was an exercise yard for the 1609 Prison which extended outwards.

The prison was really contained beneath the gaoler’s house and consisted of four cells and a day room for the males and two for the females. The former were about 10 feet square and were provided with straw for bedding. Three of the wooden doors had iron gratings for light and air but the fourth, a veritable dungeon, had only four small holes some 1/2” in diameter in the door. To further its loathsome task, it had the walls painted black. All four opened out on to the living room which was about the same width as the cells but was twice their length. It was provided with a glazed, but bared window, looking out on the rear wall. Its other amenity was a small fireplace for which wood was supplied. The separate quarters for women were of small size only 8 feet square, one containing a window and fireplace.

Early references speak of it as the House of Correction but with its “black hole” it was more of a prison. “On 6 January 1626, Christopher Marsh, a lunatic, was buried here (within the gardens!) in ye House of Correction as was Elizabeth Cartnell, committed for bastardy, on 18 March 1639.” Joan Varley wrote that in 1758, a soldier’s widow, her eldest daughter and two other children, were summoned as vagrants.  At the Magistrates Court for mid summer 1680, Daniel Douglas preferred a bill to prosecute Ann Dover and Dorothy Carrel for 'stealing lynnen clothes if him.' The first named was said to be a servant of John Redshaw. Earlier, Christopher March had been confined here as a crazy person in 1627.

Howard, who conducted a Midland Court Circuit of Prisons in the 1700’s, called it a Bridewell. In this prison under the Keeper’s house, he said, were five damp rooms, two of which were used for a lunatic, confined here for some years. A trapdoor in the floor of one room leads to a dungeon down eight steps (we may have discovered the entrance but it has been filled in). The prison had a small courtyard but no pump or sewer yet a woman with child at her breast was sent hither for a year and a day; the child died.

Conveyance to the Quarter Sessions was at the Keeper’s expense. His salary being then £36 per annum, out of which he also had to allow each prisoner six penny worth of bread a week. In October 1774 there were four inmates but by May 1779 only two prisoners plus the lunatic.

The Parish Poor Book contained many items concerning the Prison. Book No.2 said that in 1765 on January 9th, 6s 0d was spent chasing a highwayman.

The prison fare was sparse and monotonous, consisting of 10 pounds of bread a week for each prisoner with 2 shillings’ worth of oatmeal. The latter was boiled in water and the whole meal made into a thick porridge with some of the bread. This was served twice daily in tin pans holding around two pints. The records for 1802 showed five prisoners there, two men and three women."

In 1808 the prison moved to the newly built House of Correction within the remains of the Norman castle. It was perhaps at this time that the house returned to its former use as a farmhouse.

From 1919 the house then became the village Post Office and the first telephone Switchboard in the area. In 1966 the post office moved and once again it became a private dwelling. The outline of the postbox can be clearly seen on the far left of the front elevation and there is a niche indicating its location in the sitting room!

As you can imagine with such a history we have found many artefacts such as old bottles, smoking pipes, many pieces of pottery as well as a small dagger to name but a few! This restoration took us 12 years as we completed as much of it ourselves during weekends and holidays. In November 2012 we sold our old home to move to pastures new.