House has frontage on the river Piddle

10:50am Monday 3rd November 2008

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AN 18TH CENTURY cobb barn with walls two feet thick provides a striking feature in a house for sale at Athelhampton near Puddletown.

Park Cottage was built in 1922 and when Stephen and Philippa Young bought the property in 1987 they could see its potential.

It only had three bedrooms and one reception room but now has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and four reception rooms.

But the apple of their eye is the tasteful cobb barn conversion into a stunning drawing room.

Stephen said: “The cottage at that time was separate from the barn. We could see it would be a wonderful addition to the house but that it was a project which needed to be done carefully.

“We had to break the news gently to our daughter because at that time the barn was acting as a stable for Flicka, her pony!”

The result saw an extension built to the cottage to contain a large kitchen and dining area which also provided a link to the barn.

Philippa said: “We wanted the barn with its wonderful beams and walls to remain on view as much as possible, so one entire wall is still on show exactly as it would have been in the 1700s.”

The wall displays all its original shuttering construction method in four stages which created a raw cobb surface which has never had a finishing coat on it.

All the original beams are on show and any missing ones were replaced some time earlier in the 1900s.

Finds on the site span a big historical period and range from a Stone Age flint arrowhead to plough heads from the 19th century and a highly unusual piece of metal.

Stephen said: “This was used to clamp pieces of hazel together to make hazel brooms.”

The scenic property also includes 230 metres of double bank fishing rights along the river Piddle which runs through the cottage grounds.

Philippa said: “This is such an atmospheric house to live in, so bright and airy, and so wonderful to see when the light changes inside as the day advances.

“The whole of the back garden is a sun trap area which has proved ideal for us as a family for more than 20 years.”

The couple have spent two happy decades at Park Cottage, their son and daughter having now left to start their own careers, so Stephen and Philippa want to leave to look for a new challenge.

Stephen said: “We bought this cottage as a family house and our family has now left, so we want to move on and look for a similar property challenge, somewhere with a bit of character that needs restoring to its former glory.

“Certainly anyone who buys this cottage is going to have an ideal family home with plenty of space to bring up children.”