Blink and you may just think you have arrived at Beatrix Potter’s “Hill Top” at this Lake District farmhouse in Underbarrow, likewise complete with gable porch, sash windows and stone garden path. Nestled within a pretty, 13-acre garden – where wild bunnies and ducks roam in the footsteps of Peter and Jemima – and cradled within the celebrated Cumbrian rolling hills, this is the English countryside at its very best. Step inside The Tapestry, and what awaits is a home so full of heart that you are instantly lulled into the comfort of a weekend at granny and grandpa’s: where old books lie drunken on shelves, patchwork quilts top cosy beds and copper pans hang above the kitchen AGA.
Despite visiting The Tapestry alone, property owner and former journalist Simon was so sure that it was just the home that he and his partner Jeremy, a hospitality entrepreneur, had been looking for, that he decided to put in an offer that same day. “It feels like its own little estate and is perfectly hidden away,” he notes. “And the gardens are so spectacular that we just couldn’t resist”, within a landscape that William Wordsworth described as “the loveliest spot that man hath found.” So, it’s perhaps no surprise that the famous Romantic poet is rumoured to have stayed at this very home – with a carving of his name inscribed into one of the wood panels. “The landscape is constantly changing, and the house sits perfectly in its surroundings,” they enthuse.
In keeping with its name, The Tapestry is a glorious tangle of art, colour, pattern and texture. “Most of the changes we made after purchasing it were fabrics and paints,” Simon adds. “The house was a little bland before, so we wanted to add more personality.” Ice cream aesthetics are evoked throughout with buoyant colour choices: a mint choc chip bedroom with sage-green walls topped with original dark wood beams; a lemon meringue dining room with sociable circular dining table; and strawberry sorbet snug where a writing desk awaits thoughtful diary entries and watercolour sketches. Simon and Jeremy also made some larger scale changes to their countryside home; turning the central hall from a dining room into a sitting room, redoing the two ensuite bathrooms and installing a log burner in the middle of the farmhouse to create a cosy central seating area.
As expected with 17th century properties, there is unequivocal character about the place. Warped wooden lintels frame window tops, and cast-iron fireplaces conjure images of candlelit bedtimes from yesteryear. Scouring antique shops, reclamation yards and auctions, the pair have created somewhat of a gallery inside their farmhouse – walls are adorned with a curated higgle-piggle of things: portraits and botanical paintings of varying sizes feature alongside gilded mirrors and dried flower wreaths. Enlisting the help of designer and textile dealer Susan Deliss, renowned for her originality in the world of colour and pattern, they note: "she was integral to sourcing the beautiful fabrics, tapestries and wall coverings to make this feel like home to us."
Spoiled for choice, with much to do inside and out, The Tapestry has to be one of the finest places to stay in the Lakes. “It has the space of a big house, but the intimacy of a cottage,” they add. Here, days embrace the good life. Mornings climbing Cumbrian hills, afternoons beside the fire reading what other than The Tale of Peter Rabbit or I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, and evenings stirring butterscotch sauce on the stovetop to envelop freshly-steamed sticky toffee pudding. For Simon: “In the morning, you can't beat the view from the master bedroom – I love waking up and having a coffee in bed, whilst marvelling at the endless view down towards the Lyth Valley. In the garden, there's always something to do and somewhere to explore. The terrace is the perfect place to sit and wind down at the end of the day, as the views are extraordinary.” Or, of course, there's always their very own pub just a short drive away for a glass of their signature after-dinner digestif, "Black Knickers."
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