Sallyann, who runs a theatre arts school, knows that moving to the country gave her the opportunity to bring up her family in a lovely setting
Having spent years enjoying the hustle and bustle of life in London, actress Sallyann Webster never imagined herself living in a period cottage in a sleepy country village. But once she was married and her husband started work in the Midlands, they decided to relocate from their Notting Hill flat so he could avoid a long commute. ‘We started our search close to where he grew up,’ remembers Sallyann. ‘Before long we found this traditional stone house set back from the road. It didn’t look like a twee little cottage from the outside, but inside it had all the period features you could want and a deceptive amount of space, as a two-storey extension had been added at the rear.’
As well as having the lovely garden they’d hoped for, the couple were attracted to the property by the original timber beams and stone mullion windows, a cavernous cellar and the two inglenook fireplaces in the main reception rooms. ‘The fireplace in what was then the kitchen even has the original bread oven, but its appearance was spoilt by an ugly white boiler which refused to light,’ Sallyann explains. ‘The new boiler was relocated in the cellar and we added a wood-burning stove, which is much more in keeping.’ Some years later, when it was time to replace the outdated kitchen, she came up with the idea of moving it into the rear extension, which was then a barely-used dining room. ‘Swapping the rooms round made so much sense as we now have a kitchen that’s light and bright and overlooks the garden.’ In fact, when it came to redecorating, rather than choose more obvious cream or white, she plumped for a bold and warming shade of red to enhance the beamed ceiling and exposed stonework.