Converting a 400-year-old barn on her parents’ property gave Sam Risley and her husband, Grant, the chance to trade urban living for the countryside

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN

PHOTOS TONY TIMMINGTON

S am Risley’s living arrangement came full circle when, along with her husband Grant, she took on the conversion of a dilapidated barn on her parents’ property, finding herself back where she’d spent her teenage years. “They originally bought the old farmhouse with 13 acres because my sister and I rode horses and wanted land so we could have stables,” says Sam. “There were a few outbuildings, including an old hay barn as they kept cattle for a while. For years, it hadn’t occurred to Grant and I that we should convert it, nor would we have had the money.”

The couple had lived in a 1980s house on a nearby estate for 23 happy years, bringing up their three children. The pull for change came as their kids grew up. “Our home had worked brilliantly – we had all the space we needed, were close to schools and had an easy train journey into London,” says Sam. “But as the children got older we didn’t have the same responsibilities anymore, so Grant and I felt it was time to start the next stage of our lives.”

A seating area in the open-plan hallway is a lovely place to appreciate the old oak framework, which soars over two floors. The view through the double height windows takes in Sam’s parents’ home

Sam had continued to ride and keep a horse on her parents’ land, which she visited daily. The idea to convert the derelict hay barn became inevitable and the couple came to an agreement with Sam’s parents to buy the building with an acre of land. “Taking on the conversion worked for us all,” she says. “We wanted to live in the countryside and my parents aren’t getting any younger. Now we’re here, we can easily give them a hand and they won’t have to move.”