In a project spanning a decade, the Waldrons turned the derelict barn on their land into a stunning addition to their period cottage

WORDS VICTORIA JENKINS

Huge bifolds in the bright sitting room on the lower ground floor let the Waldrons enjoy views over their ample land. The space is kept warm thanks to a cosy woodburning stove and hessian curtains with a fleece lining. 

PHOTOS HEATHER GUNN

The original cider barn

Liz and Max Waldron moved into their characterful old cottage in 2006. Back then, the cider barn behind the property was just an empty shell. “It had a leaking flat roof, bare brick walls and a cobbled floor laid on earth,” says Liz. “The last owner had used it to store his lawnmower and tools. Therewere cobwebs everywhere and mountains of dust. We also found a letter on the worktop from the Hereford Cider Museum thanking him for gifting them the original cider press and stone.” Discovering the loss of these historical artefacts was a disappointing blow for the couple. “We’d have liked to have kept them,” says Max. “We could picture a donkey plodding round in patient circles pulling the huge circular stone which crushed the apples.”

The couple had moved to the Forest of Dean from London with their daughter Marina, now 20, in search of a quieter life. While they realised their lives would be completely different in the countryside, they hadn’t quite bargained on exactly how. For instance, they now had two and a half acres of land to look after, much of it consisting of an apple orchard. They also found they could look out of various windows, with views for miles on end, without seeing another dwelling. Then, when they decided to convert the old cider barn, they discovered their home was a refuge for a rare type of bat.