Tour this Yorkshire farmhouse that was the 'mother of all renovations'
Silhouetted against the horizon on a crisp autumn morning, West Cawthorne farm has a dramatic, isolated setting.
Reached by deep lanes and nestled against a stand of mature beach trees at the edge of the North York Moors, the south-facing site has far-reaching views out across rolling farmland. The property had stood empty and neglected for 13 years... until one couple took the plunge to revive its fabric and future with a new business venture.
In 2019, having outgrown their Maidenhead terrace, Richard and Sophie Vermont planned to relocate to this area of Yorkshire, where Richard grew up.
“We were looking for a sensible, suburban family home in somewhere like York, with good connections to London where we both worked,” says Sophie. “I was heavily pregnant with our third child, so we certainly didn’t want a doer-upper.” That changed when they saw West Cawthorne.
“We only took a viewing to humour my parents,” recalls Richard. “Dad had just retired and wanted a project to keep himself busy. The property needed to be completely gutted. But we weren’t interested in taking on something of this scale.
"Then we saw the place and fell in love with it” says Richard. “We were bowled over by the location and sense of peace.” Sophie’s recollection differs slightly, “we looked around on a grey Yorkshire day. I needed a lot of encouragement!”
The couple scooped up the property with help from Richard’s parents. Together, they agreed to run the estate as a business – transforming the farm into a family home, while converting the outbuildings into luxury holiday lets.
Richard promptly left his job as an analyst to focus on this “mother of all renovations” – and work began just as the world was shutting down, in the spring of 2020 (though the family remained in Maidenhead until the summer). Led by Richard’s old school friend, who runs a contracting company, jobs ranged from completely replacing the roof to ripping out the old windows and fitting an entirely new staircase.
Downstairs, rotten floorboards were pulled up and replaced with treated oak planks, while layers of plasterboard were removed to reveal the York stone walls, pillars and fireplaces concealed beneath. Even the wooden beams – hidden under layers of peeling paint – were painstakingly stripped back to reveal centuries-old timber.
“Restoring the house to its most original form was so exciting,” says Sophie. “We wanted to honour its history and keep it as rustic as possible.”
An exception was made downstairs, where several dividing walls were demolished to create a spacious open-plan kitchen/dining room/living area – now the heart of the home. “It’s exactly what we hoped for,” says Richard. “I’ll be cooking at the hob while Sophie works at the dining table and the kids watch TV or sit at the island doing homework. We moved here to spend more time together – and the open-plan space helps us to achieve that goal.”
Though designed for family time, the aesthetic is undeniably grown-up, with DIY kitchens units painted in Neptune's Ink (a navy so dark that it verges on black), offset by walls in Little Greene’s warm white Slaked Lime. “It might look sleek and stylish but with three kids and a dog, it doesn’t stay this way for long,” laughs Sophie.
The pared-back palette continues throughout the house, with reclaimed wooden floors, spare linen curtains and antique furniture creating a calm backdrop to family life. “We both love soft, natural tones and textures, combined with rustic antiques,” says Sophie.
Many items – such as the reclaimed wooden dining table (handcrafted from 150-year-old pine timbers) – were sourced at Home Barn, an antique store in Marlow, Buckinghamshire run by Sophie’s sister, Sally. “She was a fashion designer before moving into interiors and has always had the most amazing homes,” says Sophie. “She’s a huge inspiration to me and much of my style stems from her.”
Naturally, this connection was useful when it came to kitting out the barns (converted into holiday homes) too – which are decorated in the same style (plus sunken baths from which guests can watch the sun set). The family have also installed two triangular “A-Frame” cabins on the land – inspired by similar structures found around the Great Lakes in North America.
The old granary, meanwhile, has been refurbished and decorated so that it can be used as a location for photo shoots, but the Vermonts have more romantic plans for it. “We hope to turn it into a wedding venue,” says Richard. “It would be a lovely spot to get married: we’ve grown used to the peace, quiet and acres of space – but guests constantly remind us how special this place is,” adds Sophie. “We feel so lucky to live here.”
For details on staying here, visit northyorkshirehideaways.com.
Tour the rest of the home
You Might Also Like
