Festive Flair

Jessie and Henry Ward have turned a rundown farmhouse into a cosy home that’s perfect for a family Christmas

- Amy Maynard

With a new baby, a huge Bernese mountain dog, two cats and a growing number of horses and alpacas, Jessie and Henry Ward were beginning to feel the squeeze in their previous home. ‘When our first son, Xander, was born, the busy road we lived on started to worry me,’ explains Jessie. ‘We also needed more outside space for the animals, so the time seemed right to move. Henry and I looked at around 20 properties before we saw the farmhouse.’

The seven-bedroom listed home is set on an ancient sunken lane in the Hampshire countryside. The couple were drawn to the fact that space would, most definitely, no longer be an issue – included in the sale was a detached barn, cricket pitch and 38 acres. It was also ripe for renovation. Jessie and Henry were so keen to secure the property that they bid above the asking price to ensure the vendors took it off the market and, by Christmas 2014, the property was theirs.

Work began on the house in 2016 and, throughout the process, the family lived out of two of the downstairs rooms and moved from bedroom to bedroom upstairs. By this time, Jessie was expecting their second son, Kit, so the pressure was on to get everything ready in time for his arrival.