A HOME WITH HEART

Keen to put down roots for her family, Sian Bishop took on a period property in need of a major amount of work and made it a place you’d never want to leave

Lawyer Sian Bishop is no stranger to house upheaval, moving every couple of years and completing a string of renovations. But this house is different – this house has developed family roots.

‘Adopting a child is a lengthy process and, before you even get a date for the hearing, you have to provide a photograph of you and members of the family which goes into a book for your child,’ explains Sian. ‘In our case, that photograph is me and my cocker spaniel, Arthur, on the front steps of this house, so this place is intrinsically linked to Jack coming into our lives.’

The house may be in the centre of Oxford but you wouldn’t know it; it’s tucked away on the quietest street and is blessed with a long oasis of a garden. ‘That tranquillity was one of the main attractions but I also loved that the same family had lived in this house for 50 years,’ says Sian. ‘It has heart and happy bones…’ But it did need work.