The Isle of Sheppey isn't renowned as a holiday destination but, in these challenging times, taking a break closer to home has certainly increased in popularity. Situated just off the north Kent coast and linked to the mainland by two bridges, the island is just over an hour by rail from St Pancras. This is hard to believe as you gaze across the marshes from the garden of Kingshill Farmhouse, tucked away at the end of a two-mile track that leads to the Elmley Nature Reserve. The nature reserve borders the Swale, a channel of the Thames estuary, which separates Sheppey from the mainland,' explains Georgina Fulton, who manages the property with her husband Gareth. It is internationally significant as a breeding ground for nesting birds such as lapwings, redshanks and avocets, and an important winter migratory destination for tens of thousands of wildfowl and wading birds.
The Fultons took over running the 3,300-acre reserve in 2013 after Gareth retired from the army. After we were married in 2011, we began to think seriously about the future - ours and Elmley's - and how we could combine the two,' says Gareth. At the time, the RSPB, which had leased Elmley from Georgina's father Philip Merricks a farmer and conservationist - for the previous 30 years, was about to vacate the neighbouring farmhouse. No maintenance had been done on the house, or the adjacent farm buildings, for decades and they were falling apart - some more than others.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2022 de Homes & Antiques.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2022 de Homes & Antiques.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques