Setting the scene

Clive Mead and Stephen Hewson have revealed the historical past of this Tardis-like townhouse in Deal, with a little bit of help from their imaginations

- KATHRYN REILLY

When Clive Mead and VV his partner Stephen Hewson went to view their early 18th-century townhouse, they definitely weren't in the market for another move. They were just being curious, having already found their forever home nearby. However, things didn't go to plan. 'We'd agreed that we were not going to move again,' Stephen explains. But we decided that we wanted the house within 10 minutes of seeing it. They have since fondly named it 'Fanny's Dilemma': a reference to a portrait that hangs above their fireplace, and the property's imagined chatelaine.

Part of a stuccoed terrace, distinguished by architectural detailing intended to elevate it from its neighbours, the house transports you back in time as you step through the doors, enveloping you in a dark and deeply bewitching atmosphere. Exquisite, original pine panelling and that impossible-to-fabricate smell of age set the imagination racing: what were the past inhabitants like and how did their lives play out? Fortunately for Clive and Stephen, the couple they bought the house from had commissioned an in-depth report on the history of the house. A shopkeeper, cow keeper, dairy man and fish hawker are just some of the people who have called the house home since it was built in 1715.

By the time Stephen and Clive looked around, however, it needed reminding of its past. I've always lived in old houses, apart from when I bought a loft overlooking the Regent's Canal,' explains Clive. 'I ended up hating polished concrete and realised that new is definitely not for me.' A 1980s renovation and awkward layout needed to go, along with beige carpets, which were tossed in the skip.