Where Silence Reigns

In Need of a Place to Get Away From City Life, Sara Michaels Found an Ancient Barn Surrounded by Land Where Her Family Could Enjoy a Sense of Peace

We wanted a getaway, but it had to be in a rural location and within one-and-a-half hour’s drive from our London house, with good motorway access,’ says Sara Michaels of her and husband Nick’s hunt for a country home where they could spend time away from their hectic London lives.

Their search took them to a hamlet in Essex where a barn, adjacent to the property they had originally gone to view, caught their eye. ‘It was enormous, black, wooden, unconverted and surrounded by its own land. All boxes were instantly ticked!’ As there was no one around, the couple decided to take a look. ‘The barn was all boarded up,’ says Sara. ‘I tried a door and it was open so we went inside. Much to our surprise an alarm went off!’ Sara and Nick rang the agent who was selling the farmhouse they had gone to view and, having assured them that their intentions were honourable, made an appointment to see the barn which, as it turned out, was also about to come on the market.