‘We Brought A Crumbling Pile Of Stones Back To Life'

Saddened by the disintegration of the old stone farm building on their land, Nick and Caroline Welch decided to transform it into a small but snug holiday cottage

Ever since Nick and Caroline Welch built their own home on Nick’s family’s land in 1989, they had witnessed the linhay crumble: ‘There was no roof, an open front and a big pile of stones inside. It was completely open to the elements,’ says Caroline. Initially, the idea was to simply put a roof on and repair the structure so it could be used as a bunkhouse for family and friends. However, when Nick took voluntary redundancy, they obtained planning consent to convert it into an off-grid holiday let. ‘We thought that if we were going to put money into it then the linhay should give us something back.’