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Flint and brick

Former saddler’s cottage in Buckinghamshire

When Paul and Helen Jackson received a tip-off about an open-house day, they couldn’t help but fall head over heels for the charming flint and brick cottage. Helen had originally been reluctant to leave her converted dairy home in Lancashire and move to the south of England. However, after viewing the former saddler’s cottage in Buckinghamshire, she knew that with time, effort and patience, she could turn this house with its stunning bathroom, into a beautiful family home. ‘As we walked from the more modern extension to the Victorian addition and then into the 17th Century living room, it was like taking a trip back in time,’ Helen says. ‘We loved the beautiful old beams, large inglenook fireplace, leaded windows and quaint stable door. The cottage just had so much soul.’