Surrey Homes | SH108 | January 2024 | Good Living Supplement inside

Above left and below right: The calm grey
main bedroom features high ceilings and
has proven to be very popular with guests
Above right: Tucked away right at
the top of the house, the loft room is
accessed via a step ladder and feels like
you’re climbing into a tree house
the rear of the hall there is another
example of the constant evolution taking
place here, this time it’s a bedroom which
is being changed into a study. “I had
feedback from guests that they would like
a separate area to work in, rather than in
their bedrooms. So we’re changing it.”
Removing bedrooms might seem
like a strange thing to do in the
accommodation business but it’s a
conscious decision by Ian and Penny,
which Ian explains, “We’ve actually
halved the number of people through
the doors in the last decade, but doubled
the occupancy.” In other words they have
more bookings for fewer people. Ian
continues, “We believe we are working
in harmony with what the land needs
and we think that fewer people are
more sustainable for the farm.” Smaller
groups also just so happens to suit most
people who come on a retreat, who are
looking for space. And so, despite the
capacity to have over forty guests, they
have limited it to just thirty-two. “We
incentivise lower occupancy,” he says.
“We could have a lot more people but it’s
a personal decision, not a business one.”
Outside the converted barn we traverse
an attractive tiered garden before entering
a pretty courtyard belonging to the oast
house. Originally used for drying hops
it’s now another different place to stay.
Having never been in an oast house
before, I was keen to see what it was like
inside. Downstairs is a really cool reading
room with bookshelves covering all threehundred
and sixty degrees of wall space.
And it’s been converted (with some
minor alterations) into a lovely bedroom.
Commenting on the contrast between
the different accommodation options,
Ian says, “I’m always surprised which
space people choose. Everyone has their
favourite and it’s never what you expect.”
Upstairs, a striking circular wet room is
the perfect place to wash away any stress
with a roll top bath and walk in shower.
Next door the 16th century farmhouse
has a sign on the front door warning
you to ‘Mind your head’ and it’s not
wrong. Once inside you immediately
notice the property has retained the feel
of a family home. “It hasn’t really
51
priceless-magazines.com