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Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
House & Home
We bought the house in 2002, having spent several months searching. I believe we saw upwards of sixty houses. We had been thinking about buying a country house for weekends for some time, and the decision came sharply into focus following the events of 9/11. We have done much of the cosmetic work ourselves, but used contractors for structural work including the new roof, plumbing, and re-wiring. We have also had most of the skim plastering done professionally, as well as any new ceilings we required.
Our c. 1860 House
The house was built around 1860 or 1870, we are still researching the exact date. The interior walls were lath and plaster, and, while most have survived, some is in very poor condition and has had to be replaced. The style is known as a center hall country colonial, which means that it lacks a lot of the "ginger bread" trim often applied to more grand colonial houses of the time. One of the most notable interior features is the quality of the oak floors downstairs. These comprise oak strips to the main parts of the floors, with elaborate hardwood inlays to the periphery.
Major alterations were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main staircase was rebuilt as a triple return to create additional space upstairs to accommodate a large, for the time, bathroom. This also involved repositioning a window. There appears to have been a second staircase to the cellar from the entrance lobby, and this was removed at this time, so we access the cellar using the stairs down from the kitchen.
Major alterations were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main staircase was rebuilt as a triple return to create additional space upstairs to accommodate a large, for the time, bathroom. This also involved repositioning a window. There appears to have been a second staircase to the cellar from the entrance lobby, and this was removed at this time, so we access the cellar using the stairs down from the kitchen.
A complete steam central heating system was installed, probably at the end of the 19th century, including some very beautiful cast iron radiators. We have found evidence that there were a number of Parlor Stoves in the house before this, both upstairs and down, though only the one in the kitchen remains. We also have open fireplaces in the Living room and Drawing room that are never used. Thankfully, the furnace is up to date and heats the place pretty well.
During the period from the 1930s or '40s until at least the 1960s, the house was, at times, used as a boarding house. Some internal structural changes were made to the main upstairs bedrooms to accommodate facilities between each pair of bedrooms, and a sink in each bedroom. Most of the fixtures had been removed before we moved in, and we have converted the old loos/toilets into closets; you cannot have too many closets!
We have had visits from previous owners of the house as well as people who stayed when it was a boarding house, from whom we got some, but not a lot, of information. During the 10 years or more before we bought it, the house was used as a weekend home, and it is obvious that the owners did very little maintenance. Much of what was done was of very poor quality, leaving us to re-do it. Very frustrating, really. Some idiot effected restoration on the porch, for example, but used untreated wood in contact with the ground, so it just rotted away and we are having have it all replaced. We also found where glass had been replaced in a window using glue instead of putty. Amazing, really.
During the period from the 1930s or '40s until at least the 1960s, the house was, at times, used as a boarding house. Some internal structural changes were made to the main upstairs bedrooms to accommodate facilities between each pair of bedrooms, and a sink in each bedroom. Most of the fixtures had been removed before we moved in, and we have converted the old loos/toilets into closets; you cannot have too many closets!
We have had visits from previous owners of the house as well as people who stayed when it was a boarding house, from whom we got some, but not a lot, of information. During the 10 years or more before we bought it, the house was used as a weekend home, and it is obvious that the owners did very little maintenance. Much of what was done was of very poor quality, leaving us to re-do it. Very frustrating, really. Some idiot effected restoration on the porch, for example, but used untreated wood in contact with the ground, so it just rotted away and we are having have it all replaced. We also found where glass had been replaced in a window using glue instead of putty. Amazing, really.
Contents:
Downstairs guest bed room and its shower room.
Master bathroom
Deborah's study nearing completion.
The exterior during renovations.
A few pictures
of the garden
of the garden