< Previous10 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HOMES A bandoned for 40 years, Commandant’s House is a rare gem. Looking at the grand home today you wouldn’t believe its hidden history and role in Britain’s freedom. Indeed many locals don’t know of its past — or even that it exists thanks to its secluded location! Built between 1937-38, Commandant’s House used to be part of RAF Sutton Bridge, with the RAF facility at that time known as 3 Armament Training Camp Sutton Bridge, and the property called the ‘Married Officers Quarters’. The site welcomed fighter pilots who served in the Second World War, and a majority of those who took part in the Battle of Britain undertook a stage of their training here, which in peace time, after the war, became occupied by the Commandant for RAF Holbeach. The property was bought by Phil and his family at the end of A house with hidden history Not many homes can boast of being a handsome retreat where nature thrives, an abode where one can watch a ship navigate on by, and a house full of historical significance that has been painstakingly restored, all at once, yet a property tucked away in the town of Sutton Bridge offers just that and more. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 11 HOMES 2015, after it had been left dormant and unloved for four decades. Phil shared: “We always had an appetite to get involved in a renovation of some description. So when this opportunity came around we immersed ourselves into it, and with the added twist of the historical elements, we knew we had to be the ones to restore it; we wanted to bring life back into this house and uncover its history.” When the family arrived the property was dark and overgrown, with its over 30 windows boarded up — apart from three broken dormers up top. There was a lot of water and damp inside, and lead had been removed or stolen from various parts of the house. Every week presented challenges, with the scale of the project 12 Á12 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY immense, but the family were not daunted by it. “I had never done a renovation before,” Phil noted. “Like most people there was an underestimation of the time that would be involved! I thought it would be easy to do the renovation while holding down a full-time job, just working on it in the evenings, or the weekends. But when you get into a project like this, you fast understand that, actually, this is going to take longer than a year — as I first thought.” Indeed, the work on the property only officially completed around two years ago, with a bathroom on the second floor becoming the last room to be completed. However, with such care taken to create an outstanding family home while maintaining the building’s character, to be sympathetic to the period of build, it has certainly been worth it — even worth the two years and two months spent living in close quarters in a caravan, before enough of the property was renovated to move into! “We kept as much of the original themes and all the character we could,” Phil detailed. “Our aim was to try and retain, restore, or replace as the same what was already here. We kept all the original wooden floors, doors, the radiators, and restored any bits of furniture that were there.” Though needing to remove old heating and plumbing systems, bring the electrics up to modern standards, and replace the windows, fortunately the structure of the red brick home remained fully sound. Phil shared: “You can tell that when the Ministry of Defence and the RAF constructed the building there weren’t any corners cut, in terms of the quality and the build. It’s so structurally sound.” Phil has been told that the RAF built structures on their bases that could withstand a degree of bomb blast, meaning Commandant’s House is built to last. Perhaps the biggest change in the renovation came in the kitchen. Originally a small room built to be used by a butler, taking care of the needs of the RAF officers and accompanying occupants, the kitchen has now been remodelled and opened into the lounge/dining area. Transforming the space into the heart of the home, featuring warm wood countertops, a nook-like breakfast bar, and a cosy lounge area, it has become the family’s most used room. Flooded with light, a raft of windows mean you can see all the way around the house and its peaceful surroundings. Either side of the open plan LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 13 HOMES kitchen/family/dining room, hallways enable one to explore the rest of the bright and spacious home, so well spread to provide both the ability to get all the family together in one room, entertain guests, and also allow each individual the quiet space to study, work from home, or escape for some reflection. With a pantry, cold store, extra store room, WC, morning room, boiler room and access to the attached garage to be found to the right side of the kitchen, to the left one will discover a WC, study, and living room that the family enjoys snuggling up in during winter. Despite being a vast room, enhanced by a large bay window, with a log burner crackling away in the space of the original fireplace it’s a great place to retire to on chilly nights. Upstairs, on the first and second floors, six double bedrooms await, most with built-in storage, while the master benefits from an en-suite. With the additional availability of a family bathroom, wet room, and shower room, there’s always somewhere for each family member to unwind with a relaxing bath or rejuvenating shower. Cleverly, on the second floor, the old water tank room has been converted into a reception space — the perfect position to observe the wealth of wildlife that visits the property and fields beyond, from foxes to squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, partridges, woodpeckers, muntjac deer and more. With the room also providing a view of the Cross Keys Swing Bridge, the owners suitably call this space ‘Bridge Room’. Of course, with more than 30 windows, there are plenty of spots to appreciate the property’s surroundings. Phil notes the joy of seeing the swing bridge lights activate to signal a ship is either coming up the river, or heading out to the wash. At times, you can even watch it navigate 14 Á14 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HOMESLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 15 HOMES past, creating a surreal moment when such a large vessel passes so close to the home. Outside, just as magical a sight can be seen with the wild cherry and wild plum trees that screen the property, where in late March and early April they are coated in blossom, surrounding the abode with a wash of white blooms. The trees also line the dwelling’s long, circular driveway, presenting the extravagant entrance the residence deserves. “The front of the house has a real, grand entrance — the driveway is huge,” said Phil. “You can imagine, in the past, military vehicles going round in this circle, bringing officers to the house. But equally the back of the home is really peaceful, looking out over a field. It’s all quite enclosed, and you can get immersed into the raft of nature. You’re not disturbed by anything. You’re in your own little world out there.” With a predominantly lawn garden, there is plenty of space for children to play, while a raised wooden patio contained by stepped planters and a rockery offers a prime spot for al fresco dining. Although the family have loved Commandant’s House and the journey of bringing it back to life, the time has come to sell. With one child finishing university and the other about to start, Phil said: “We’ve invested time, money, effort, and our emotions into the home, but now it’s time to downsize. I feel the house deserves to be lived in to its fullest. Perhaps by a bigger family who can really push some energy back into it, and let all the rooms have life in them.” Commandant’s House is on the market with Fine & Country with a guide price of £700,000. We can help you make your fireplace dreams a reality. Suppliers of electric, gas & solid fuel fireplaces, fires and stoves. We have been fitting fireplaces for over 36 years with our own highly skilled & experienced in-house installation team. Visit our large, family run fireplace showroom for inspiration. Burning Sensation (Grimsby) Ltd Armstrong Street, Grimsby. DN31 1XD Call: 01472 351651 sales@burningsensation.co.uk www.burningsensation.co.uk ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE 16 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY full of life Landscapes Allan Morgan’s landscape paintings are rich with colour and life. Born in 1952, Allan Morgan is a full-time artist living in Swansea on the edge of the Gower Peninsula, from which he drew much of his early inspiration. First selling his work to a local gallery at only 15 years old, Allan would go on to study for five years at Swansea and Coventry Art Colleges, graduating with a BA in Fine Art (Painting). Embarking on a career as an illustrator in publishing, he gradually moved back to his first love of landscape painting, initially specialising in studies of the local bays and later extending his interest to the scenic pastures of the Tywi Valley. Allan’s painting career has focused on realist landscapes, though, as an artist, he has recently extended his style to include a more colourist approach. The artist’s inspiration comes from his love of light, colour, and atmosphere. Having spent many years living close to the coast in the past, Allan regularly returns to this subject matter. Still based in Swansea, Alan travels extensively, working from a variety of landscapes. Apart from his Gower scenes, he enjoys painting in the Scottish Highlands, coastlines, and castles. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 17 THE LITTLE RED GALLERY Love art? Then we’d love to meet you, please call in for a cup of tea and a chat. The Little Red Gallery are feeling ‘Love’ with a fantastic range of pieces and perfect gift ideas. ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE If you’d like to see Allan’s work for yourself, head down to Lincoln’s Little Red Gallery18 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY sail, hung from anchor points to create an area of shade outdoors. They offer unparalleled flexibility when it comes to creating a stylish custom shade solution for the garden. Available in many shapes and sizes, these semi-permanent structures can be mounted in almost any position, at any angle and against most surfaces to provide soothing shade for even the most difficult to reach areas. You can take them down and store them over the winter so they last longer, and if you want to make a change to your garden then using a different coloured or shaped sail will give you an instant transformation. Pergolas can provide shade as a free- standing structure or being attached to a wall. They can be made from timber or aluminium and so you can ensure you get one that suits the size and style of your outdoor space. You can get some which have louvered roofs which will enable you to let some sunlight in if you wish. They H opefully this summer we will have gloriously sunny and hot days, warm evenings and lots of opportunities to enjoy it! However, some of us prefer things a little cooler and don’t like to be in the sun too long. There are many ways that you can ensure you have shade in your garden so you can be outside longer. Of course, if your garden is big enough, planting some trees is a wonderful, long-term solution. If you already have mature trees then you can create an inviting seating area, and then for the evening have some solar lights hanging in the branches. However, if you are starting from scratch trees will take many years to grow, and you won’t benefit from their shade for quite some time, so you may have to think about an instant yet stylish solution. One of these solutions is Sail Shades. These are fabric structures like a ship’s A splash of shade shade Ed Fuller from Fullers Landscaping shares how to create shade in your garden this summer!* Keep watering your flowers, including the pots and hanging baskets. * Cut the foliage of daffodils and tulips down to the ground. * Spray roses to protect them from pests and disease. * Hoe boarders to keep down weeds or treat with weedkiller. * Apply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs it. * Edge your lawn when you mow it. * Lightly trim new growth on box hedges. * Watch out for red lily beetle on tips and leaves of lilies. * Plant out leeks and brassicas. * Clean filters of pond pumps. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 19 FULLERS Call 01522 868717 or 07867 510544 landscapinglincolnshire@gmail.com www.landscapinglincolnshire.com GARDEN ADVICE Specialised Service in Garden Design and Landscaping Backed by a highly-skilled and experienced team, we’ve built our reputation on an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored garden design and construction services. can also have detachable or sliding sides. These are great if you already have an existing patio. Aluminium ones tend to be ‘off the peg’ and so will be available in certain sizes, however, we can create bespoke timber ones that will fit the space. You can use an arbour to create a seating area with shade. These can come in a variety of sizes and are great if you have a small area. Even if they are not used all the time they can create a great focal point in a garden. You can add your own stamp with cushions and add solar lights to make it a great place to sit and enjoy the evening. They are also the perfect place to grow some climbing plants, which will create an intimate atmosphere. Finally, a gazebo can provide a seating area with shade, and again these can come in a variety of sizes and styles to suit your garden. Some can come with a choice of roofs – from thatched, to cedar or timber. Arrange some outdoor sofas, cushions, rugs and plant pots inside, and you’ll have created the ideal place to entertain and relax. We have installed one that had removable sides, and heating so it could also be used in the colder months of the year. If you need some assistance of what would work well in your garden give us a call. Around the gardenNext >