It’s not the usual response to seeing your dream house, but when musician and teacher Tim Sidford and editor Daniel Botting spotted their Malvern Hills home online, Tim says, ‘We laughed and said “well obviously not that. It would be ridiculous”.’
Described as a nine-bedroom property, it had been converted into bedsits in 1940, creating a warren of small, oddly shaped spaces. This was not the size or scale the couple had considered. ‘That night, I didn’t sleep a wink, and the next day I booked a viewing.’
The prospect of restoring the house to its fine Victorian proportions was exhilarating, and they moved in during 2013. Thankfully, the house had escaped the modernisation craze of the 1960s, so many original features remained. It was a project on a grand scale, and once essential work was completed the pace slowed.
‘Unsurprisingly, we ran out of money, and so for the past eight years, we’ve continued in a more piecemeal fashion,’ says Tim. A refurbished top-floor flat, rented as a holiday let, provides additional income, while the house is also used as a location for photoshoots.
The interior has been restored, and now many of the high-ceilinged, large-windowed rooms are William Morris-inspired; almost all bear the hallmark of the romantic, lived-in, layered style of the English country house.
When it came to furnishing, the pair were not drawn to any particular era but appreciated well-designed, charming pieces. Tim discovered a love of vintage and antiques very young. ‘As a kid, I used to love going to my Nana’s house – it was an Aladdin’s Cave of old stuff. I found it fascinating.’
Living a stone’s throw away from the Malvern Flea & Collector’s Fair, Tim thinks revamping a room doesn’t have to mean buying everything new. ‘Signs of age can add to a piece’s appeal, and it will probably be cheaper too,’ he says. An aqua-blue Minton inkwell, chipped but still fabulous, is Tim’s favourite find to date.
‘I love to be surrounded by objects that have a story to tell: inherited pieces like the green onyx mantel clock won by my great-grandfather in a walking race, and a rag rug made by my mother from my childhood clothes.’
Tim and Daniel also discovered that writer Radclyffe Hall, an important figure in LGBTQIA+ history, lived at the house from 1906-1912, latterly with her partner, Mabel Batten, a society soprano. ‘The connection to things that matter to us is remarkable,’ says Tim. Daniel, also a composer, has set Hall’s poems from this period to music.
Another creative link is William Morris, whose Cotswolds home, Kelmscott Manor, resembles the house. Embracing this, Tim created a William Morris-themed corridor using remnants of fabric and wallpaper collected by a friend’s father, who worked at Sanderson in the 1960s and 70s. After a deal with local house clearers, he acquired around 100 frames for £40. ‘It took me weeks to empty and refill the frames,’ he says.
Tim’s artistry also flourishes in his craft room, where he makes ‘shelf houses’. ‘I sometimes fill them with a mix of vintage doll’s house furniture, old sports medals, costume jewellery, shells, and buttons. They’re little cabinets of curiosities.’
You can follow Tim’s renovation journey on Instagram: @gablehillhouse