This Is Life: Woman Buys 16th Century Home — See What It Looks Like Inside

Low ceilings with wooden beams, stone floors that are several hundred years old, paintings everywhere (even in the bathroom), antique furniture, a live fire in the stove – these are the conditions in which the owner of this unusual house in one of the English villages lives.

And if the atmosphere inside the house is steeped in history, then you wouldn’t know from the outside that this stone country cottage is almost 500 years old. It was built in the 16th century. And all these years (or rather centuries) ordinary people have lived here — one generation replaces another, the residents change the interior to suit themselves, trying to preserve the historical spirit of the place. And it seems they are succeeding.

📍The house is located in Surrey. You probably know these places from books and movies –  it was in this county that Kate Winslet’s heroine lived in the film “The Holiday” , Harry Potter is also from here (his fictional hometown was also in Surrey according to the plot), and lovers of Jane Austen’s books should remember the county from the novel “Emma”.

You see, yes, what the villages and small towns in Surrey look like?

This is what the house looks like from the outside

It’s hard to believe that this house is so old. But it’s true – there are many houses in Surrey that are 400-500 years old. And many have survived to this day in very good condition.

— I spent over a year looking for my future home. I looked at ads in different regions. When I saw this offer, I initially brushed it off. But then the price dropped, and I went to see the house. And even before I approached the front door, I decided that it was worth buying, — says the current owner of the old house.

According to the woman, she was charmed not only by the house, but also by the area itself.

– On the one hand, it is a secluded little village. The house is reached by a winding road surrounded by fields and forests. On the other hand, it takes only 30 minutes to get to London from here.

Let’s see what a 500 year old house looks like inside?

On the first floor there are three rooms. A kitchen, a dining room and a living room. On the second floor there is a bedroom, a study and a bathroom.

The house is furnished very expensively. There are only antiques here. Some items were given to the owner for next to nothing, but the cost of other things can only be guessed at. For example, on the wall in the dining room hangs a Belgian tapestry from the 16th century.

More interesting stuff here:

✔ The curtains are made from Hampstead Verdure fabric by Watts;
✔ The dining chairs had their seats reupholstered (they are now covered in tweed);
✔ There is a Chinese gilded food container by the window (it was bought at auction).

This large living room rug hides an old brick floor. The chair, two sofas, and footstool (check out the awesome animal feet) are from different decades. They didn’t look the same originally. They’ve been restored and upholstered in retro fabric.

— The previous owners hid the stone floor. There was thick carpet in all the rooms. I removed it, cleaned every brick. It seemed to me that such beauty should not be hidden. The bricks, polished by the feet of hundreds of people from different generations, are the soul of this house, — says the owner.

Eternal cold is the price to pay for historical beauty. But this does not frighten the owner, warm socks or fur slippers are enough to feel comfortable

Above the door are hand-made Delft plates. To the right, an antique painted Swiss cabinet peeks out.

The shelves contain a collection of vintage dishes. The apron next to the ADA stove is made of Portuguese tiles (incidentally, also from the 17th century)

A live fire burns in the fireplace stove every day – without it, it’s cool here even on a fine summer day. Incidentally, the hostess bought this dining table (it’s from the 16th century) for next to nothing

Would you like to sit with a glass of wine by this fireplace?

Low ceilings and wooden beams are the hallmarks of any old house in rural England.

On the wall in the hallway hangs a painting by the artist Walter Harrowing (original, not a replica), who lived from 1838 to 1913 and was famous for his paintings of animals.

And this is what the entrance to the bathroom on the first floor looks like (in addition to it, there is also a full bathroom on the second floor)

You wouldn’t even know that this is an ordinary village toilet.

Master bedroom. It’s hard to see, but there’s a fresco on the ceiling dating back to 1560. It’s incredible that the painting has survived to this day. The historic atmosphere is further enhanced by the 19th-century canopy bed with a 17th-century bedspread (how, how could that have survived?)