I am fascinated by genealogy and the history of buildings and this is what makes Dyer's Cottage so special. The cottage has been occupied by my family for over 200 years but the first proof of this is the 1841 census when John Kenyon born 1777 was listed as living in it with my great great great grandfather, William, his youngest son born 1824. His son James, my great great grandfather bought the property from the estate of John Edward Wainhouse,( who commissioned the building of the 77m high tower nearby) in1887 and gave it to his daughter Julia, my great grandmother to live in with her husband and young son. My grandmother was born a little while later and lived in the cottage until her marriage. She was left the cottage by her father when he died in 1934 and decided to do a few improvements for her tenants. The cottage was then left to my mother and now it belongs to me. I then spent 6 months of 2015 supervising local tradespeople bringing it into the 21st century which involved creating drains for a bathroom, completely re plastering all the walls, laying floor coverings, re wiring the basic electricity there was, and creating a kitchen. I kept as many original features as possible in order to keep the character but added home comforts such as hot water, a gas powered logburner and gas central heating. I decorated it in neutral colours and have tried to blend modern decorations and furnishings into an old framework. It is truly a real "home from home" and was described by a guest in March 2018 as "exquisite"
I enjoy watching house programmes, thrillers and historical dramas on tv and particularly enjoy all those written by Sally Wainwright which are filmed locally like "Last Tango in Halifax", "Happy Valley" and "Gentleman Jack". I enjoy walking and have learnt many new skills whilst volunteering at a local hospice charity shop.