A beautifully presented 1650 cottage in a heritage area with a secluded garden

About Jane Giorgi

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) in 1887 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 the new 2019 BBC production "Gentleman Jack". I enjoy walking and have learnt many new skills whilst volunteering at a local hospice charity shop.

Jane Giorgi purchased this Cottage in 2014

Why Jane Giorgi chose Halifax

I have had a keen interest in genealogy for many years and feel very strongly that a cottage which has been in the family for so long, should remain in it. Unfortunately I am unable to live in it permanently at the moment so hope that by letting it to holiday makers, more people will have the chance to share in its amazing history. It was for many years owned by the owners of the local dyeworks, the Wainhouse family and the Master Dyer's were given accommodation in the neighbouring cottages. The last member of the family, John Edward Wainhouse left a distinguished legacy on the local landscape most obvious of which is a 77m tower, the tallest folly in the world, which is illuminated at night. With over 400 internal steps, it is now owned by Calderdale Council who open it on the 4 summer Bank Holiday Mondays of each year when it is possible to climb to the galleried top and experience a magnificent view. People have even seen Blackpool 50 miles away! Dyer's Cottage features on a Heritage Walk round this special part of Halifax called The Wainhouse Trail. Up to 40 people may join it on summer Bank Holidays and an expert guide explains all there is to know about the distinctive architecture and local history. We have left a copy of the trail in the information folder for our guests to follow at their leisure.

What makes this Cottage unique

These include the old character features like the wooden ceiling beams in the sitting room which extend through into the neighbouring cottages, the beautiful fireplace with gas cast iron stove and the exposed stone wall with mullioned window in the kitchen. We had to undertake a few restorátion jobs, sometimes by different ways when the first didn't work. I am indebted to the great team of local tradesmen who helped me. We wanted to create a home from home experience for our guests so that it has the cosy feel of a cottage but the luxury of a hotel. My husband has created the lovely garden from an overgrown jungle with massive hedges. We found extra paving slabs buried a foot down and bought more to extend the patio. We used stones from the wall where we created the landing window to edge the flower beds. The old kitchen sink is now filled with flowers. The cottage has the benefit of very high ceilings for a property of its age and the rooms are much more spacious than you may imagine. Rather than squeeze in 2 bedrooms, we decided not to compromise the upstairs layout, so created a large bathroom from what used to be the other bedroom. This has resulted in a large bedroom, a spacious landing and a luxurious bathroom.