When Noel McDermott came across an old church tower surrounded by a few half built walls near Stratford-upon-Avon, he wasn’t at all deterred by the thought of the work it would take to complete it.
He owns a property development and at creating dream homes, particularly for his own family.
In fact, St Thomas à Becket House in Stratford Road, Ettington, would be their 14th home in 20 years.
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He saw the fact that work had been started then abandoned on the 18th century church as a good sign – it meant certain hurdles had been overcome.
“There were planning permissions in place and listed building consents,” says Noel.
“I did change the plans slightly, so we went back for further planning permission.
“The original layout wasn’t quite what we wanted. It didn’t work for the property, the rooms were too big.”
Thomas à Becket church had been built in 1798. However, it does not seem to have been much loved. At one time it was described as ‘‘the ugliest in the county’’.
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By 1883 it was in a sorry state, .
It was replaced in 1903 and the bulk of it demolished in 1913. The tower was left standing and used as a mortuary chapel up to and after 1931.
After that there was another 70 years of neglect.
“It had started to fall down,” reveals Noel. “It had been built of blue lias stone which is very valuable and hard to get hold of, so a lot of it started ‘disappearing’.”
The church was actually featured for sale in Post Property magazine on April 29, 2010.
At the time it bore the evidence of a failed attempt to convert it into a house.
Noel bought it in the spring of 2011 and the work was completed in the November.
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The tower was protected by a Grade II listing and would need careful handling when it came to the renovation. The rest of it had to be entirely rebuilt within the original footprint of the church.
The result is an exterior that would have seemed familiar to the former , right down to the curved chancel at the end.
Inside it is a dramatically different story – bright, bold and modern.
“We have tried to make it as much of a contrast as possible,” explains Noel. “We like the old with the new.”
Visitors are broken in gently with the entrance hall at the base of the tower.
It still has two old plaques on the wall that have been restored and rehung. One bears the Lord’s Prayer while the other has the Apostles Creed.
Above this there is a bedroom with en suite and dressing room, then a sitting room on top that has lovely views of the Warwickshire countryside.
“It was a self-contained suite for my teenage son,” explains Noel.
In the main part of the house there is an open plan, double height vaulted living space.
A bespoke centre piece.
“The idea was that it would be like walking in the air. Some people don’t like it (at first) but after a few goes it is not too bad.”
A dining area flows into a hand-made kitchen under granite work surfaces which include a comprehensive range of appliances, including induction hob, coffee machine and wine fridge.
The main living room has the curved feature wall to the end with floor to ceiling windows and glazed doors.
There is also a separate, and equally generous, sitting room.
Upstairs there are five bedrooms in the main part of the building, with the tower bedroom making it six.
Porcelanosa fittings have been used in the three en suites and the house bathroom.
A door from the master suite leads out to a curved balcony above the living room.
The whole house has a Sonos sound system and there are solar panels to the roof.
Outside, a detached double car garage with large with small kitchenette and separate cloakroom.
The gardens and grounds cover approximately one acre and lie mainly to the back of the property. Concealed by trees at the end is all that remains of the old graveyard.
Noel and his family have lived in this stunning house for four years. But with their two children getting older and moving out, he and his wife, Alison, have set their sights on something a little smaller.
“We don’t need a house this big anymore so we are looking for another project. This is just what we do.
“We like Ettington and would like it if we could find something else around here.”
However, he admits it will be hard to find something to match up to the old church.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the most unusual house we have lived in.”
VIEWING INFORMATION
AGENT: John Shepherd
TEL: 01789 292 659
WEB: johnshepherd.com
PRICE: £1,195,000