Four months or so on an we’ve done it! The Bungalow Cottage has now been converted to 4 en-suite bedrooms – all ground floor, naturally! The new rooms are:
Elva
The former kitchen, now a single ensuite with private access to the outside and inside, using the existing fully accessible bathroom as its ensuite. Colour scheme matches that of the new Binsey, letting the adornments stand out in a distinguished way. The colours in the blind are picked up in the soft furnishings and even a foxy picture in the vestibule!
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- Single bed
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- Bespoke headboard and shelving mirror recent similar refurbishment in the main Hall.
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- The blind add some colour in the form of some wildlife.
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- The floor space has been designed for wheelchair turning…
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- Desk and hanging space suitable for anyone, including wheelchairs
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- The vestibule leads through to the internal door…
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- …as well as the accessible bathroom
Do you notice how Elva looks just like a regular bedroom? That is deliberate, as it has been designed to simply be that, except that if someone were in a wheelchair, they could use it. It is a normal, regular bedroom usable by anyone. The neighbouring twin room, Binsey, also has space for a wheelchair to gain access to the bedroom space. An accompanying carer could stay in any of the Cottage bedrooms and have easy access to Elva.
Binsey
The former lounge is now a twin bedded airey room with its own ensuite. Same colour scheme as Elva, toning in with the lovely curtains.
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- We’ve tried to make use of the space wisely!
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- Binsey has moved – what you see is now 2 ensuites!
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- … one of the ensuites made out of the old Binse …
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- … look, there’s the window!
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- Twin beds
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- Spot the difference – what is missing from this photo but in the next?
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- Desk for writing or haridoing
Longside
The former small double has been transformed into a single en-suite. The furniture has been designed to save space but gives plenty of shelving along the wall. We feel the space works better as a single, especially as the Cottage has two twins now anyway.
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- Minimal but smart
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- The ensuite is on the left trhough a sliding door (actually one we saved from the former layout because we liked it!)
Skiddaw
This room is updated from before, and now has its own ensuite (the front part of the former small Binsey).
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- These shelves had to some in through a window!
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- Headboard design reflecting that used in parts of the main Hall.
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- Twin beds.
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- The ensuite is by the door on the left.
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- Something almost Van Gogh about this …
As we have said before, being able to now offer ground floor ensuite accommodation will be a huge asset to Higham. These four extra ensuites, with 6 bed spaces, added to the 17 ensuite bedrooms (24 bed spaces) in the main Hall are a positive step forward for us in terms of capacity. Bear in mind that some people are happy to pay less and enjoy a standard bedroom instead, but now these four Cottage ensuites offer a slightly cheaper alternative to the main Hall as they, like our Gatehouse bedrooms (just standard rooms), are £5 per night cheaper as well!
Enormous thanks have to go to all those who have worked on this project. In particular the volunteer decoration from Carmel and Heather, as they have spent many, many full days helping us get things right. This flexible help has meant we have been able to put a lot of thought and resources into what we felt we needed and to get things right. Throughout we have tried to use quality fitments, to think of who will be using the rooms and not wasting money. The whole project has been huge … including replacing the entire sewage and surface water drains – it was never going to be just a lick of paint now, was it?