ALL ABOARD THE CARRIAGES WITH CAPTURE BY LUCY

15th September 2017

All aboard it’s time to head to the country! Imagine yourself walking through a little hilltop village in the Somerset countryside and what do you expect to see? Un-spoilt views of the Blackmore Vale and a few birds soaring in the sky yes, but a pair of railway carriages hidden in a cottage garden? Probably not.

There’s something almost magical about the Long Hill carriages that have been lovingly restored by a couple who have lived here for over 25 years. They arrived in their garden, hauled over the hedgerow by a giant crane, and then painstakingly brought back to life and transformed into a hidden hideaway for their third lease of life.

I’ve been lucky enough to know Annie and Chris for a few years and any excuse to have a peek around the carriages and photograph all the details I jump at. So I headed up the hill armed with a collection of goodies from the new homeware range, which felt immediately at home in their eclectic surroundings.

The GWR ‘birdcage’ carriage is anything but. A beautifully decorated living area, complete with log burning stove at one end and a dining table for four with painted chairs and a little seating area to the other, leading to the sweetest little kitchen. The new Galley Grade stoneware mugs made a perfect addition to the enamelware on the worktops and we popped the Par-Tea Dogs tea towels on the end of a vintage turquoise trolley – a fun hint to the carriage’s furry neighbours who live with Annie and Chris.

Can you believe the carriage was destined for a bonfire back in 2003? Thank goodness it was rescued and it’s now the only one still left in existence. The deep blue woven throw immediately found a home over the sofa next to the fire and the diamond cushion added a pop of blue to the retro fabrics that Annie finds on her travels – we couldn’t decide whether it looked nicer on the armchair or the bed. Perfect for both! The whole place is a wonderful example of mixing and matching different fabrics, prints and patterns with a similar colour palette.

Annie’s gorgeous woofers are usually kept in the garden of their Grade II listed cottage but we let them wander behind us, their lovely whippet was extremely keen to nose around my jacket but sadly the only treat for them was a squishy dog bed, but Pooch and Mr. Whippet seemed very happy to pose and have a snooze!

You almost can’t believe that 50 years ago the wagon was full of fruit and flowers but now is a calm and elegant double bedroom and en suite bathroom. It’s like it was made to measure for the comfy bed and wooden side tables with room for a stack of holiday books and a hot cup of tea. The ikat-inspired bedding tied all the blue tones together and I couldn’t imagine anything nicer than waking up here on a Sunday morning. Taking a stroll out onto the terrace, breathing in the fresh air then curling back up in bed with my favourite book.

What a treat that would be!
 You can find Long Hill carriages on Instagram – can you spot Mr. Whippet in his new bed?!

Thank you to our dear friend Lucy for working with us on this post.

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