A New Home for Christmas by Juliet Thomas

 

Home is where the heart is, a phrase that is constantly proving to be true, and since we moved, this old house from the 1850s, has many stories to tell within its thick stone walls. From the sturdy servant bells in the kitchen, and grand focal-point fireplaces to the vast array of different period windows, there’ a tale unfolding in every corner.

This house has been a tug of war, since we fell in love with it this time last year, it took eight of the longest months to finally call it our own and cross the threshold in August. Our emotions raged from excitement to hope, frustration to panic, before finally our veins were flooded with sheer relief. We’d invested our hearts at an early stage, myself especially and I simply couldn’t imagine losing it after all these months of back-and-forth negotiations and being stuck in a chain, but it came dangerously close!

But wow was it worth it, when we originally viewed it, it was Winter, and dark. The trees in the garden were stripped and stark, the outside paving areas full of moss, it needed some serious TLC, but we knew that its soul was special, and there was magic buried in the bones of this house.

The history of the house would create a book at least, we have a huge file on Roseleigh, but in a nutshell, it was built as an old weaver’s mill, that’s combined with its Georgian period owner’s house, creating a mixture or styles and sizes of rooms, nooks and crannies, and later extensions to create a quirky, eclectic mix of living areas.

It’s position, just out of the main Holmfirth centre, is set back from the main road, and beyond the large back garden is the flowing River Holme. This was a big plus point for me, I’m a water baby, and always feel drawn to the water. When we first moved in, after long days of lifting, shifting, sorting and storing, we would spend the Summer evenings sat on the bench under the tree canopy just taking in the view of the house and the garden with our aching backs to the river, and letting the powerful, yet soothing sound of the river wash over us.

And I’ve loved getting to know the river’s inhabitants! From the not so shy herons – they really like to pose, to the flash of turquoise and orange seen fleetingly as the stunning kingfishers do a fly-by, to the more sedate dippers, often camouflaged on rocks, happily bobbing away, it’s lovely to see all these new river-dwelling birds on my walks.

The different reception areas each have their own style, the kitchen is a fairly modern country kitchen with an aga and a bespoke colourful tiled splashback, it’s high up and looks over the sprawling garden at the back and is level with the treetops - it was a stunning view in Autumn.

The Sitting Room, Lounge and Dining Room, all have their own William Morris elegant themes, deeper and richer patterns than I‘m used to, and I’ve enjoyed making them cosy for Christmas.

And we’ve already started making memories here, Bonfire night was a particular pinch-me moment as we stood on the terrace with friends and family, in bobble hats and gloves, watching The Sands Park firework display from our own perfect personal viewpoint! Literally, the best seat in the house.

But it’s not all rose-tinted glasses here at Roseleigh, being in its elder years, there is always work to do, and trying to keep it warm in Winter, in the current climate, well that’s another story! Plus, it’s a physically demanding house, with multiple stairs and four floors in one half of the house, it’s certainly requiring better fitness levels!

The garden is going to be a big project, but I kind of like its current untamed beauty of all sort of unusual flowers, bushes, and trees, interweaving in a sea of green, golds, snow-white or red berries, and unusual shapes I’ve never seen before. The resident squirrel often scurries to the lawn and has even fought with the crows for apples or acorns. I’m no gardener, yet, but I’m looking forward to learning more about what we have here. It also has the most prolific apple tree I’ve ever known, apples have been donated to cafes, friends, and donkey sanctuaries, as well as making many apple crumbles for us of course!  

It's going to be a long-standing labour of love, but sitting here now with the fire glowing, the lights twinkling on the tree, and watching a Christmas movie, the story of this house will continue to be written and evolve with new memories and a growing family tree. We hope to be here for a long time because the possibilities for grandchildren playing hide and seek in this house are endless!

Merry Christmas everyone…