With part of its structure dating back to seventeenth century, the Coach House offered the opportunity to create a beautiful self contained holiday home. Follow the progress of our first Sojourn project on here.
As the name suggests, the Coach House was originally where all of the horse drawn coaches belonging to the past residents of the Raleigh Mansion Estate were stored. The mansion has had many owners and many uses throughout many years, including being a home to nuns from a local convent, and a fully functioning hospital during the war. Around the 1920s the Raleigh Estate was divided up into separate lots which were then sold individually, creating the layout of the homes you see surrounding you today. Eventually Raleigh Mansion its self was split (we believe in the 1930s), creating three separate homes, and a fourth property from the stables situated behind the Coach House. Our home, The Laurels, is one third of the original mansion and comes complete with the Coach House.
The Coach House has had a number of different makeovers since the division of the mansion. Starting out as a conservatory, then incorporating a garage area, then a playroom and studio, and finally becoming the home from home you are sitting in today. Throughout our renovation we have taken great care to preserve all of the Coach House’s original charm and features. The exposed stone work you can see are areas of original wall believed to date back to the 17th century when the mansion was first built. All materials, all suppliers, all fixtures and fittings were sourced locally. Wherever possible furniture items were found locally and upcycled rather than buying new.