Luxury breaks at old chapel in Shropshire strike gold again
A Shropshire couple who converted a historic chapel into a luxury holiday home under the gaze of the TV cameras are celebrating winning another top tourism gong.
Claude and Wendy Bodenham have been received a gold award by tourism group Visit England for the fifth year running for their St Milburga holiday home, in Stoke St Milborough, near Ludlow.
The couple's painstaking conversion of the 160-year-old former methodist church on their land was filmed and shown on Channel 4's Property Ladder back in 2006.
Mr Bodenham, also a Ludlow town councillor, said: "The final cost for the conversion was in excess of £70,000 and we were awarded a South Shropshire Sustainable Tourism grant of £10,000, which was funded by the EU and Advantage West Midlands.
"We have just received a four-star rating from Visit Britain's Quality In Tourism scheme for the fifth year in a row. We are very pleased with the rating as it reflects all the hard work and money that we have invested in the chapel."
Mr Bodenham said the show's presenter Sarah Beeny was bowled over by the conversion.
"She signed our visitors book 'what an amazing place to stay, well done' which we were absolutely chuffed with," he said. The former Stoke St Milborough Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1842 and held services for more than 130 years until the doors shut in 1972. It is a listed building.
For details call (01584) 823626, e-mail claude@clbodenham. com or visit www.stmilburga-holidayhomes.com
Local business - The Station Inn, Marshbrook, Church Stretton
