Whitchurch home wins top national award
The owners of a country house have been handed a prestigious award for decades of restoration work which has been carried out at the property.
The Historic House Association Restoration of the Year Award has been awarded to the owners of Combermere Abbey, near Whitchurch.
It has been presented to Sarah Callander Beckett and her husband Peter in recognition of the project recently completed to the abbey's north wing, as well as the 24-year long period of overall restoration work.
Originally announced in June, the award was officially presented by Lord Dalmeny, chairman of Sotheby's, and Richard Compton, president of the Historic House Association, at a VIP luncheon event at the abbey on Wednesday.
The Historic Houses Association/Sotheby's Restoration Award recognises and celebrates the work being undertaken by members of the Historic House Association throughout the UK.
The abbey, owned by the Crossley family since 1919, had suffered severe deterioration over a number of years.
When Penelope Callander, later Lady Lindsay, inherited the house it was in such poor condition that permission was sought to demolish much of the building. But this plan was rejected and the process of trying to save Combermere began.
Mrs Callander Beckett took over the estate in 1992 and reassessed the restoration of the abbey, seeking to improve the site and its uses.
Since then the stable block has been converted to create nine holiday cottages. The library – formerly the Abbot's Hall – has been restored and brought back to its former magnificence complete with family heraldry and portraits, supported by grants from the Heritage Conservation Trust and English Heritage.
The final stage of the restoration has taken place in the north wing. This wing will provide a boutique B&B, as well as bridal accommodation. Ancillary buildings have also been restored, including a Grade II game larder which is thought to date from the 19th century with a grant from the Country Houses Foundation.
Mrs Callander Beckett said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have won this very prestigious award and to have been recognised by our peers in this way.
"The restoration of this wonderful place has been my mission since inheriting it in 1992 and has taken my family and me on an extraordinary journey over the past 24 years.
"The support and encouragement we have had from so many people has been integral to its successful renaissance.
"To finally see the abbey without scaffolding, standing proud in the landscape as it was designed to be makes it all very worthwhile."
