It’s really good living in an old house, but you do have to wonder where it will end. The idyll is definitely there, with the roaring fires, the Aga, the acres of outdoor space and the home grown foods…
But the Manor was built in a time before houses were fitted with electric as standard and heat did actually always come from fire, from boiling copper kettles to heating the water for the baths over them. No modern day water heaters, radiators or rooms built proportionally to be sympathetic to the damp and drab English winters.
Seems to be a time to retrain, back to the old fashioned and proper ways of using this house, this magnificent space. Draught excluders, keeping doors closed, utilising the panelling to stop the drafts through the French doors and old style windows and thinking of ways to recycle any wood/paper as fire fuel. Fires being mostly coal and only when really required – and not fuelled up late in the evening so they are burning in the night unnecessarily.
Bathing too – morning electric showers become evening baths, water heated by the main oil supplies from the same that fuels the Aga. Electric oven made redundant for the winter, kettle to take residency upon the top of the Aga stove for hot drinks.
Largest cuts of meat for the best value sourced from local butchers and meat vans, as well as sacks of potatoes to pad out meals for the huge household.
No more lounging in minimal wear – layers to keep warm in the stone house as well as hot water bottles when it gets really cold.
Snow flurries are forecast for early November – and despite all of the above, I’m looking forward to it.
I’m going to wear my corset tonight, through the night – I might even shop for a bosom enhancing, multi skirted sumptuous long sleeved dress straight out of something by Austen.
I think the resident ghosts will be happy too.
Missing home today 
Sarah and I have been living and loving like this at Chumlodge for 4 years now. We burn as much wood as we can; mainly from scrap pallets and whatever we can carry back from dog walks. We’re onto our second chainsaw and splitting axe. Snuggling together on the sofa is the best way to keep out the cold in the evenings and bouts of rigorous activty soon warm up a chilly bed!
Sounds awesome wish I still lived that way. It was here in the US that I lived in an old cabin way up on a mountain. No electricty, Heat from a fireplace baths by heating water over the fire. It was a good life till I gave it up for a Job where I had to live where the modern conviences are easy to come by.
It sounds idyllic it truly is a beautiful place, I love your piks. I can relate to your liftestyle as we too live out in the country in a little 15th century cottage in middle of nowhere.
Its a very special place and we feel quite privliged to be here and value evry second.
It has no heating at all so we are snuggled round a log fire,layers of fleeces and thermal underwear right now are our fashion wear. Can you get sexy thermals, or maybe pvc with thermal underneath hmm interesting idea…as we still want to feel sexy as well as look sexy?
Thanks for sharing your beautiful home with us all.