A Home For Keeps - Reader At Home

Alex and James Fielden were looking for a forever home. Their search ended as soon as they pulled up outside this Georgian property in Berkshire

- Anna Tobin

Alex and James Fielden and their daughters, Lily, 15, Sophie, 13, and Mabel, ten, fell in love with this this Georgian manor house as soon as they saw it.

“We weren’t set on country living,” says Alex. “We were living in a Victorian home in London and all I wanted was more space and to be able to look out on to greenery; a park or garden square was what we had in mind. But we soon discovered that we would get more for our money in terms of inside and outside space if we moved out of the capital.”

The couple focused on Berkshire because it is easily commutable to London where James works. “We didn’t have a particular style or period of architecture in mind. We initially looked at cottages, but because James and I are both tall, we quickly realised that cottages didn’t suit our height,” laughs Alex. “When we walked in here and saw the high ceilings and spacious rooms, it just felt right.”

Although it had been well-looked after, parts of the house were quite tired and not suited to 21st century family life, so as soon as they had the keys, the Fieldens began work on it – moving in six months later.

The 1980s conservatory was knocked down and replaced with a single-storey kitchen extension, more in-keeping with the property’s architecture. “The house is Grade II listed,” says Alex. “Weirdly, the planners seemed more amiable to us putting on a contemporary glass box; I think because you would see the original architecture through it, but we didn’t want anything modern. I wanted a kitchen that was more akin to a traditional orangery. It took longer than standard to win permission, but we got there in the end.”