COUNTRY HAVEN

Louise and Alex Pope's sensitive conversion has transformed two 18th-century cottages and a school hall into a picture-perfect family home in the Hampshire countryside

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After 10 years of living in London, Louise and Alex Pope dreamed of a more peaceful existence in the countryside. That vision was realised in 2021, after Louise discovered she was expecting twin boys. They started searching for properties within a 90-minute commute to the capital, where Alex works two days a week.

When a dilapidated house popped up on Rightmove, Louise emailed the details to Alex. The 250-year-old brick and flint building, originally comprising two cottages and a former school hall, had fallen into disrepair. 'I wasn't entirely serious because I couldn't imagine how this house could be transformed,' she says. Architecturally-trained Alex, who has project-managed a number of property renovations, realised these under-appreciated buildings could be transformed into their dream home.