Rustic Revival

With vision, patience and a love of old things, Heather Riches has transformed a derelict 1860s Worcestershire cottage into a characterful home

- FEATURE ALICE ROBERTON PHOTOGRAPHS TAMSYN MORGANS

If one can walk into a house with a leaking roof, rattling windows and the chill of a grey January day in its bones and still feel an unmistakable sense of home, then it's surely worth a second look.

That was exactly the case for Heather Riches and her partner Sam Heemsbergen, who were captivated by a modest brick farmworker's cottage, built around 1860, on the edge of the Cotswolds.

The couple bought the cottage in 2018, and spent time making it liveable before moving in 2019. 'It had sat empty for over a year and was in a sorry state - windows sealed shut, part of the roof propped up with cardboard, and no working plumbing,' says Heather.