TAKING THE LONG VIEW

For artist Nellie Shepherd, the landscapes outside her renovated farmhouse are just as important as the colourful scene inside

- KAREN DARLOW

AT HOME WITH

Owners Artist Nellie Shepherd and husband Andy, a physicist at Oxford University, bought the property in 2017. Nellie runs an art school (bullcloughartschool.com) from the house. The couple have pet sheep Dave and Hope, alpacas Teddy and Maggie, cockerpoos Benji and Bonnie, golden retrievers Betsy and Blossom, and British shorthair cats Charlie and George.

House The oldest parts of the former farmhouse date back to 1660, but it has been extended and altered over the years. The home is set in seven acres of land in the Peak District National Park and has seven bedrooms and three reception rooms.

Looking for a canvas to paint the next chapter of her life on, location was everything when Nellie Shepherd began house hunting. Her ideal property would not only be home to herself and husband Andy, but would also be in a beautiful setting with views to inspire the students at the art school she runs.

After a seven-year search she found the perfect place – a 17th-century farmhouse of rose pink sandstone with limestone mullioned windows. With a barn and several acres of farmland, there was room for the art school, and the vistas of the Peak District National Park are eminently paintable.