A lesson IN STYLE

Nestled in one of the Cotswolds' most notable villages, this unique historic property has seen numerous changes over the years, but is now a welcoming home, thanks to its industrious owners

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History is woven into the ancient Cotswolds village of Broadway, where a settlement is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Later, the region's thriving wool and cloth industry brought great wealth to its merchants, who built their houses either side of the wide thoroughfare from which the village takes its name. Turn down a narrow alleyway leading from the main street, and you will find an unobtrusive little building that has borne witness to all of this and more over the centuries. There was an ancient chapel on this site,' explains Gareth Cooper-Prentice, who lives here with his husband, Crawford, but the bones of the building date back to the 1700s, when a Methodist church was established here. Later, in 1846, it became a schoolhouse for a number of years, so it really was an integral part of local life.' Sadly, the property fell into major disrepair during the last century and little more than a few exterior walls remained. In the 1980s it was the subject of a compulsory purchase order and bought by a developer, who undertook a sympathetic renovation of the exterior. By the time Gareth and Crawford became aware of the property in 2001, it was a solicitor's office, with a longstanding tenant in a flat above.