In which I knocked down my first wall and chipped our medieval moat tower free of plaster and Victorian wallpaper!
Our first day, we hit the ground running. It was all about getting rid of the hideous neon pink wallpaper in the two bedrooms upstairs, and breaking down the wall between the rooms to create one large master bedroom.
Timber!! 
A detail of the gaudy wallpaper we actually like 
Huge swathes of wallpaper 
Don’t know what I’d do without my little work breaks 
The half timber wall exposed – our bed will go here! 
Where walls go when they die 
The Moat tower stripped of wallpaper 
Old moat tower with some plaster removed and gorgeous stones peeking through
We were really curious to see what the medieval moat tower looked like beneath a century of more of wallpaper (stratified in 3 different patterns) and a thick layer of plaster and distemper. We can’t believe we’re the only people alive to see the stone tower as it looked before it was covered in wallpaper. How cool is that? We’re basically architectural Indiana Joneses.
We’re beside ourselves with giddiness. A 4-story moat tower! Exposed little by little beneath our hands! We’re being so careful and gentle, treating it like the historic treasure it is, lovingly returning it to its original state.
It seems mad that such a thing is entrusted to us, that we’re allowed by law to do what we like with it. It seems like the house should be a listed property, that there should be all kinds of rules and regulations, that a team of archeological architects should come in and cordon off our bedroom with rope and unearth the tower with nothing but paintbrushes.
But the thing is, the village dates back to Roman times, and played a big role in the 100 Years ‘ War. It’s so rich in history, our one moat tower is nothing. There were about 8 towers to begin with, and the town has a castle on the hill – there’s just so much history here, the government can’t possibly be precious about every stone or they would have to cordon off every inch of the place.
Bonus: Wonderful abstract art was hiding beneath the wallpaper…
Here’s a great look at our bedroom in its former incarnation – as you can see, we had a vision! (Apologies for the wobbly video)
I can’t believe our bedroom is becoming a reality…The two tiny, dark, neon pink bedrooms have become a bright, poetic open space with twin Julie balconies.
We had our doubts!
j a l i n a m h y a n a 