Laykin features

What struck us about Laykin inside was the quality of the work that had been done on the house in 1939 by George Edward Brown and Company - we loved the art deco style door furniture and oak ceiling panels and stair case. We felt the pulpit on the landing was a lovely feature and we were concerned to keep the integrity of the cottage, and loath to change it from the romantic hideaway that it had been for so long.

At the beginning we toyed with the idea of keeping it as it is, and cutting ourselves off from the world when we stayed there. However practical problems such as how to wash our clothes without electricity soon overcame this notion.

Water arrives at Laykin

The significant thing about this photo is that in September 2008 we had mains water to the house. You can see the metal cover at the bottom of the photo- it wasn't connected to the inside at this point but was a big step forward and was hard to arrange. We had to get permission and wayleaves sorted out, and a contractor to make a trench down from Turnip House above us.

Think it was around this time that our architect retired and we took the project on from the plans that he had prepared and started to look for builders in the area.

You can see Gunnerside in the distance.

Views from Laykin over to Grinton

This photo was taken on 11th September and is the view across the valley from Laykin cottage. We loved seeing the hay meadows and field barns so typical of Swaledale and the River Swale, and Grinton and Summer Lodge moors.