Accommodation
Less dramatic than the next door Mill House, the Old Barn beautifully combines the traditional and the contemporary. There are separate dining, sitting and TV rooms, and the kitchen is in its own space.
Old exposed stone walls meet clean white plaster and travertine tiles. Upstairs, five of the bedrooms have their own wash-hand basins, and two can be set as twin or king-size. Most have built in storage and lovely woodland views.
Living Accommodation
The kitchen / breakfast room features an original exposed stone wall, but is
wonderfully light thanks to the large glass archway and door out to the
private cobbled courtyard terrace. The kitchen cabinets are oak, and the
granite work surface, stone Belfast sink and travertine marble floor, are complemented by Neff, Gaggia and Bosch kitchen appliances to underline the
commitment to quality and to marrying genuine traditional materials to the
most up-to-date facilities. There is an American-style fridge freezer,
single oven, double oven, microwave, halogen hob, large toaster and coffee machine. There is seating for up to eight around the expandable island
unit in French polished oak.
The kitchen gives way through an open exposed stone arch into the large
sitting room with three sofas. There is a separate TV room, seating up to a
dozen on beanbags and benches - which can be used to take a large single bed
or pair of occasional beds if required - and a dining room, both floored in
the same cream travertine marble tiles. The lovely French-oak dining room
table sits surrounded by bench seating on three sides (an improvement since
the photography was done...) As a result, we have successfully accommodated
over 20 diners at a sitting. This is only achievable if none of them are supersized and all are good at keeping their elbows in... we set the adult
maximum in the house at 12 to 14 to reflect the dining table capacity!
Bedroom Accommodation
The five king-size / twin rooms upstairs are complemented by one bunk room
with full sized bunk beds, and a small double. The downstairs TV room can
convert into an extra bedroom for an extra guest or two little ones to take
the capacity up to 16. The five main bedrooms each have wash-hand basins,
king size or super king beds, and built in wardrobes featuring shelving and
hanging storage. Two of them can be set as twin or king as required. The
bedrooms are smaller than those in Ormidale House, and are perhaps a little
bit tighter than you would expect in four star accommodation (which is why
we don't claim it.) but we have gone to at least that level in terms of
investment in gorgeous bedding, goose-feather and down duvets and pillows,
quality linen, etc. If bedroom space is an important consideration for your
party, The Old Barn is a better bet than The Mill House. There is a
downstairs loo and shower room, and a sauna. Two other bathrooms, featuring
stunning floor to ceiling travertine tiles and corner jaccuzzi baths, as
well as powerful showers, are on the first floor.
The Old Barn can be taken in conjunction with The Garden Cottage just across
the courtyard - two quite large bedrooms, a shower room, and two box/ bunk
rooms, all on the ground floor. It is literally a few meters away, and
means that we are a more attractive prospect for those parties including guests with either limited mobility, or with a desire for a bit more peace
and privacy. The Garden Cottage was chosen as their bridal / honeymoon
suite by the last couple to get married at Ormidale, so it isn't exactly
the shabbiest bit of the estate.
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