AN EVOLVING STORY

Exciting things are happening at Thyme.

Next year we will see the addition of new rooms, another restaurant and a spa.

These will all be situated within beautiful existing estate buildings including our wonderful Ox Barn and the Lodge, a graceful Georgian rectory that nestles with its cottages to the west of the Manor barns.

But before I tell you more about future plans, I thought I would look back over the last fifteen years. The barns were acquired in 2003 and we have spent the last fifteen years gradually restoring them, giving them new life and purpose.

Designed to work with the land, we have preserved their grand internal spaces and have ended up with a result that has exceeded our expectations. Looking back at the early photographs now, the decay and dilapidation that had been allowed to occur is shocking.

Rather than go into the detail of each building, here are a few of those early photographs to give you some insight into the challenge.

A journey that begins with the restoration of the estate buildings continued with what I call the ‘colouring in’: what we do and the people who make it all happen - both staff and guests.

The Thyme team - master builders, planners, architects, carpenters, stone masons, electricians, structural engineers, eco engineers, plumbers, designers, gardeners, farmers, shepherds, chefs, front of house staff, office staff, techies - is an ever evolving one and now numbers more that 60 full time employees. And that’s not to mention the many hundreds of people who have contributed to its evolution.

They all help to make Thyme very special, more than just a place, something greater than the sum of its parts, a philosophy and a lifestyle involving family, friends and the journey ahead.

We look forward to sharing these exciting new developments with you.