country cottages 23 by Editorial Zone
Published Date: 09/02/08
Country Cottages
When I think of the country, I think of an idyllic image of roses round the door, oak beams, a little kitchen garden full of scented herbs and a Labrador laying next to the Aga. I'm not sure if something really exists like this or perhaps I've been reading too much Thomas Hardy. The fact is, lots of people are decamping to the countryside to country cottages.
The movement of people from urban areas in search of a rural ideal is having a social effect on the countryside. A lot of people take up country cottages as a weekend retreat or vacation home. This removes houses from the market for local people who struggle to find affordable housing. My husband and I actually moved to the countryside for a while. It's not something I felt guilty about, because we didn't build a new house on the village boundary or anything like that. We restored an existing house in a row of refurbished country cottages and we lived and worked in the community. We actually made a contribution to the community, which a lot of incomers don't.
Some people commute for four hours or more a day, just to be able to live in country cottages. They don't actually see much of their houses because they're either at work or in the car. I suppose it's a bolt hole, away from the frantic pace of the city. The exodus is moving the other way too, as young people in rural areas can't find work or any work that pays a decent wage and they migrate to the cities to find jobs there.
With so many weekend homes etc., local amenities in the countryside are increasingly under threat. Shops shut down and public transport is infrequent. The emphasis is always put on inner city depravation but there is rural poverty too, which needs addressing. Country cottages shouldn't just be for the affluent commuter, housing and jobs need to be there for the young generation or villages and small towns will just become dormitory enclaves.
A lot of people have converted old barns that farmers have sold, into country cottages. There are some really pretty conversions, which have blended the character of the building with modern facilities. It's certainly better than knocking a barn down and losing the building forever. There's the opportunity to have high ceilings and large windows letting in plenty light. I wonder where the farmers put their straw these days?
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