A family of four has swapped their London terrace house for a dilapidated 11,000 sq ft Georgian mansion in the countryside. Ben Charles Edwards and his husband Sam are now undertaking a massive restoration project, aiming to return the former care home to its original grandeur over the next decade.
Ben Charles Edwards, 42, a film producer, and his husband Sam, 34, a model, have embarked on an ambitious restoration project of their newly acquired country home, Lawn House.
The couple, along with their two sons aged eight and five, left their terraced house in London to move into the derelict 11,000 sq ft Georgian mansion just outside Canterbury. The property, which was once a care home, has been abandoned since 2017 and is currently uninhabitable due to leaks, extensive mould, and a partially missing roof.
The family is temporarily residing in a more modern wing at the back of the house, built during its time as a care home, while they begin the lengthy process of restoring the main structure. Ben and Sam plan to spend at least a decade transforming the mansion back to its former glory, which includes removing the 24 care home bedrooms and restoring each room to its original function.
The couple, who still commute to London a few times a week for work, are thrilled with their new countryside lifestyle. Ben shared, 'London will always be my home, but we wanted the boys to have more space to explore and feel alive. They've never had so many cuts and bruises from playing outside as they have in the last few months. They're climbing trees and doing things that London couldn't offer.
' The restoration project is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, but Ben and Sam are committed to preserving the mansion's stunning Georgian architecture. The property, which sits on one acre of land, will eventually feature a vegetable garden and a chicken coop. Ben recalled the moment they first saw the mansion, saying, 'We were driving in the countryside when we spotted this enormous house on a hill.
We walked up to a window and saw a ballroom with a huge white marble fireplace and a Greek goddess carved into it. I immediately fell in love and said to Sam, 'We need to move here.
' The couple has already removed 20 tonnes of rubbish, including old wheelchairs and hospital beds, and stripped everything back to the original material. They are not looking to change the mansion's structure but rather repair it to its original state. Ben added, 'There's a gorgeous walled garden, and so much space for the boys to play and run around. The community here is so friendly and supportive.
Within the first few hours after we moved, five or six people came and introduced themselves.
Restoration Georgian Mansion Country Living Family Move Property Renovation
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'We ditched London for £1m abandoned mouldy mansion in the country'Ben and Sam swapped their terraced London home for an abandoned 11,000 sq ft Georgian mansion that has been left to rot since 2017
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