Elberta Barn is a former grain store on the Essex-Suffolk border, so enveloped by patchwork fields, country lanes and pockets of woodland that one might find it hard to believe it’s just an hour from London’s buzzing heart. Here, both its perfectly-manicured gardens and striking reimagined interiors work in harmony to create a living work-of-art—but then, what else would you expect from the home of a former museum curator turned garden designer?
“In 2016, my beloved mother passed away out of the blue and I inherited some money that enabled me to begin a search for a small property in the countryside,” says property owner Joanne. “Living in London, I´d been longing to create a garden in a rural setting, and had dreamed of a bolthole outside the city.” It wasn’t until 2018 that she stumbled upon the “special” Elberta Barn, before purchasing it and commencing the renovation works a year later. “The aim was to allow the original timber frame to be the star of the show and to respect the original volumes of each space.” And the result is something truly breathtaking—walls and ceilings that soar skyward with their original oak and elm beams exposed, creating a space so vast, impressive, and intricate. “Most barn conversions have first floors or mezzanines inserted into the main space so that the full ceiling height can only be experienced partially, and lose their essence as agricultural buildings. Elberta Barn is different in both these aspects,” she adds.
In addition to the structural interior choices, Joanne—under the guidance of East London-based Lynch Architects—chose to tease some 21st century additions into her home. Integrating a minimalist jet-black kitchen, plywood walls and a study platform (or edicule) inspired by American minimalist sculptor Donald Judd into the scheme were inspired choices to simultaneously complement and cleverly challenge the existing building and its history. “The new materials and furniture have a contemporary aesthetic to distinguish between old and new,” she adds. Being a museum curator for over 20 years, working on exhibitions at the Tate, Hayward and Barbican galleries, it’s no surprise that artwork plays a key function in Joanne’s home too. Pieces from all over the world mingle under one roof: one by Guatemalan artist Moisés Barrios, one by German painter Gusti Stinnes, and one by British artist Sigmund Pollitzer. Cherished personal items are also proudly on display, including antique pieces of carved wood sourced by Joanne’s late mother, and a monotype print by her step-daughter.
Now to the great outdoors. Designing the garden at her grade-II listed barn conversion was a real passion project for her. “The design of the garden at the rear is purposely restrained and open to blend with the simplicity of the surrounding landscape,” she notes. The tranquil space that seemingly spills out of the barn doors comprises a meadow of perennial plants that inject bursts of colour alongside the sandy cereal crops in the adjacent fields. You’ll also discover a hortus conclusus (enclosed courtyard garden) with a mixture of wall-trained fruit trees, including apricot—hence the property’s name, Elberta—and multi-stem blossom trees, shrubs and flowers that bloom year-round. What’s more, the property is just a short drive away from Dedham Vale National Landscape and the historic market towns surrounding nearby Sudbury; areas that have been the source of inspiration for other world-renowned artists from Thomas Gainsborough to John Constable.
The ethereal “I’m in the garden” quote from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s eponymous novel The Secret Garden is one that springs to mind when picturing Joanne at her secret countryside hideaway; having escaped London for the weekend, city slacks discarded for grass-stained overalls, happily pruning in the autumn sun.
Feeling inspired? Why not peruse more secret garden escapes, or explore our collection of holiday homes 2-3 hours from London.
