SARAH STANLEY RESCUED AN UNUSUAL WAGON FROM A FIELD TO CREATE A LUXURIOUS WILD WEST THEMED BOLTHOLE NEAR NEWQUAY

Words and portrait photograph by Alexandra Pratt, interior photographs by uniquehomestays.com

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S arah Stanley recalls how she first discovered Sundance down a farm track. “The owner had hand-built it himself, but never used it. The thought of it sat

desolate not being used was heartbreaking, and I just had to make him an offer,” she says. That offer was accepted and, after a year and a half of planning, design and hard work, that little wagon is now extended and finished to create a luxurious and quirky little bolthole, complete with double bedroom, spacious bathroom and a chic kitchen/living area reminiscent of a Wild West saloon.

Sarah has travelled the world, including 12 years living in Australia, but when she returned to her home county of Cornwall, an advert looking for hosts for overseas students planted the seed of an idea which later blossomed into her holiday letting company, Unique Homestays. Yet the project to restore the wagon has been a very personal one for Sarah.

“What sparked my imagination for this project were memories of building camps and dens along with my brother and sister on our farm as children,” she explains. “We would spend days running wild in the outdoors, gathering salvaged items and pieces of nature to create masterpiece shelters which would make play dens all summer long.”

Before Sarah could get on with the fun parts of the build, however, she had to get the wagon - which at 24ft by 8ft is about twice the size of a traditional shepherds’ hut - back to its new home in fields near her cottage. “It had to be craned into place, but during the first part of the transfer, along Cornish lanes, the roof got ripped off. I couldn’t believe it,” she remembers.

Once on site, the wagon needed to be turned into a liveable space, and Sarah is lucky that her partner, Andy Davey, is a builder. With the help of their architect, Peter Wonnacott, they extended the original wagon with a sumptuous bedroom, a bathroom with double shower and even a little utility room, all of which is on stilts, as the original wagon stands high on wheels. Sarah and Andy also installed electricity and oil-fired central heating (because even Wild West cowboys need a little cosiness). The walls are authentic-looking tongue and groove and the flooring is robust macrocarpa planking.

A big part of the design process for Sarah was inventing design features to accentuate the wagon’s charms, or accommodate its challenges. “It is unique,” says Sarah, who had a metal screen fabricated for the double rainfall shower and suspended it on wires from the ceiling. She also chose agricultural mechanisms for the internal sliding doors (which need minimal space), and used scaffolding poles as heavy duty curtain rails.

If you think there’s an agricultural theme emerging, you would be right. “I find myself drawn to rustic tin sheds and natural materials, which could be put down as much to my farm life childhood as to positive association with places I’ve

stayed when travelling in Third World countries,” says Sarah. The exterior of the wagon is clad in new galvanised metal cladding, which Sarah then covered with old rusty sheets for maximum authenticity. Even the oil tank is disguised to match.

Sarah also loves recycled and vintage pieces, most of which she finds in reclamation yards and house auctions. “I do love interiors,” she muses. “I’ve been known to idle away many an hour at a local reclamation yard looking for a perfect piece I didn’t know I needed.” As a result, Sundance is filled with beautiful restored and hand-crafted items, like the roll-top bath with claw feet that was restored by a specialist, a vintage iron bedstead and period radiators to keep the super-insulated space warm.

“I reuse and recycle pre-loved furniture wherever I can,” says Sarah. “Going to reclamation yards and second-hand shops is time-consuming, but sourcing is worth it, because it’s all personally chosen and it gives character. I like the imperfections in pieces that tell a story of their past.”

Sarah’s love of all things agricultural and reclaimed plus the inspiration of the wagon itself led to the idea of giving Sundance a Wild West theme. Sarah worked on the interiors with designer Jess Clark: “Once we started with it, we were away.” The western theme continues throughout, with a saddle and wagon wheel looking entirely at home. There is also a lasso light and numerous other little touches, such as the selection of classic western DVDs waiting for an evening in by the logburning stove.

Outside, the landscaping is designed to suggest the open

“I loved the simplicity, there’s a lovely feel about

it which is, I think, why lots

of people come to Cornwall”

prairie, with ornamental grasses merging into the gentle hills just 10 minutes from popular Watergate Bay. “One of my favourite things about Sundance is its position,” says Sarah. “It makes a great base from which to explore the delights of the Cornish outdoors. One thing I encourage all of our guests to do is embrace the Wild West theme and take to horseback!”

Despite Sundance being very close to Sarah’s own cottage, she camped out there during the project. “I loved the simplicity, there’s a lovely feel about it which is, I think, why lots of people come to Cornwall.” And

this personal project is now firmly part of the family, too. “We’ll use it for a hog roast for my eldest child’s 21st birthday, later this year.”

What started as a rustic little wagon left in a field has become a luxurious, if bohemian, bolthole for the romantics among us. Sarah is rightly proud of the transformation and the innovative design inspired by this humble abode. “I love the idea of a rusty shed, where you open the door and say ‘Wow! I didn’t expect that!’”

www.uniquehomestays.com

“I love the idea of a rusty shed, where you open the door and say ‘Wow! I didn’t expect that!’”

www.cornwalltoday.co.uk | 10878 | CORNWALL TODAY

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