Welcome to our web-site, and thank you for your visit. Any of you who have been keeping an eye on this web-site, will have noted that our original intention of having the house up and running at the beginning of the year has not materialised, and that it's now summer 2025. Despite this delay, progress has been made, slowed down by me having Long Covid (limited energy), whilst enlisting help from others has been an up-hill battle. The two final hurdles are both associated with stonework repair, one being the 375 year old rear bedroom window, which, being made from oolitic limestone, and not one of the hardest wearing materials, whilst bearing the brunt of the weather, is proving to be a particular challenge to restore, especially with a lot of the external work being carried out by me hanging out of the small window opening, and working sideways. Part of the reason for this, is that it's at 1st floor level, and as the rear of the property is the Post Office carpark, I can only obtain access during their working hours, which don't often coincide with mine!
The other challenge continues to be the fire place, which I now know is of Tudor style. The stonemason has made and fitted some elements to reform things, but we've found, having removed more plasterwork, that the fireplace is actually taller than originally thought, with more detail, a good amount having been damaged previously, hence being plastered over. I'm keen to retain and reinstate this detail, but this will take time, and so I'm planning to do this over the winter, rather than hold things up any further. If you visit before winter, you'll have bear with us. I have put some photos below so you can see what I mean.
Click here for pictures of the cottage and works in progress
Whilst previously running another business in Melksham, whereby customers had to come to visit our showrooms from all over the UK and Ireland, we came to realise that many were struggling to find anywhere to stay in the area, and always proved to be a problem for most. Being a popular tourist area also means that there is always competition for places to stay, and so in our own small way we aim to help matters with this lovely little cottage, which has already been admired by many as works slowly progress.
If you are looking at this website with Melksham in title, then maybe you have a specific need to be in Melksham itself, such as a business trip, or wishing to visit friends and family, without having to actually stay with them, or simply wanting to carry out day trips to the many places of interest only a short drive or bus ride away, such as Bath, Lacock, or Stonehenge.
What we have to offer is a one bedroomed cottage, smack bang in the middle of Melksham, with every conceivable shop and service within a 10 minute walk. The list is long, and over time we'll attempt to list some of them, but in the meantime, if you have specific needs or requirements, then please do contact us, and we'll do our best to help.
The cottage itself dates back to around 1650, with the impressive internal beams, obviously reclaimed from another building, dating back to around 1550. This, and many other details about the property, including photographs, are held by the Wiltshire Family History Society in Chippenham, who hold records on this and many other historic houses. The property sits within the Melksham Conservation Area, and thankfully, for some reason missed out on being 'Listed', although just about everything else in the area is, but despite this, we have carried out renovation works to the same standards as for listed buildings, which has slowed things down. We'll expand on the history of the house and area over the next year or so, as most of this is interesting.
Despite having previous names, we've decided to call the place 'Park Cottage' for two reasons, one being the small park situated to the front of the cottage, part of which was the front garden to the cottage until not so long ago, and secondly, because the Park family lived here for decades, when the cottage was three times the size it is now. What was the far 1/3rd of the building was knocked down around 1960, to help make room for the present Crown Post Office, and the second 1/3rd next door remains as the home for our neighbour.
How we intend to operate
We'll be running all aspects ourselves - The 1st business model that springs to mind for most is Airbnb, but we've decided against this or similar, as we don't want to be beholden to some distant master, dictating what we can and can't do, and so will try to keep this as a small and friendly undertaking. You'll find that we operate to the highest possible standards, and trust that guests will appreciate this and reciprocate accordingly.
The minimum stay will be 3 nights, otherwise we'll be continually washing bedding, and cleaning the cottage, or paying someone else to do it, which doesn't make economic sense for us. A booking system is being devised at the moment, and will become live when we're up and running.
Sorry, but no dogs, as the place isn't large enough, and as we know ourselves from ownership, dogs always have their own requirements, and many, especially small types, have difficulty in staying off chairs and bedding. We've managed to source comfortable older chairs in good condition to add to the ambiance, and would like them to remain that way for as long as possible, as replacement isn't simply a trip to IKEA.
We will ask for a small refundable deposit, having spent so much time, energy and money on getting this place to a high standard, we ask that guests look after the place. We are aware that the big operators don't generally ask for this, but it's not they who take the risk or bear the costs when things go wrong, but owners. We're envisaging careful, considerate guests, who appreciate the property like we do.
We have yet to work out a policy on bookings, rebooking and cancellations, and appreciate that thinks go wrong in life, and unforeseen circumstances arise, so we're looking to be fair to guests and ourselves alike in a business like manner. We're undecided about Feedback provision, and will review this later, as this can be a double edged sword, and as we know from life experiences, that not everybody is reasonable. Our aim is to make your stay pleasant, and memorable for the right reasons. Should there be anything we've overlooked, or got wrong in your view, then please contact us as soon as you can, so that matters can be investigated, and rectified if required.
If you have any questions, queries, comments, requests or observations, then please do get in contact with ourselves in the meantime, and we'll look forward to hearing from you.
Martin & Monique
Church St, Melksham
Wiltshire SN12 6LS
E-mail address: cottage@vanhuizen.co.uk
Mobile: 07884438866
