Ty Bryn overlooks St Ives harbour in Cornwall


Plans were already underway to demolish the house and replace it with fi ve houses when hei la and her husband bought it and began their restoration 10 years ago. Meanwhile the homes surrounding it have been replaced by modern houses – mostly obscured from their view by mature trees. The new buildings are a reminder of how fragile Cornwall’s architecture can be, in the midst of the race for space to build on. The developer’s deal “was just about done,” says Sheila, when the couple came along and bought it from under their noses.


ARTISTS’ LEGACY Ty Bryn was an immediate draw for Sheila, who was fascinated by its history. “I have always want- ed to be an artist, my dream was to be a painter, but I always got sidetracked,” says Sheila, who had her own successful textile printing business in the US, and now exhibits at galleries in St Ives. e have always renovated houses, and  have always taken on hopeless cases,” she admits. “I enjoy bringing them back to life; rescuing them. It’s what we have always done, but I didn’t know what I would do with this house.” “In 1928 it would have been very modern,” continues Sheila. However, she has managed to modernise it to 21st century standards, while keeping the best of the house’s original design intact. “It was run down and in a terrible state,


78 www.sbhonline.co.uk


but it had historic importance. I had never heard of its original owner Borlase Smart; It was only after we bought it that I found out who he was.” Smart was a painter, writer and founding member of the artistic collective the ‘St Ives chool, ater orld ar , who wored as an art critic and taught a number of important St Ives artists – including Peter Lanyon, whose work today sells or si fi gure sums ith mart having enthusiastically promoted other artists, it seems only fi tting that the house has een rought back to life by a fellow artist. “He was a real conservationist,” says Sheila; “if it wasn’t for him the old town wouldn’t exist anymore.” She adds: “It was a real irony that now his own house was almost gone. It’s a part of history and once gone, it would be gone forever.”


RETAINING THE BEST


The house had been untouched for many years by the previous owner who had lived there for more than three decades hile this created a challenge in the renovation, it also meant there were many valuable elements and features that had been left intact. n the fi rst year, we initially intended to camp outside or the fi rst phase o the reur ut the weather was so bad that we camped inside in- stead,” says Sheila. “All our furniture was in stor-


mar/apr 2022


LOW POINT


“Renovating the crittall windows that are so much a part of the building’s character. It took two years!”


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