The New House
In 2001 we bought a very nice, stone built house in the Peak District village of Bradwell in Derbyshire, England.  The village is based around the local quarry and an ice cream factory, has a bread and cakes shop, fish 'n chip shop, garage, post office and supermarket.  It also boasts four pubs, all serving excellent English beer.  We have been working hard to organise the house in the way we like, and the following pictures are our attempt at a guided tour of the house and the village.  We hope you enjoy them.
View 1.jpg (72956 bytes) Approaching the village through the beautiful hills of the Derbyshire Peak District Country up the lane 2 - Nov 2001.jpg (102904 bytes) The surrounding area is "typical" Derbyshire, with narrow country lanes, dry-stone walls and farm tracks
English_Stile.jpg (84030 bytes) Access to the fields is via quaint stone stiles, which prevent animals escaping, yet let walkers pass.  It can be a tight fit if you're not slim enough! Bradwell_Front_May_2003.jpg (101828 bytes) This is the front of the house showing the block paving which we installed.  The photo was taken from the narrow lane leading past the house 
Bradwell_Front_Road_May_2003.jpg (113056 bytes) Parking for one car is to the right side.  The house is "split-level" and the garden to the rear is a whole level below the front entrance Garden_Through_Garage_May_2003.jpg (103133 bytes) The back garden winds upwards to another sitting and BBQ area.  We have filled in the back of the garage and installed storage cupboards
French Windows.jpg (131045 bytes) To the rear of the house you can see the lower level.  Double glazed doors lead from the lounge into the garden 

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 Inside the house is very interesting.  This is the entrance lobby, where we have hung all the family photos
Kitchen_Oct_2004.jpg (113068 bytes) Turn left from the entrance lobby and you enter the kitchen, where Lizzie creates our splendid meals Dining_Oct_2004.jpg (86277 bytes) Turn right in the kitchen and ahead of you is the dining room.  This is the table we used in our house in Houston 
Dining2_Oct_2004.jpg (110636 bytes) And there is also a comfortable sitting area in the dining room Our_Bedroom_Oct_2004.jpg (68583 bytes) Turn right from the lobby and you enter the main bedroom
En_Suite_Oct_2004.jpg (79863 bytes) Which has an en-suite bathroom Lobby2_Oct_2004.jpg (69005 bytes) Looking back across the entrance lobby from the bedroom you can see the kitchen
Second_Stairs_Oct_2004.jpg (71611 bytes) From the entrance lobby, stairs lead to the upper floor, where there are two bedrooms and a guest bathroom Bed2c_Oct_2004.jpg (78443 bytes)

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Bedroom 2 is large, with a double bed and a single bed.  The bear is actually quite dead, and has prompted quite a lot of comment from visitors
Bed3b_Oct_2004.jpg (116536 bytes) Bedroom 3 also has a comfy double bed Bed3c_Oct_2004.jpg (51343 bytes) And a single bed, so we can sleep quite a few people
Guest_Bath_Oct_2004.jpg (63438 bytes) The Guest Bathroom has a shower to the left of the wash basin Stairs_Full_Height_Oct_2004.jpg (70441 bytes)

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Back down the stairs we go to the entrance lobby.  In the first photo you can see that there are more mysteries even further down the house as the stairs wind their way down and down
Lower_Landing_Oct_2004.jpg (54474 bytes) These stairs lead down to the lower level, where there is a lounge and a study/4th bedroom Stereo2_Oct_2004.jpg (68295 bytes) This is the music corner in the lounge, where we have built shelves to install the stereo system we brought back from the USA.  It sounds absolutely yummy
Lounge_Fire_Oct_2004.jpg (75094 bytes) The gas fire keep chills off the room without the need for too much central heating Lounge_Oct_2004.jpg (83380 bytes) Our oak dining table sits at the other end of the lounge
Dough_Bin_Oct_2004.jpg (79274 bytes) Keeping company with another oak piece, an Elizabethan dough bin, imparting an "old oak" feel to the room Map - Degraded.jpg (119524 bytes) This map shows the local area.  Bradwell is west of Hathersage on the B6049.  The large town to the right is Sheffield 
Back_of_House.jpg (151346 bytes) At the back of the house is a lane which winds up the hillside.  This is the house as seen from the lane Up_The_Lane1.jpg (161203 bytes) As you climb, the village begins to reveal itself to you, nestling in the valley
Up_The_Lane2.jpg (129535 bytes) Climbing higher, more is revealed.  Our house is hidden behind the trees to the lower left of the photo Up_The_Lane3.jpg (119255 bytes) And this photo shows how close we are to open countryside.  Our house is on the near side, close to the fields 
Old_Bradwell.jpg (218525 bytes) Here, in a photo taken a long time ago (we think more than 100 years) you can see the plot where our house is, marked with an "X" Carnival_2_August_2003.jpg (65544 bytes) Like all villages, Bradwell holds an annual carnival, when people act silly and dress up in funny clothes.  They parade through the streets and generally everyone has a super time
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 The village also has an excellent organisation called "Bradda Dads", which runs numerous events in the village and collects funding for local needs, schools etc.  This is the famous "Duck Race", where a huge number of plastic ducks are raced down the river Bradwell_Well_Dressing_August_2003.jpg (101503 bytes) Another tradition is the dressing of wells, to celebrate the gift of water and to give thanks for it.  The well dressings are very beautiful and very popular
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