About Us | Property History | Hideaways In Hay

about us | HIDEAWAYS IN HAY: We are in the business of providing hi-spec luxury, romantic and historic holiday accommodation for discerning holiday-makers. In the 1990’s, for ten years as a couple, we rented various holiday accommodation within the vicinity of Hay-on-Wye, and could not find the standard of luxury we were used to or looking for. So when the opportunity arose, we decided to create what we would have wished for - and here it is! It was a project which took four and a half years to create and if you choose to visit us, we hope you will agree. However, we are also looking to find ways to improve our facilities and level of service, and we rely heavily on our visitors to help us constantly improve.

| Michael and Séza Eccles |

Brookfield House in the 1940’s.

Note the 1920’s extension on the right- which we were required to removed by the planners.

We added double doors and balcony, the Jacobean window, an extra window for the Mistresses bathroom (see turquoise shutters), and large French doors to the new kitchen on the left.

At some point, the hall (above) and drawing room were separated with beautiful oak panelling. When this went, the lime plaster was removed from the exterior walls in what we called the ‘Watneyfication’ of the building! Watney’s pubs went though such a ‘facelift’ in the 1950’s. We have re-instated the georgian oak panelling, and the lime plaster.

The drawing room as it is now with log-burning stove, oak flooring, re-instated lime plaster, and underfloor heating.

Georgian oak paneling has been re-instated in the entrance hall and the Axminster carpet replaced with white lime flagstones and wide oak floor boards.

The entrance hall and ‘open plan’ sitting room on 11 April 2002, the day we took possession!

about the properties

Scroll down for pictures, and to read about the history of the properties

Website by me@SilentImpressions.com

This picture shows the ‘open-plan’ hallway as it was in the 1950’s. By the time we arrived the floor was completely rotten and we were able to install white lime flagstones and Georgian Oak panelling

Séza Eccles: Séza trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance as a child, and performed in a small troupe in London throughout her teens and twenties. Having read Literature and History of Art at university, she entered the publishing world, working for a London publishing house - SPCK publishing - then going freelance as an editor for many years. She developed and ran an alternative health practice for five years, and published and edited the Aromatherapy Quarterly magazine for a further ten. As a founder member of the Screen At Hay film society in 2006, Séza continues to manage their design, press and publicity. In 2009 she helped launch, run and publicise Hay-on-Wye’s first Festival of British Cinema. Séza is a designer and interior designer and has used her skills to create Hideaways In Hay as a hi-spec luxury romantic holiday location. She currently runs the graphic design service Arcturus Designs, undertaking projects for businesses, organisations and private clients.

Michael Eccles: ex Arthur Andersen consultant (now Accenture) moved to Hay in 1999. He is a director of the fair trade company Jump4Timbuktu which was founded to help the peoples of Timbuktu to trade their way out of poverty. He set up the charity Tuareg Relief for Jump4Timbuktu, and the charity Hay2Timbuktu for the Hay town community. He co-founded the Department of Enjoyment.org (Hay-on-Wye) CIC, which runs Hay-on-Fire in partnership with the Hay Literary Festival. The DoE is also a CIC vehicle for developing new community projects. Michael has an eclectic entrepreneurial background in design, film, property development, publishing and more. He is currently developing online marketing businesses.

about the properties | We moved to Hay-on-Wye in 1999, purchased these properties in 2002 and completed them in 2006. The buildings were in a dreadful state and it took over eighteen months of planning, designing, specifying, applying for grants, going to tender and eventually choosing our builder, before we could begin. It then took a further three years to complete the project - with eight builders on site every working day.

In 2005 Wil Hughes, the Brecon Beacons National Park’s Listed Buildings Officer entered us for one of the coveted National Park design and conservation awards, which we won.

The buildings date back to the medieval period (the Stable), and the main house was built between 1620 and 1660 making it Jacobean. Significant Georgian extensions to the building were made between 1776 and 1790. The roof was raised on the front of the Jacobean house to add windows and a usable second floor: ashlar markings were added to the front, and an extension was built to join the building to its ‘outside’ kitchen, also providing a grand Georgian bedroom, a ‘new’ kitchen and servants quarters. At the same time a Georgian coach house was added to the front of the stables. In 1843, the ‘school room’ (now the Jacobean house’s kitchen) was built in a period when the building was used as a school.

In our restoration project, we converted the Georgian wing of the building into a three bedroom house; added the utility room to the Jacobean house, the steps and railings you can see above, and carefully restored the entire property to its former glory using traditional building materials and techniques, while adding modern luxuries and technologies, including underfloor heating throughout.

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