Since 2014
Our Story
We have enjoyed living in this beautiful and quiet part of the country since 2014.
About Us
We are Dr. Steve Banner and Helen Newman, the husband and wife team that built Fernleigh Courtyard in the grounds of Fernleigh, our family home.
Steve is a biologist and wildlife tour operator with his own company, Wildlife & Wilderness, specialising in tailor made holidays worldwide. His small company also sells northern lights holidays and winter activities in Lapland. Check out www.wildlifewilderness.com.
Outside of work he has spent his life in nature and the outdoors around the world, with 20 years of experience volunteering in Mountain Rescue at home.
Helen is a conservation architect and Director at Ferguson Mann Architects practice in Bristol and designed Fernleigh Courtyard.
We share our home with 2 teenage children, a bearded collie dog, a cat, and a small flock of chickens.
The children have grown up here in the countryside and have helped with local grassland surveys, in particular for Orthoptera – grasshoppers & bush-crickets.
We also have a small flock of very friendly Shetland sheep and are happy to take you for visits to them as they graze some of the local small fields. This is our daughter’s project and she manages the flock and is experimenting with weaving and felting fleeces.
Georgian house & gardens, plus now a contemporary retreat
Fernleigh
Fernleigh Courtyard stands within the grounds of Fernleigh, but privately located away from it. The main house is a Georgian family home set at the top of a two acre, south-facing sloping garden.
The current entrance to the main house was once part of an orangery. Horizontal tiled chimneys were found in the walls during renovations and research indicates that the house was once the holiday home of the Chivers family, of marmalade production fame.
The garden includes an established arboretum, believed to have been planted more than 100 years ago, with many impressive specimen trees. Historic plans and maps record the distinctive tree-lined drive leading towards the house and its former coach house and stables.
The old stables had been adapted for cars rather than horses and had fallen into disrepair by the time we arrived in 2014. This historic footprint has since been thoughtfully transformed into Fernleigh Courtyard.
Since 2014, Fernleigh itself has undergone an extensive programme of restoration and refurbishment, including the removal of later, unsympathetic additions that reduced the heritage significance of this once attractive Georgian country residence and gardens. Helen has overseen both the ongoing restoration of the main house and the design and creation of Fernleigh Courtyard.
Our Flock of Pedigree Shetland Sheep
Sheep
Starting as a project for our daughter, with a local breeder of Shetland sheep we got involved in sheep husbandry and management for a year before taking on 4 of her registered shearling ewes.
It is important to note that for a small flock we are lucky in that the area here is dotted with small fields, many of less than 1 acre, that are wildflower rich and need grazing.
That first year just two ewes gave birth, both to single lambs, 1 female and 1 male. The male was castrated at birth and is now our friendly wether keeping all the flock company.
At weaning, we felt that the 2 lambs were not a flock and so bought in two more ewe lambs. Total now 8 sheep.
This year the 4 original ewes all gave birth to twin lambs, 5 female and 3 male. Total now 16 sheep and seemingly exponential growth! But decisions for the future of the flock are being made.
Needless to say they are very friendly and are providing us with plenty of fleece for peg loom weaving, vegetarian rugs and hopefully in the near future wool for knitting.
You are very welcome to visit our friendly flock during your stay.