By Lara Sargent for Red Cover
Photographer Mel Yates for Red Cover

Set in 80 acres of North Yorkshire countryside, 400-year-old Howsham Hall is a former boarding school for boys. Now, designer James Perkins has lovingly converted this Jacobean mansion into a sumptuous, yet quirky, family home

When you walk through Howsham Hall's vast rooms, it's hard to believe this was a rundown boarding school for boys until recently. The desks and lockers are gone, and plaster statues and stuffed animals abound in their place. A big cat hovers over the grand stairwell, ready to pounce on some unsuspecting prey; while heads of bison and antelope gaze over the red baize billiard table in the games room, and a life-sized plaster elephant's head wearing a red top hat stares back from the opposite wall. It is like stepping into a fantasy world - an unusual yet beautifully stylish home that fuses the bizarre with restraint. Needless to say, the boys of the former boarding school would have loved it the way it is now.

Built in 1610, the Jacobean mansion is set in 80 acres of North Yorkshire countryside. It was a family home for 350 years, with an estate that originally covered more than 11,000 acres.  However, the house eventually fell into such a state of disrepair that, in 1948, it was due to be demolished. The bulldozers were stopped by the then Secretary of State to prevent the loss of a “house of extreme importance", and instead, it was sold for a modest sum to become a boarding school. When the school finally closed nearly 50 years later, due to high maintenance costs, the building still needed extensive renovations.

Step forward David Pratt, who, two years ago, acquired - or rather rescued - Howsham with the aim of restoring the house to a grand home for himself and his family. "Its historical importance and magnificent setting captivated me immediately," recalls Pratt. "That, combined with the quality of the interior architecture."

The last headmaster of the former school still resides in the village, and he regularly dropped by to admire the progress of the renovation. Understandably, he is absolutely delighted with the house today. It may be quirky and vast, unconventional and sprawling, but everyone who wanders through Howsham Hall is struck by a lasting impression that this is a surprisingly comfortable and welcoming family home - albeit with an intrepid sense of adventure.

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在北約克郡的鄉郊地區，一座建於400年前的大屋Howsham Hall位於佔地80英畝的土地上，前身是一間男生寄宿學校；經過設計師James Perkins重新設計後，其殘破不堪的面貌給換上了華麗獨特的新裝，化身成一間舒適豪華的家庭屋

當你穿過Howsham Hall的特大房間，看著眼前各式各樣的裝潢擺設時，真的很難相信這裡曾經是男生寄宿學校。所有書桌和儲物櫃都已一件不留，四周擺放了很多石膏雕像和動物造型擺設，例如華麗的樓梯中間放有一隻氣勢逼人的大貓，好像準備好隨時跳下來捕捉牠的獵物；在遊戲室內，野牛和羚羊的頭像給掛設於牆壁上，緊緊盯著前方一張大型的絨面撞球桌，而另一邊的牆壁上則有一隻跟實物一樣大的大象頭，像真度極高，而大象的頭上還頂著一頂小紅帽子。這個地方有如一個夢幻國度——參觀每個房間都是一個不平凡的經歷，但各種奇幻的設計又能恰到好處，使之成為一個漂亮迷人的居所。假如這間大宅現在仍是男生寄宿學校，每位學生對這個上課環境定必喜愛不已。

這座建於1610年英國詹姆斯一世時期的建築物，位於北約克郡的鄉郊地區，佔地達80英畝。在最初的350年期間，這兒是一個家庭的家園，而且整個村落的範圍佔地超過11,000英畝。不過，大宅經過時間洗禮，日久失修，無論室內室外也變得愈來愈殘破，終於到了1948年時要面臨拆卸；幸好，在它幾乎被移平的時候，當時的英國國務大臣制止了工程，認為應保存這間極具重要性的大宅，並以一個合理的價錢賣出去，改用作寄宿學校。可是，寄宿學校後來也維持不下去了，因為保育和維修這幢「龐然大物」的支出實在太大；經營了幾近50年後，學校終於關閉，而建築物仍然很需要進行大型的翻新工程才可回復昔日光釆。

直到兩年前，David Pratt得到了Howsham——也許說他拯救了這座建築更加適合——而他亦隨即展開了修復和翻新的工程，以整修建築物成一個華麗的居所為本，讓他和家人能擁有一個舒適的安樂窩。「它的歷史價值和宏偉的外形深深吸引住我。」Pratt回憶說：「當然還有室內設計的質素。」

前男生寄宿學校的最後一任校長仍然居於Howsham Hall位處的村莊內，他不時都會來到這兒觀看大宅的翻新工程，而且對於大宅現今的模樣感到非常欣喜，相信其他人也會這樣認為——雖然大宅的新貌跟以往比較是偏向奇特、反傳統和不規則，但只要進內仔細探索，自然能找出Howsham Hall的迷人之處，參觀其前衛創新的裝潢時能賦予客人們一種前所未有的經歷；而同時間，這裡的舒適和溫暖感更能令人留下深刻印象，了解到大屋已脫胎換骨，變成一個溫馨優雅的家園。

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