A nondescript exterior and a yard dominated by headstones give no indication of the residential nature of this historic church in Kyloe, Northumberland. A couple decided to purchase and readapt the structure, investing nearly three times the purchase price into renovations over the course of several years. The exterior remains mostly untouched, save for skylights running the length of the roof. Inside, the owners took a similar approach. Restoration is more prevalent than renovation, with original stained glass windows throughout, and repurposed church fixtures abounding. Much of the original seating in the church was refinished and placed throughout the home, and unused wood and building materials were fashioned into a dramatic staircase leading from the main living space to an upper level library. The choice to live in a church is an unorthodox one, but this home’s owners managed to salvage a structure that might have otherwise been doomed to deterioration.
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Source: Desire to Inspire
Wow, I don’t know if I would sleep in a bedroom with 3 stained glass windows above me but fab kitchen and bathroom with the stained glass windows. Love it.
Stunning! Well done for saving a fine building while creating a remarkable living space. I drove past a derelict church in Yorkshire at the weekend and it was a sorry sight.
Gorgeous! I love homes like this that utilize old pieces of history and architecture.
I think it’s odd that Mary suggested it’s unusual they left the headstones there.
Regardless of how old they are, wouldn’t it be horrid if you went somewhere to find your ancestors grave and you could no longer find it? The headstones are an honor to the person buried beneath them, and I wouldn’t want anyone to remove my relatives’ gravestones — whether I knew them or not.
This is beautiful. It belongs in the dream home category.
It’s very pretty, but I’m such a secular person, I would have replaced the stained glass with glass images of nature, or abstract glass work. Stunning!
I’d feel really weird having sex in a place like that. God knows I’d have to keep it to the missionary position to say the least.
The master bedroom is in the altar?!? Hmmm, let’s better have sex in the kitchen.
I think they did an excellent job revamping the whole place. I don’t see why people are freaking out about the cemetery. You bury your animals in the back yard and don’t go nuts about it. Having the bed where the pulpit would stand is pretty cool and 2nd time around i saw the gorgeous curtains. I’d have no problem being intimate there. God made sex after all.
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This is truly vile. I would run screaming from the place.
Fantastic! But how do they heat the place in winter?
This is God’s home, let us not forget that. Blasphemy of this kind is frightning, I have pity on the souls of those who have tried to turn it into a worldly dwelling. It is right to make the sign of the cross when passing any Church, even those of which have been vandalised.
Wait…back up a few comments…
“DarkSock” Peed in a HORSE?
Discuss…
And why this fretting about sex in a church? Presumably, as a
married couple, there will be NO MORE sex. Medical fact, people.
Gives “The marriage bed is holy” a whole new light, doesn’t it?
Reckon it’d be a bugger to heat!
It’s a building, a beautiful one. Why not use it and keep it alive? Obviously it was up for sale at some point because it was no longer needed as a place of worship. I think it’s an outstanding place to live. The only thing that would get me is the graveyard, but that’s only because I watch a LOT of scary movies.
Great Job!
No, not a medical fact Joseph Hardy. I wish I could bring it up right now, but just yesterday a new study was posted on the internet about frequency of sex and it showed that married people have more sex than unmarried people -and way more sex than single people. If you’re married and not having sex, do something about it. Also, I’ve read that religious married couples are also more satisfied sexually than non-religious people – the stereotypes are wrong!
ebasi kefa!
Very sad. It says something about England that it is again giving up its most prized of possessions for a simple house. I also can’t help but think the bedroom was a statement. There were obviously other places to put it, but the new owner wanted to say something and they did. What results is a message of incredible selfishness.
any room with high ceiling looks cool.
the fact that it’s a church makes it better.
nice home.
You people fail to realize this is not a church. It may at one point have been a church, but a church itself is only a shelter for which people may discuss the word of God. It stopped being a church the day sermons stopped being read and exchanged. The same can be said of any building; if a university were to stop being used as a post secondary educational institution, would it still be considered a university? Of course not, for it is only a building, what really matters for it to be considered this way is what happens on the inside. A reverend preaching on the street speaks the word of God, and therefore his street corner may be considered a ‘church’. This building is no more a church than any other house, with the exception that it may look like one.
It’s cool though
local fans suppliers…
Works- ……
I think this is a brilliant use of a piece of history with a modern architectural touch. The exterior of the building and surroundings have been preserved and the interior has been designed and furnished in an appealing manner. Too many countries and people would quickly destroy old buildings to make way for new structures, but I compliment the owners and the village authorites for approving and allowing this new home to be created and lived in.
I’ve seen many historical buildings renovated in my life, but the design of this church is stunning. The homeowners have done a remarkable job on this on. Good Job and enjoy your lives in this beautiful home.
God doesn’t need another church he has the all the heavens to live in. Saying that this is blasphemous is just silly, honestly. Would you rather it fall into disrepair, because it certainly would have if they hadn’t chosen to live there.
Amazing design. Gotta be a little weird waking up in a church every day.
Am I hallucinating or did someone just say they ‘peed in a horse’? why is this not being acknowledged? Is it just me?
I peed in a cow once….
Cool, at least it’s used for something usefull !
the worst is the semetary, I would relocate it ASAP !
Brrr…
cheers,
PS: GOD is a man’s invention !! It’s the idea of “what he did” that counts in faith ! Still respect for all faith !
Honestly I love the idea. however I think they used the space very ineffectively. Nevertheless I’ll grant that its a difficult space to make the best of, but the furniture is ugly and adds nothing, and there is nothing to really tie the house together. the apse bedroom is a completely different style than the living area, and in a house with an open plan like this,the two really collide badly.
In a word–great idea but not really a successful realization of potential.
my cow peed in a horse once
No, it isn’t a church anymore. But they’ve kept it looking like a church (which may have been better for the building) so it really does seem creepy to me. I like the wood features, but not much else.
As for the cemetery, what would taking down the headstones do? If there’s still bodies under there (unlikely, but not impossible) then removing the headstone wont get them out.
If I had bought this property, I’d do it up and find a use for it, maybe rent it out. But it wouldn’t be my house, that’s for sure.
This has got to be the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t care at all about the headstones, but seriously, I can’t stand churches, they creep me out so bad. The stained glass? *shutter* I can’t imagine bathing in that bathroom, just knowing the stained glass pictures are right there, not to mention the bedroom which is surrounded by stained glass. I honestly am completely indifferent to the cemetery though. It’s kind of cool. But man.
This place is my worst nightmare, and I would have to get payed a loot of money before I go here.
I fail to understand why a church should be creepy. I’m not a believer myself, but if, by some stretch, there was a Christian God, I reckon that consecrated ground would probably be the safest place to put yourself. Besides which, I understand that this God would be more inclined to judge you because of your actions rather than because of where you choose to live.
It’s the same with the cemetery. I find churchyards or any reminder of my mortality invigorating, rather than frightening. It’s message? Time passes quickly, death comes to all, so live as full, spontaneous, immediate and as good a life as possible.
One of the problems of the modern age, particularly in western countries, is that the fact of death has been placed at one remove from us when it should be at the centre of everything we do.
I wonder how much these folks spend to get this house warm in winter.
Are they Standard Oil shareholders?
You’re all forgetting the most obvious advantage to living in this place: Best protection against vampires EVER.
Personally, I think their decorations could be less Martha Stewart and more like the extravagances of the Pope, it would fit in more. Put more red in, make it a great place to hold Inquisition Parties.
Holy…sex.:-) When can I visit or move in? Always fantasized about buying a church for the “SPACE”. I saw an awesome one in Oz.
Sadly in Canada they are building more churches but most are hideous and look all but like churches. Would love to know the buying price. Must have been a bargain or close to it. Hey as long it’s not family in the years its just peacefull. Well done Bravo.
tbone,(1-12-09) and a few others, seem to be the only sensible comments, its not a church, it USED TO BE a church, its now a pile of masonry, no more than that. It has been very well modified into a comfortable looking HOME.(though might be a bit expensive to keep it warm in chilly UK)
thats a cool idea
xoxo. coco
As an Anglican in America, I’d LOVE to have the money to have something like that. No the cemetery wouldn’t bother me. I would love to have more musical instruments there as I love to sing and have my friends over for music parties. I’m not sure about the bed in the area what used to be the sanctuary… it’s simply too open… maybe for guests? but I love the upstairs cozy bedroom. You COULD have radiant floor heaters, radiators that look like sculptures, and really good insulation along with the high insulation value custom windows to replace old plain ones. You could also easily have high R value windows on the outside of the stained glass ones if nothing else to protect the historical values of them. Heaven knows when a neo-Cromwell might come storming through the country or Muslims try to make it into a mosque as they take over UK.
PS Having a cemetery would give a whole new meaning when one sings “For All The Saints”.
It isn’t a church. It’s a building made of stone. A church (according to the Bible which should be considered a reasonable authority on this matter) is a gathering of people. This is only the building where they once met.
I wonder if they PRAY before going to bed about the heating costs!
its a good thing an old building was saved from becoming a ruin. but it just goes to show, that not all architectural typology is freely usable as another. for me, this does not work at all – it may look a bit *wow* on the pics, but as an architect, im not convinced at all.
really beautiful!
I love it. I’ve seen former churches in North America reclaimed for living space, but nothing as beautiful as this. FYI, they desanctify the building before turning it over for a non-religious purpose. There is nothing blasphemous about living in this space at all. That’s just plain silly.
Saint Johns church in south eastern Virginia is structurally similar to this building. The floors are heated from below which keeps the interior cozy warm even on the coldest of days. The stone floor represents a huge amount of thermal mass that, once heated, will stay nice and warm. Personally, I’d love to live here. The acoustics would be amazing for music.
Kate, The point is to keep the historical value. This is a church.