A Week on the Estate: Cosy Lookout, Sally’s Antiques & Farmland Birds

“I used to be a veterinary nurse. My husband, Toby Walker, ran a skate park in Skegness in the noughties and he started up a car show to support it. His background is in graphic design for the car industry. Over time, the car show got more and more popular and I gave up nursing to help out. The Viva Skegvegas Classic VW Show now hosts up to 8,000 visitors and many classic Volkswagens each summer and it’s hosted by Revesby Estate.

“Most of the year, my main job is antiques. I’ve been buying and selling for 20 years and I did a design degree at university. It started with people asking me to help furnish and design home interiors and it progressed into a job. I’ve had a wide range of work and have sourced pieces for TV productions, museums, the National Trust and Harvey Nichols window displays.

“My favourite design period is the Art Nouveau movement from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Customers sometimes have a particular period in mind, or they deliberately choose an eclectic mix of new and old. I recently did a former police house and courtroom in Skegness and we dressed it as a judge’s chambers. It’s now a bar and eatery with meeting rooms and a small museum.

“Jon got to know about me by word of mouth. When he and Jan first moved in, I offered to help with design work for the main house. I also did some furnishing work for the Old Rectory and more recently for the potting shed near the Walled Garden.

“With the Lincoln Red Lookout, Jon gave me a bit of free rein. The renovation has been true to what is essentially an old barn, so it’s pre-dressed in a somewhat industrial way with exposed beams, bare lime plaster and an external conduit with a hardened, workmanlike finish. There’s already a nice use of oak in the beams and I’ll be bringing in furnishings with earthy colours that will soften the feel and aid relaxation. When you come back from a long walk, this will assure you that you’re in a warm, comfy, secure setting.

“In such beautiful surroundings, guests will want to come back to something cosy and enveloping so I’ll be sourcing a big, comfy sofa and lots of wooden items with warm tones. We may repurpose wooden hayforks as coat-hooks and potato riddles as shelves. Little, quirky touches like this raise smiles and make a place memorable. There’s a green bonus to using antiques; you’re repurposing old items and giving them new life rather than buying more new stuff.

“I’ve got an OS map pinpointing the Lincoln Red Lookout and marking nearby footpaths and this will be on the wall. I’ll be thinking about artwork and features which combine rural tradition with contemporary living. There’ll be a space-saving bed that folds into an attractive piece of furniture. I’ve already sourced a lot of interior fittings and most of the kitchen items.

“It’s an exciting project and it’s going to be a lovely way for guests to experience the beautiful heart of South Ormsby Estate while enjoying a charming and memorable hideaway. Fingers crossed, we’ll be ready by Easter.”

Finally, if you’re planning to enjoy our walking trails between now and 19th February, we’d love you to get involved with the Big Farmland Bird Count. You’ll get to see and hear some wonderful farmland birds and you’ll help create a national picture of how well conservation measures are doing.

Traditional farmland birds, including yellowhammers, reed buntings, tree sparrows and linnets, have fared poorly in the last few generations of intensive agriculture. We’re doing our bit to turn things around and we’re seeing encouraging results.

You can help the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust get a sense of how much of an impact conservation measures are making. They ask that you pick one day and spend 30 minutes recording species and numbers in one distinct area of farmland.

For full instructions and free downloadable guides and count sheets, click HERE. You can find our trail guides HERE. We’ll print out a few count sheets and leave them in the Walkers’ Cabin at the Sheepdip Paddock parking area. Don’t forget to let us know how you do. Happy spotting!

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