In the same year that Roger Moore became James Bond, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em hit UK TV screens, and women were allowed to enter the London Stock Exchange for the first time, Roy Peter was busy completing the build of his new home in Hoghton. This modern bungalow, next to the family’s rural nursery business, was the height of fashion in 1973. Having opted for the best quality building materials and latest décor, Roy and his wife Patty didn’t see any reason to change things in the years that followed.
Today, the two-bedroom bungalow is owned by the couple’s son Nigel and wife Melissa and run as a unique holiday let. ‘Nigel’s parents chose wisely when they first built their home’ explains Melissa. ‘They invested in quality and they were very frugal, so they didn’t see the need for unnecessary modernisation. If something still functioned perfectly well, there was really no need to replace it.
‘After they passed away, we decided in 2021 that purchasing the bungalow was a sensible idea because it’s very close to our house and shares the same drive, parking area and postal address. Who knows - our son Fergus might want to live there some day.’
When the couple took on the property, much of the décor was still the same as when ten-year-old Nigel had moved into the house with his parents in 1973, meaning that it would have been a significantly bigger project to update and modernise it than to simply return the property to its funky former glory.
‘While the bungalow has remained much the same through the decades, the family business has significantly changed and evolved. Up until the 1990s, Ricroft Nurseries supplied wholesalers, florists and garden centres throughout Lancashire with food and flowers. When large supermarket chains started to come to the fore, the customer base declined and the nursery survived by diversifying into groundwork and landscaping. This left Roy’s much-loved greenhouses laying dormant.
‘In 2013, largely inspired by Fergus’ love of the countryside, Nigel and I opened an outdoor education centre on the nursery site, for children to enjoy spending spend time outdoors learning in nature. Now ‘Bring Yer Wellies’ is a venture than allows us to share our passion for nature, the countryside and the environment with visiting schoolchildren.
‘This work has further strengthened our eco-attitude and ethos of sustainability compared to today’s prevalent throw-away culture. As a result, it meant that when we took on the bungalow we were reluctant to rip out and refurbish, and instead we chose to repair, replace and restore.
‘This actually turned out to be the far simpler, more economical option and better for the planet. Quite a 70s solution!’
Initially, there were some structural and roofing issues for Melissa and Nigel to take care of, and the garden needed re-landscaping, but internally they concentrated on retaining as many of the original features and fabric as possible.
Time was spent running the outdoor education centre during the day, and then heading straight over to the bungalow to work on it until the early hours.
‘We also spent lots of time trawling Ebay and Facebook marketplace, as well as hunting through antiques centres and charity shops for the perfect period pieces.
‘The kitchen cupboards were one of the few things that had been updated in the 1990s, so one of our favourite finds was some ‘free to a good home’ original Hygena kitchen units! We found them in Ellesmere Port via Facebook marketplace and they had the original aquamarine doors, the same as Nigel’s father fitted back in 1973.’
As well as redecorating for an immersive 70s experience, the couple have also sourced original mid-century teak furniture, funky home accessories, 70s teenage annuals, magazines (including 1970s issues of Lancashire Life), records and classic TV comedies to indulge in. There are even vintage clothes for guests to try on.
‘The idea of making the bungalow a retro holiday let originally came from discussions with friends where we’d get all nostalgic and reminisce about the simpler times of the 70s which left us with the urge to dip into those memories in real life.
‘We opened in March this year and we’ve had a mixture of guests so far – our first visitors didn’t even come for the 70s experience! They had chosen the bungalow for its location close to many of Lancashire’s hot spots, as well as the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.
‘Since then we’ve welcomed people who have totally immersed themselves in what we’ve got to offer and have abandoned their mobile phones in a drawer; swapping their social media for socialising with each other and having fun. We’ve got Hoghton Tower and Samlesbury Hall on our doorstep, some great country walks and pubs, and our guests have told us that we have everything they could want for a groovy getaway.
‘As a living reminder of their stay, guests are invited into the greenhouses that Nigel’s father built, to choose a period houseplant to take home which has been propagated here.
‘It all feels appropriately respectful to the memory of the hard work that Nigel’s parents put into building their family home and business, and their legacy which we are endeavouring to preserve, promote and move forward for the next generation.’
retrobungalow.co.uk
