A husband and wife duo have spoken of their five-year journey to restore a once-crumbling 12th-century monastery.
Having snapped up Salmestone Grange in Margate in 2020, couple Jenny and Henry Pelly have been carrying out painstaking work on the Grade II*-listed building for the past four years.
Now, they have opened four rooms as a bed and breakfast to the public after lovingly restoring the building.
It is the first step in their long journey to bring the venue back to life and open it to the public once more.
The manor was run as a wedding venue from 1984 until 2015, but has not hosted brides since.
The couple hope to host weddings at the venue once again in the future, with ceremonies taking place in the impressive on-site chapel.
Mrs Pelly, who works for the NHS, told KentOnline: “It’s a huge building and we did a lot of stuff around making it watertight, making it safe, putting in new gullies where all the water had collected.
“We’ve been doing it in such a way that it is compliant with all the planning regulations and stuff, but also back to how it would have been done in the 13th century and using those methods as well.”
All the rooms have two bedrooms, but the largest room has trundle beds, allowing it to sleep a family of four.
Salmestone Grange also has a children’s play area and an outdoor heated pool.
Work began in 2021, and the couple, who previously ran a B&B on a boat in London, have done the work around their current jobs and also while raising their three young children.
Mrs Pelly, 39, explained: “When we bought it, I had one child and wasn’t pregnant.
“I’ve had a lot of rounds via IVF, I’ve had two further children in that time period, and I work full time, so bringing it all together takes time, and if you try and rush it, you end up spending more and doing things twice.
“We’re still not finished, and I’m really pleased with where we’ve got to and how we’ve got there.
“I don’t think I ever intended it to be fast or ever thought it would be, and it definitely hasn’t been.”
The project has seen a lot of work needed to bring it up to modern standards, with rewiring, new plumbing and treating damp issues.
The decor in the rooms is inspired by the windows in the chapel, which were created by William Morris-trained John Trinic.
Once part of the great St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury, Salmestone Grange dates back to the 12th century and was home to Benedictine monks.
The grange operated as the administrative centre for a large, mainly arable, estate that then covered most of Thanet.
The family carried out initial refurbishment work and moved into a farmhouse within the estate, making it their home in 2022.
Before the Pellys took over, Salmestone was owned by former county councillor William Whelan.
He bought it with his wife in 1984 and ran the venue up until his death in 2015 following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
His wife stayed there until January 2019, before putting the venue on the market for £1.5 million that October.
At the time, she announced that they “had a blast,” but it was time for the next chapter in her life.
Bookings are now open for the B&B rooms, with prices starting at £170 a night.
