Old photographs were all a couple had to guide them while painstakingly converting a derelict barn into a stunning home.

When Tony and Sarah Silman bought Long Barn, in Bainton, near Bicester, almost four years ago, it was uninhabitable.

Mr Silman explained: “It had walls and a roof but not much else. The building was so unstable that when we had snow, part of the roof collapsed while there were dirt floors downstairs and there was no upper level.”

The Silmans found a couple of photographs from 1840 which showed how the buildings once looked and revealed it was originally one large barn with a smaller structure, known as a Swineman’s Cottage, on the end.

Mr Silford said: “There was nothing but a three-foot-high wall left of what had once been the cottage. At the other end of the large barn was the dairy but the door was 4ft 6in and inside was a concrete floor with grooves still full of cattle slurry, so it smelled pretty bad.

“It would have been easier to knock the barn down and start again but we wanted to keep as much as possible. Also, as a Grade II-listed building, that was never an option.”

Mrs Silman added: “Tony had always wanted to build his own house and this came on the market at the right time.

“We went for a viewing and fell in love with it. We imagined what we could do with it but most of our friends thought we were absolutely bonkers.”

Mr Silman, who works in the construction industry, did most of the work himself with help from his business partner.

Built of Cotswold stone under a slate roof, the Long Barn has four/five reception rooms including an open-plan drawing room with stone and oak flooring, exposed beams and open fireplace with wood-burning stove.

The dining room has oak flooring with exposed beams, a glass-fronted open fire unit and steps down to the kitchen/breakfast room which has oak units, an Aga and an island.

The family room has an oak floor and floor-to-ceiling glazed windows on one side and there is a gym with sauna plus a utiilty room and downstairs cloakroom.

A handmade oak staircase leads to a first-floor galleried study area and five double bedrooms, all en suite. The master also has its own dressing room and one of the others includes a balcony.

The property has under-floor heating and the grounds include a lawn with paved area and paddock. There is also a three-bay open garage plus a workshop and vegetable garden.

Mrs Silman said: “There were a few times when we wondered what we had taken on but when you start these things, you have to see them through.”

The Silmans, who live at the Long Barn with six-year-old son Harry, have just put the house on the market at a guide price of £1.65m because they are taking on another renovation project in west Oxfordshire.

For more information, or to arrange a viewing, contact John D Wood on 01865 311522 or visit johndwood.co.uk