A couple scoured salvage yards for months in a bid to refurbish their 300-year old cottage.

Amy and Pete Burden bought Cherwell Cottage in Freeland seven years ago, just after it had been converted from two properties into one.

Mrs Burden, who runs her own public relations company based in Long Hanborough, said: “At that stage it had a single, tiny downstairs bathroom, galley kitchen, lots of corridors and four bedrooms, although two were very small.”

They began renovating the house two years ago, keeping the traditional frontage but building upwards at the back to create extra space.

Wherever possible, they used reclaimed materials.

Mrs Burden said: “We had great fun renovating the house and spent afternoons rummaging around reclamation yards where we found all sorts of things including reclaimed pine which we used for floorboards, kitchen units and window sills.

“We also unearthed a claw-footed bath and a Belfast sink.

“There were some original flagstones in the hall but they covered only a small area. We took a sample to the Cotswold Reclamation Company in Little Rissington and they kept an eye out and found quite a few over a period of time.”

Although Mr Burden, a boat man for Oxford University, is a keen DIY-er, the couple called in architect Angus McLeish and builder Dennis Stormont who added contemporary touches including a green oak and glass staircase.

The four-bedroom house is set in a third of an acre with a pond and a working well.

Cherwell Cottage is on the market for £675,000. For more information, contact agents Kemp & Kemp on 01865 510000 or visit kempandkemp.co.uk