TIMELESS CHARM
Little has changed of Thatch Cottage in Crowle, Worcestershire, since a photograph that was taken of it in 1929. It shows a tiny dwelling flanked by apple trees, with children standing at the gate beside the dusty lane. Apart from the lane now having a modern tarmac surface, this pretty Grade II-listed, 17th-century cottage, surrounded by hollyhocks, still looks every inch like a picture postcard.
When Mary Cox moved here 27 years ago, she had a daunting task ahead of her. The third-of-anacre garden had been used as a dumping ground by the builders from whom she bought the cottage. ‘A neighbour told me that a number of people viewing the house had commented that they would not consider buying the
