CHESKIN HOUSE

Left: the formal sitting room, decorated in shades of gold with flashes of red, features a picture of African elephants which reminds Edwina of her travels; above: Edwina, a keen cook, offers evening meals for her guests

Shared experience
Following a jetsetting career Edwina Sorkin has started a new venture by refurbishing a Georgian farmhouse near Kirkby Stephen as a luxury B&B. Michaela Robinson-Tate takes a tour
Photography by Phil Rigby
92 C U M B R I A L I F E February 2013

270-year-old farmhouse in Newbiggin-on-Lune has provided Edwina Sorkin with a new home and a new business. Her former career with a major cosmetics corporation led to Edwina travelling all over the world and it wasnt unknown for her to take 140 flights in a year. She and her late husband, Stanley, who was a Yorkshire-based GP, also enjoyed overseas travel. However, having considered moving to France or Italy for her latest venture, Edwina chose Cumbria because she knew the area well from holidays which she and Stanley and their two daughters had taken.

We enjoyed so many years going backwards and forwards to the Lakes, thats why Ive got an attachment to the area not for the weather, she says. The minute I walked in I knew it was home. It feels right; its been the same with all my houses. Cheskin House, which she refurbished last year and opened to guests at the beginning of November, has also enabled her to combine all her interests in one project. These are my passions: people number one, food, wine, hosting, art, antiques and interior design, all under one roof. Edwina chose the location for its easy access for B&B guests travelling from the north east,

the M1, Scotland and the M6 and also because its reasonably close to her daughters, who live in Yorkshire and near Windermere. It took seven months of what Edwina says was intensive work to give Cheskin House the look she wanted. A number of the rooms were stripped right back to ensure any problems with the building were found and corrected. The name Cheskin is new and is made up of the first two letters of the name of her Bichon Fris dog, Chester, which she bought after losing her husband, her own initials and then the last three letters of her surname. The house includes a number of original features such as sandstone flags in part of the February 2013 CUMBRIA LIFE 93