A collector’s vision of comfort and hospitality transforms
a neglected 1890s fixer-upper.
by Nancy Cornell
 The Biggs’ son Coty gets credit for the B&B’s unusual name. “He watcheda movie named Candleshoe that featured a rundown castle that had been returned to its former glory,” explains Sharon Biggs. “He was in awe of that transformation and thought we should name our new B&B Candleshoe.” Only a visionary could see the beauty in the forlorn-looking six-bedroom structure, built in the 1890s. “I had this idea of what it could look like,” says Sharon. “Several generations of the Peacock family lived here before it became a multi-family dwelling, then a boarding house for the Webb School. Nothing ever was given back to the house. It was just used.” The renovation became Brian Biggs’ and his brother’s full-time job for more than a year. The Biggs family took residence in the fall of 1999, even as  restoration continued upstairs and on the exterior. Sharon’s part in the project was to decorate the house. Interior design is her hobby, so she considered the daunting task of fixing up Candleshoe a rewarding challenge.For example, Cock of the Walk dinnerware (part of her collection of Blue Ridge Pottery), with its touches of green and red, helped determine the kitchen’s theme. “Now I have four sets: Poinsettia, Christmas Tree, Garden Lane and Cock of the Walk,” says Sharon. The colorful hand-painted dinnerware was produced by the Erwin, Tennessee, pottery until 1957. To keep the large collection from taking over the home’s décor, Sharon limits certain patterns to certain rooms. It was when Candleshoe was a featured stop on the 2001 Christmas in Bell Buckle tour that Sharon realized that her dream to create an elegant but warm atmosphere had come true. “The house was decorated with trees in almost every room,” she explains. “Everyone said that though the house was elegant, it was comfortable, warm and that they could live here.” |
|||
|
|||
|
Editor’s Note: Candleshoe B&B offers full breakfast and six bedrooms, each with a private bath. Candleshoe B&B, P.O. Box 217, Bell Buckle, TN 37020; 931-389-0646 or www.bbonline.com/tn/candleshoe. Photos: Bradley Olman |
|||
 |
|||
