A KNACKERED cottage on the iconic ‘Hovis Hill’ from the classic 1973 Boy on the Bike advert has been painstakingly restored to its former glory after Dorset Council stepped in to stop the decline.

The Grade II listed building, which the young baker’s boy rode past while delivering Hovis to the sound of a brass band 50 years ago, was believed to have been built in the late 17th century or early 18th and has sat derelict for the past five years.

The shell of the building had been placed on the ‘At Risk’ heritage register and the council tracked down the owner and persuaded them to sell it.

Builder Dexter Parsons paid £165,000 for the  house on Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, and then carried out a 10-month, £200,000 renovation project working closely with the council on the sensitive restoration.

Parsons, who is now flogging the coattage for £530,000 told the Daily Mail: “This renovation has been such a challenge, like nothing I have attempted before. I’ve listened carefully to Dorset Council to get the right conservation advice about how the work should be completed.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I viewed the property on the Thursday and the auction was on the Friday. It took a while to get started because it’s a listed building and I had to get a lot of surveys done.

“I knew it was going to be a lot of work but I didn’t mind the challenge because I knew it was all fixable.

“We stripped it back to the shell and tried to keep as much of the original beams as we could. I think if it had been left another year or so, it would have collapsed.

“I know a lot of builders would have walked away but I just loved the place.

“I knew the Hovis advert but I didn’t really know much about Gold Hill or the area until I started working here. Getting to know all the locals on the hill, they have been great, we had coffee from neighbours pretty much every day.

“I think they were relieved to see it looking nice again. There’s a real community spirit in this part of Shaftesbury and it’s been a privilege to work here and rescue this building, hopefully for generations to come.

“I bought it to turn into a holiday let but I am putting it on the market because I ended up spending a lot more than I was expecting. But it will be a bit of a shame to see it go. If it doesn’t sell I will rent it out as a holiday let.”

Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for planning, told the Daily Mail: ‘This is a great example of the Dorset Council team working together to protect part of our rich historic environment.

“From finding an abandoned building, to getting renovations sensitively completed, the council has provided the kick start for private investment and enabled this success story.’