A COUPLE have transformed their summerhouse into Alice In Wonderland-themed bed and breakfast accommodation in a drive to increase the number of their guests.

Angela and Andy Johnson said the 6m by 4m self-catering log cabin in the four-acre garden of their 17th Century home near North Bridge, in Ripon now featured a double bed, log fire, dining table and artificial grass sofa inspired by the classic novel's author Lewis Carroll, to highlight his links to the cathedral city, where his father was a canon.

The couple said a TV production team filming a bed and breakfast makeover show for Channel 5 helped them decorate and furnish it with references to the book, such as rabbit bedside lamps, while they had made it more self-sufficient by installing a composting toilet, a shower and a mobile sink.

The show, To B&B The Best, follows award-winning bed and breakfast owner Lisa Holloway demonstrating the guesthouse potential of different places, regardless of their size and location, with a modest revamping budget.

Ahead of the makeover, the summerhouse accommodation which had only been open at weekends and had not attracted regular guests, was described by Ms Holloway as "a little bit sauna, a little bit conservatory, it’s office, it’s confused".

Mrs Johnson said the building had been renamed The Rabbit Hole and she had been delighted with rising bookings after the fantasy transformation, which she had chosen following the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice In Wonderland.

She said: "I hadn't realised Lewis Carroll had so many connections with Ripon. He used to spend three months a year in Ripon and he would have had to past our house every time he came. It would be great to attract more visitors to the city.

"One of the things they made us realise was we needed to be a location for people to come and stay for one or two nights, rather than somewhere people might come to when they were passing through the area. We never really thought of that before."

The couple, who are IT project managers, said the transformation would mean guests no longer would have to enter their house to wash and they hoped to open the accommodation during weekdays.

They are also hoping to work with Grey Finch gift shop in the city's Kirkgate to create a Lewis Caroll-themed trail, while they have submitted a planning application to build a treehouse beside the River Ure for more guests to stay in.

To B&B The Best will be screened on Channel 5, tomorrow (Tuesday, July 19), at 11.15am.