New London - Lourdes Haynes had been looking to downsize when she and husband James instead bought a 7,000-square-foot home on Granite Street, now known affectionately as The Big House Bed & Breakfast.

As told by grown daughters Bessie and Emma, the Haynes family fell in love with the long-vacant mansion, despite the fact it hardly represented a downsizing from the parents' five-bedroom home in Old Saybrook.

The B&B idea was an afterthought - a little extra incentive to close the deal on the Italianate mansion built in 1852.

"We just needed a reason to buy it," said Bessie, who lives in the house with her two young children, her parents, a friend and B&B guests from around the world.

Since its inception nearly two years ago, The Big House has attracted German, Australian, New Zealander, Swiss, English and French visitors, among others, with about four of every five guests coming from a foreign country and many making New London a stop on the way between New York and Boston. Locally, parents of college students also take advantage of the B&B, which includes a good-sized yard and a pool.

The home, with nine bedrooms and eight-and-a-half baths, sits on a street of mansions in the Post Hill Historic District not far from the Regional Multicultural Magnet School, where Bessie's children attend classes. During frequent trips to the school, the Hayneses kept passing the Granite Street house and were captivated by its imposing facade.

When previous owner Paul Kwasniewski lowered his asking price of the mansion three years ago, the family "picked it up for a song" - $386,670, according to land records - even though it was in pretty good shape, Lourdes Haynes said.

She said the house was built by William Barnes, a local banker, who occupied the mansion for only 18 months before deciding it was too small. It underwent extensive renovations in the 1920s but by the 1960s and '70s, it had been turned into a warren of small apartments, she said.

Kwasniewski had restored the home to something of its original grandeur, but it was up to the Haynes family to transform it into a bed and breakfast, an allowable use in the city's residential zones. They turned to yard sales and thrift stores to decorate in a fitting style, taking about a year to get the B&B up and running.

"The biggest problem was finding furniture large enough," Haynes said. "The ballroom is 30 feet long. It's hard to find furniture that isn't swallowed up."

The Hayneses sought B&B approval for only four rooms because more than that would have required a fire wall or fire escape that would have harmed the historic look of the house.

Lourdes Haynes said the family didn't go for an upscale experience, describing her decorating style as "elegant thrift shop." The rooms don't have names or themes, as some of the higher-end B&B's offer, but the rates of $75 to $125 a night include a breakfast featuring fresh baked goods.

"We're at a funny stage," Haynes said. "We do enough business to make it interesting, but we haven't had a chance to do much advertising."

Most of their bookings come from the Airbnb.com website, which allows visitors to find places to stay in various locales around the world. Like the car-share site Uber, Airbnb has had its share of controversies - private homes turned into wild party sites and apartment tenants violating their lease terms, for instance - but for The Big House, it has been a godsend, Haynes said.

Airbnb provides a listing, booking help, reviews and advertising that reach a large audience overseas. Haynes said that if more people knew about the service and the boost it gives to B&Bs, perhaps more of the city's large historic homes could be saved.

"We've got all these big, beautiful houses, and a lot of them are going begging," she said.

Haynes said she can always tell when a major concert is coming at the local casinos because people will arrive from all over for a one-day stay. During a Bruce Springsteen appearance, for instance, The Big House had guests from Ontario, London and California.

This time of the year is quiet, but during the summer the B&B is filled nearly every day of the week. Popular tourist destinations include Ocean Beach and Block Island, but guests also like hanging out at local restaurants.

The sentiment among guests when they stroll around New London, said Haynes, is "This is a great little town ... but what about all those empty shops?"

The B&B has received rave reviews from guests, both for the beauty of its interior and its hosts' warm hospitality. Haynes figures the B&B has attracted hundreds of guests since receiving its city approvals two years ago and, with the exception of perhaps two, all have been good company.

"Lourdes is a wonderful host; she is so kind and is more than happy to answer any questions about the area," reads a typical review.

The interior of the home features an original wooden mantel over a gas fireplace, 12-foot ceilings, massive pocket doors and a classic wooden bannister. On the top floor, visitors can access a widow's walk area that includes outdoor seating overlooking the city.

"This house needs an agent," Haynes said. "It's like a movie set."

While the Hayneses don't pretend to be hoteliers, they have found a niche and are bringing in enough income to offset the basic upkeep required to maintain an older home.

"A lot of work was done; a lot needs to be done," Haynes said.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow

THE BIG HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST

OWNERS: Lourdes and James Haynes

WHERE: 17 Granite St., New London

PHONE: 860-439-0464

EMAIL: thebighouse1852@yahoo.com

FACEBOOK: thebighouse1852