The perfectly circular section reminds me of when our electrician drilled out an area like this to put the new extractor fan exhaust (he then used the 'plug' to fill in the old lower down exhaust hole which was rather clever). I suggest getting a local brick layer in to repair the holes and re-point where necessary. Obviously its important to get it repaired properly before using the chimney but I wouldn't be unduly concerned in the mean-time. There doesn't appear to be any major cracks further up the wall. I know the feeling of panic well though - we discovered a previous owner/builder had filled a gap above a new doorframe with polystyrene in our house so nothing was supporting the wall! You can see the old narrower lintel at the top in the pic below.

Thank you, Printesa and T Grey, I didn’t see your messages until now. It’s been 2 months since we bought it and I am still not over the shock of being so lucky to wake up and see that view every day. We’ve been busy, very busy actually, trying to find tradesmen to sort out some things. Firstly, we discovered 5 wasps nests and (unfortunately but necessary) had them destroyed by this very chatty guy. Then we noticed some gutters were blocked and had another chatty chap around to clean them. Then came the chimney sweeper, the guy who is going to sand&varnish the floors, the painter-decorator, electrician, and so on. Plus we ‘inherited’ a gardener (thank the gods!) I was having nightmares thinking about maintaining all that garden on my own. Also, our architect friend agreed to take on the barn renovation and already submitted a pre-application plan to the council. So everything is on track; however I am ‘not allowed’ (says Andrew) to buy any furniture until the interior renovations are done, I had to restrict myself at getting tableware and bedding and towels (John Lewis had wonderful stuff on sale last month). I’ll probably start pestering this forum soon! I’m rubbish at choosing blinds and curtains and the likes, plus I am unclear about how to furnish a couple of rooms. Many thanks again (and here’s a pic of a rainbow)!

Sharon, you’ve done a spectacular job! It looks wonderful. You’ve really excelled at turning the garden from an uninteresting rectangle, to something that will be a constant source of pleasure and satisfaction. Perhaps you’ve missed your calling? My own garden is a really decent size, not too huge, and yet not small, and is L-shaped. It’s also surrounded by fields, and has huge trees around the edges. But despite the attention it needs to keep down weeds, moss, and control the plants that like to spread, there’re few things more satisfying than walking around and simply enjoying its abundance.

Thank you for your replies.  At the moment we still thibk bath under window will work best for the floor space so may just have to accept the compromise on the awkward window.  In my kitchen I use one of those spaghetti servers with with hole in the middle to grab the window handle and pull I closed ad I can't quite reach over......maybe I'll just have to buy one to keep in my bathroom cupboard! Lol.