A Farmhouse in Oxfordshire

This handsome Grade II listed Cotswold farmhouse had fine bones but had suffered a number of poor quality extensions over the years. New owners were seeking to restore it as well as to extend it very signficantly, and we were called into to advise.  Our initial thoughts were to turn the building entirely around, creating a new entrance front that better responded to the existing farm buildings and approach, and to create a far more private garden realm beyond.

The house is built in natural local stone with a reclaimed Cotswold stone roof, and careful, authentic detailing to create an immediately settled feel. One of the most interesting parts of the commission was for a substantial new swimming pool complex.  On the north elevation, facing the entrance court and old farm buildings, the pool house is conceived as a very simple vernacular structure, with a bread oven offering the only architectural form.  To the south, an arcaded loggia makes a beautiful sitting room overlooking the new swimming pool.

The garden and wider landscape were conceived by the renowned designer Jinny Blom.  The building was executed to our design in collaboration with a local architectural practice, Christian Fleming – a way of working that we find is extremely conducive and which makes excellent use of our skills and time.

A New Farm house

We were asked to develop proposals for a new house at the centre of an agricultural estate in Oxfordshire.

The clients’ initial aspiration was to build a replacement dwelling on the site of some 1930s workers cottages, but following our engagement we turned our attention to a beautiful but neglected group of farm buildings nearby. These centered around a fine unlisted 18th century barn, which had a series of modern agricultural sheds and silos attached.

We developed proposals with the landscape architect Kim Wilkie for a new wing to the barn and the conversion of the grain silos to accommodation. The new building was designed in a subtle contemporary arts and crafts approach, subservient to the main structure, which created a generous 5 bedroom family house with extensive outbuildings.The barn was retained as an unconverted space.

A Castle In Scotland

There has been a castle on this site since the 13th century. This house, masterplanned and designed by our senior design director, Rupert Cunningham, represents the latest phase in a storied building programme that saw the house largely rebuilt in the 17th century, enlarged again in the 18th century, enlarged again and considerably remodelled in the 19th century, and then suffering ruin in the 20th century.

In the 1970s, the Victorian work was demolished and the tower house beautifully and imaginatively restored to its 17th century form – once again becoming home to the family that have owned it for the last 650 years.

As part of a new remodelling and restoration, Rupert was asked to execute an initial proposal by Groves Raines Architects, for a substantial new wing to the west, which houses a large new family room and kitchen.  To the rear is a large new service court.  The work is beautifully detailed and conceived in the Scottish vernacular-classical tradition, with a steeply pitched roof of Westmorland slate and walls in rough harling with natural stone detailing, to create a building that is at once completely timeless, authentic and convincing.

Rupert conceived the new spectacular staircase and the interior architecture of all the new rooms.