High Street

Having been refused twice and subsequently dismissed at appeal for other agents, Studio Spicer Architects, working for a private client, were initially commissioned in 2014 to design a contemporary, single storey rear extension to this Grade II listed, terraced dwelling located on the High Street at the heart of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. The contemporary proposals submitted overcame the key issues faced in the earlier refusals.

The works, which were completed in June 2017, were extended early in the initial design phase to include a full schedule of repair and adaptation of the original building to bring the entire dwelling up to a consistent level of finish and quality; this included repair and adaptation of the master bedroom ceiling, repair and adaptation of the ground floor spaces, including replacement of the pastiche modern C20 staircase, extensive re-building of the rear elevation following several poor interventions, re-wiring and plumbing plus provision of the initial single storey extension to the rear.

The dwelling, which backs on to the river Alne is, essentially, landlocked and without access to the rear. This created construction constraints, which had to be overcome during the building process.

The rear extension incorporates a robust pre-patinated Copper facade, which harmonises with the materiality of the listed building. This is achieved, however, through a modern and contemporary design. The result is both sympathetic to the existing building and distinctive and individual in character, ensuring that the setting of the original building is maintained.

Working alongside a well-regarded local contractor, the build was completed on budget and on time in summer 2017.