Old Four Row

Dating from the 1860s, they were designed by George Gilbert Scott, most famous for his imposing Midland Grand Hotel fronting St Pancras station and the Albert Memorial. The cottages are Listed, as are the village church and schoolhouse, also by Scott.

The end cottage had a utilitarian 1970s extension which included a staircase to the upstairs bedrooms, originally only accessible by ladder. The new owners asked us to replace this unsympathetic addition to provide a place to dine while enjoying the garden, and to make the cottage fit for modern living. Between stone gables that characterise the original design we inserted a timber ‘piece of furniture,’ designed with reference to Tudor bay windows, and made to last as long.

The glulam FSC oak frame, exposed inside and out, is precision cut from a 3D model using CNC technology. The facets on the facade make the frame appear more delicate, let more light in, and create attractive shadows in oblique sunlight. It was made in close collaboration with Cowley Timber, a local firm with a national reputation for beautiful wooden structures - e.g. Oxford Chapel by Niall McLaughlin and Alfriston Pool by Duggan Morris.

The extension is triple glazed and under floor heating has been introduced throughout, powered renewably by an air source heat pump in the grounds to make the cottage both cosy and sustainable. True to its Arts & Crafts origins, strong, natural materials are used to stand the test of time and fashion; such as a copper flat roof and Ketley clay floor pavers.

The garden has been laid out to complement the architecture. A formally planned ‘parterre’ is balanced by naturalised planting and framed by an oak pergola screen designed to train espaliered fruit trees of old-English varieties.

Annual CO2 emissions data (requested in kg/m2/year) was provided as follows: 1,697 kgC02/m2 (6,582 before works)