For centuries, the country house has defined the English landscape, geographically and culturally. Many have vanished, victims of fire, flood or the wrecking ball, while significant examples are conserved by charities such as the National Trust for the public. Some remain in private hands, at the mercy of their owners for their survival.
Luckily for this Grade II-listed manor house by a quiet creek that feeds into the River Thames, it was bought by Emma and Tom, a couple who were determined not just to restore its historic charm, but also to sensitively extend and modernise it, making it fit for 21st-century life.
To achieve their dream, they enlisted the help of CSK Architects. ‘They had a vision for how this house could become a family home tailored to the needs of them and their three boys,’ says project architect Jamie Wilson.
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A critical part of their plan to create a functional family home was changing the relationship between the house and the river. Historically, the driveway approach and an impressive façade on arrival were of greatest importance to its owners. There were practical reasons for locating the main reception rooms on the south-facing side of the building, too, as large windows could make the most of the solar gain. But modern technology allowed CSK to flip the focus to the river side.
Now, an extension with a kitchen, living room and bedroom above, enjoys the river views and offers easy access to the water.
Untouched for decades, the house was full of tired carpets (including in the bathrooms) and ill-fitting fixtures – the worst being wall lights nailed directly through the listed tapestries in the entrance hall. This space also featured a beautiful, exposed-timber ceiling and, incongruously, a 1970s fireplace.
The team didn’t want to mimic the past, but to work with it – layering in interventions that felt deliberate and respectful. They subtly stitched new and old together by developing a language for the joinery based on the exposed timbering, while a material palette of clay and lime plasters, stone, timber and brick convinced conservation officers that the extension could balance the contemporary and the vernacular.
‘Working on a historic building has its challenges,’ notes CSK Architects’ director Justyn Turnbull, ‘but in a funny way, when you’ve got something to hang your hat on at the start, it provides creativity.’
That may be true, but there are potentially more problems, too. ‘When you start to unpick the layers, the years of disrepair reveal themselves,’ he says. Much of the roof had to be rebuilt, while non-breathable paint and modern cement-based plaster meant the building was retaining moisture. ‘A specialist said it was one of the dampest houses they’d ever seen!’ says Jamie.
To fix concerns, the team enlisted craftspeople who were skilled in using traditional building materials and techniques for the project. Working in this way isn’t just beneficial from a sustainability and structural perspective, it also results in a more harmonious aesthetic. ‘Those traditional trades often give the space a completely different quality to contemporary materials,’ Jamie explains.
The entrance hall and staircase come alive in the late afternoon as the sun tracks around the front of the house and casts shadows through the oak balusters. The linked spaces on the ground and first floors seem to guide visitors to the magic of the riverside.
By adopting a new outlook, this house is anything but a museum. ‘The fashions and priorities of the past are quite a long way from how we live today,’ says Justyn. ‘People are only going to invest in buildings if the buildings work for them now.’ cskarchitects.co.uk
