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PORTFOLIO
PROJECT 06
The project involves the sensitive refurbishment of a Grade II listed Georgian dwelling, including the addition of a new basement extension. The aim was to provide a comfortable and functional residence for the client and their family, incorporating service areas, guest accommodation, and staff quarters, while maintaining the architectural and historical integrity of the original house.
This significant Georgian house, built in 1778 by Leadbetter based on a design by Sir William Chambers, remains largely intact in its original form. All design interventions have been approached with respect for its historical context, ensuring the house continues its architectural narrative while meeting the enhanced domestic requirements of 21st century living.
Designed by Timothy Hatton Architects, the scheme adapts the house to suit the current owners' needs, focusing primarily on increased service spaces and additional bathrooms. The proposals are largely concentrated within the basement and attic levels, leaving the principal rooms on the ground and first floors largely untouched.
The new basement sits outside the original 18th-century footprint, preserving space for light wells along the north elevation. To accommodate this structural intervention, over 50% of the existing façade required underpinning, and the original foundations were carefully removed .
The basement is located beneath the Raymond Erith-designed geometrical cobbled apron, itself a part of the listed heritage. Consequently, detailed surveys and reports were commissioned to support listed building consent, ensuring the cobbled surface was meticulously removed and reinstated. As a result, there is no visible change to the house or forecourt at ground level.
To integrate the new basement more effectively with the main house, the principal staircase was extended to reach the lower ground floor. This extension replicates the existing 18th-century stone cantilever construction of the stairs between the ground and first floors. Functionally, this new stair provides direct access to the eastern end of the house, independent of the staff and service areas located at the west end of the lower ground level.
All existing bedrooms on the upper floors were reconfigured to include en-suite bathrooms, aligning with modern expectations for private accommodation. A full services installation was also undertaken, bringing the house up to contemporary standards of comfort and performance for family life.
All alterations to the existing house fabric are confined to the lower ground floor level and will not be visible from afar. The only visible change was to the first-floor window to the right of the main entrance. This window was oversized compared to the other windows on the south elevation due to its association with the main staircase, a modification introduced in the 1950s. This change significantly disrupted the architectural proportions and symmetry of the main façade. The proposal seeks to reduce the size of this window to match the other first-floor windows, thereby restoring the proportions, hierarchy, and symmetry of the south elevation.
A defining principle of this project was the preservation of the house’s external appearance. Unlike many refurbishments of listed buildings, this scheme deliberately avoids visible external changes to ensure the architectural character and its relationship with the surrounding landscape remain untouched.
The project involves the sensitive refurbishment of a Grade II listed Georgian dwelling, including the addition of a new basement extension. The aim was to provide a comfortable and functional residence for the client and their family, incorporating service areas, guest accommodation, and staff quarters, while maintaining the architectural and historical integrity of the original house.
This significant Georgian house, built in 1778 by Leadbetter based on a design by Sir William Chambers, remains largely intact in its original form. All design interventions have been approached with respect for its historical context, ensuring the house continues its architectural narrative while meeting the enhanced domestic requirements of 21st century living.
Designed by Timothy Hatton Architects, the scheme adapts the house to suit the current owners' needs, focusing primarily on increased service spaces and additional bathrooms. The proposals are largely concentrated within the basement and attic levels, leaving the principal rooms on the ground and first floors largely untouched.
The new basement sits outside the original 18th-century footprint, preserving space for light wells along the north elevation. To accommodate this structural intervention, over 50% of the existing façade required underpinning, and the original foundations were carefully removed .
The basement is located beneath the Raymond Erith-designed geometrical cobbled apron, itself a part of the listed heritage. Consequently, detailed surveys and reports were commissioned to support listed building consent, ensuring the cobbled surface was meticulously removed and reinstated. As a result, there is no visible change to the house or forecourt at ground level.
To integrate the new basement more effectively with the main house, the principal staircase was extended to reach the lower ground floor. This extension replicates the existing 18th-century stone cantilever construction of the stairs between the ground and first floors. Functionally, this new stair provides direct access to the eastern end of the house, independent of the staff and service areas located at the west end of the lower ground level.
All existing bedrooms on the upper floors were reconfigured to include en-suite bathrooms, aligning with modern expectations for private accommodation. A full services installation was also undertaken, bringing the house up to contemporary standards of comfort and performance for family life.
All alterations to the existing house fabric are confined to the lower ground floor level and will not be visible from afar. The only visible change was to the first-floor window to the right of the main entrance. This window was oversized compared to the other windows on the south elevation due to its association with the main staircase, a modification introduced in the 1950s. This change significantly disrupted the architectural proportions and symmetry of the main façade. The proposal seeks to reduce the size of this window to match the other first-floor windows, thereby restoring the proportions, hierarchy, and symmetry of the south elevation.
A defining principle of this project was the preservation of the house’s external appearance. Unlike many refurbishments of listed buildings, this scheme deliberately avoids visible external changes to ensure the architectural character and its relationship with the surrounding landscape remain untouched.