Located within the North Wessex Downs area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), this 30-acre estate comprises an existing two storey detached country house, several small ancillary buildings, and a constructed pond.
The 6500 sq/ft main house – dating back to the early 19th century – underwent an extensive refurbishment, including a two-storey extension to the rear of the property. A series of rigid steel frames were installed – pushed into floor and wall zones – to allow for large, glazed sections to drink in the grand views over the grounds and to the lake.
The scheme also includes a new subterranean single-storey pool house built into the side of the sloping site, which includes the main swimming pool hall, and space for other leisure facilities such as a gym, plunge pool, and Hammam. This building was formed using a piled secant retaining wall around the perimeter and concrete slabs at lower ground and ground level to create the pool house space. The in-situ concrete walls and slab soffits were left exposed in the pool area, and were cast using cedar formwork. The main frame, comprising minimal visible vertical structure, includes several feature beams that span full width over the main pool. Two central facetted internal beams connect through, using a complex but seamless thermal break detail, to the full spanning stepped concrete external beams, to create an impressive cantilever profile over the front glazed entrance.
Other ancillary buildings on the site were also constructed including a treehouse, boat house, lake house, hobbit house, and refurbished guest cottage. This together with extensive landscaping works, and a new Antony Gormley sculpture, yielded a complete transformation to this impressive Berkshire estate.
