Georgian Farmhouse in Berkshire
A Formal Axial Approach Gives This New Classical House Great Presence and Romantically Frames the New Building In Its Landscape |
A large private site set within the Green Belt and surrounded by woodland, Winterbrook was occupied by a modest 1970s house in a poor state of repair and of no significant architectural interest. The garden too has been largely neglected and is currently little more than a field. Our task was to create a home and gardens worthy of falling in love with, and in doing so, to maximise the value of a private and salubrious site close to London.
Due to the large level plot, the house could be placed in the centre of the site without compromising the rear garden. A gap in the high, dense hedges which line the road provides a tantalising and carefully composed view of a grand symmetrical house at the end of a straight tree-lined driveway. This formal axial approach gives the proposal great presence and romantically frames the new building in its landscape.
At the centre of this picture is a geometrically simple house articulated in a restrained form of classicism. The Doric order, although implicit in the proportions, is overtly expressed only in the front portico.
The simplicity of the overall-form is enriched by precise and subtle details, high-quality materials, and careful craftsmanship. Handmade bricks add warmth and texture to the elevations. Darker bricks are used for rubbed arches, window surrounds, quoins, and a string course.
The side wing, a less-formal single-storey building, has been designed to reference the local vernacular. Casement windows are set into walls of red-brick and natural flint. Like the main house, eaves are flared.
A choreographed series of exterior spaces create different ‘garden-rooms’, each with its own character. Formal borders and high hedges continuously hide and reveal views, and create a mixture of private, sheltered spaces and open vistas. The drama of the axial driveway to the front finds its equivalent at the rear in the form of a long linear reflecting pool. This elegantly exaggerates the symmetrical hierarchy of the house whilst bringing light and tranquillity into the gardens.
The grounds include a garage block, tennis court, and swimming pool, all integrated appropriately through careful landscaping.
Due to the large level plot, the house could be placed in the centre of the site without compromising the rear garden. A gap in the high, dense hedges which line the road provides a tantalising and carefully composed view of a grand symmetrical house at the end of a straight tree-lined driveway. This formal axial approach gives the proposal great presence and romantically frames the new building in its landscape.
At the centre of this picture is a geometrically simple house articulated in a restrained form of classicism. The Doric order, although implicit in the proportions, is overtly expressed only in the front portico.
The simplicity of the overall-form is enriched by precise and subtle details, high-quality materials, and careful craftsmanship. Handmade bricks add warmth and texture to the elevations. Darker bricks are used for rubbed arches, window surrounds, quoins, and a string course.
The side wing, a less-formal single-storey building, has been designed to reference the local vernacular. Casement windows are set into walls of red-brick and natural flint. Like the main house, eaves are flared.
A choreographed series of exterior spaces create different ‘garden-rooms’, each with its own character. Formal borders and high hedges continuously hide and reveal views, and create a mixture of private, sheltered spaces and open vistas. The drama of the axial driveway to the front finds its equivalent at the rear in the form of a long linear reflecting pool. This elegantly exaggerates the symmetrical hierarchy of the house whilst bringing light and tranquillity into the gardens.
The grounds include a garage block, tennis court, and swimming pool, all integrated appropriately through careful landscaping.
Relevant Works
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