Extending a Medieval home

Once a Benedictine nunnery, this Grade II*-listed building has been in residential use since the 16th century. The plan of the house is ‘T’ shaped, creating an inward-looking interior that distinctly separates the main living area and garden. A Donald Insall Associates-designed pavilion connects these spaces, opening up the home and achieving a 70m2 increase in GIA (gross internal area).

A connection between the main living area and garden was achieved by forming a new opening beneath an existing stone mullioned window serving the kitchen, and by utilising an existing external door which leads to the main foot hall. The addition is largely independent of the existing fabric, with a continuous glazed skylight along the line of connection allowing natural light to highlight the existing walls. Visitors can be led fluidly from the main entrance to the garden, allowing all elements of the space to be enjoyed to their full potential.

A sensitive but contemporary design language stems from careful study of the building’s existing materials, scale and proportion. We used chamfered stone mullion windows set on a stone plinth to create the pavilion, which acknowledges the language of the existing windows and stone plinth. A deeply carved sandstone façade using local mottled sandstone further contextualise the extension, while providing solar shading. Dark slim-line metal framed windows increase contrast between glass and stone, providing a distinctly contemporary, but traditional look.

The extension has enhanced the space, adapting this home for modern use, while embracing and respecting its historic fabric.