Transforming, restoring and modernising this complex and iconic building is a major ongoing project for the practice.
The eclectic styling of the villa had suffered during its years as a pub, with an unsympathetic breezeblock extension added to the east to house the bar and drinks store and the rear of the house heavily altered to house kitchens and toilets. A period of neglect following the closure of the pub in 2020 had resulted in further damage and serious damp issues, on top of the impact of a century and a half of coastal weather.
Urgent conservation work included a full re-slating of the roof with reclaimed Scotch slate, re-pointing of all the external stone to the house and boundary walls, and replacement of the most eroded decorative stonework. Internally, original doors, architraves, and shutters were retained and refurbished.
The bar extension was removed, as well as the heavily altered rear offshoot, and later alterations to the kitchen and back-of-house were stripped away. This allowed the layout to be rationalised, centred on a sequence of living spaces running the full depth of the house at ground floor, matched by a master bedroom suite on the first floor.
The winter garden sits on the stone foundations of an original Victorian glasshouse, lost during the 20th century. It will provide a light and airy dining area, grounded by a new stone fireplace and chimney and connecting to a courtyard garden to the south. The rear offshoot was replaced with a new contemporary extension, finished in charred black timber and weathered larch, with a wildflower green roof and wraparound canopy sheltering an outdoor shower and new bifold door from the kitchen. A bicycle store to the west of the house is connected back to the annex by another protective canopy, supported to the north by black timber posts housing a surfboard store.
The extensive scale of the work required presented the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive programme of fabric upgrades to the building. The existing floor joists were damaged beyond repair, and a new, highly insulated floor slab was installed. The roof and upper rooms were internally insulated, and leaky existing sash and case windows all replaced with double-glazed equivalents. Efficient underfloor heating was installed throughout alongside a new heating and hot water system.
LOADING
