Will Gamble Architects

A former parchment factory also a scheduled monument and disused cattle shed were connected to a Grade II listed double fronted Victorian house in Northamptonshire. The initial brief was to convert the cattle shed and demolish the ruin to make way for a new extension. Instead of demolishing the ruin, Will Gamble Architects proposed “a building within a building” – where two lightweight volumes could be delicately inserted within the masonry walls in order to preserve and celebrate it. A palette of honest materials were chosen both internally and externally which references the site’s history and the surrounding rural context.

Externally, corten steel, oak, and reclaimed brick were used. The extension was built out of up-cycled materials predominantly found on site which was both cost effective and sustainable, whilst allowing the proposal to sensitively blend into its surroundings. Internally the structural beams of the existing cattle shed were exposed as well as the steelwork to the new parts – the stone walls were re-pointed and washed in lime to create a mottled effect and a concrete plinth was cast along the base to create a monolithic skirting.

A contemporary kitchen, also designed by the practice, juxtaposes the uneven and disordered nature of the ruin and continues the theme of a modern intervention set within its historic context. Our Oak, Nordic White floor was used throughout the kitchen and living space. The project was shortlisted for the AJ Small Projects 2020

Publications: Dezeen | The Architect’s Journal | ArchDaily | DesignBoom | Detail Magazine | INHABITAT | Architectural Digest | Architizer | Detail Magazine

Commissioned by Will Gamble Architects

Photography by Johan Dehlin