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WINNERS OF THE MALDON DISTRICT CONSERVATION AND DESIGN

AWARDS 2014

The decisions have now been made for the Maldon District Conservation and Design Awards 2014. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on the 14th

of November from 2pm at the Friends Meeting House, Butt Lane, Maldon.

Lancaster House, Maldon Building Conservation Winner

Sawyers, Tolleshunt Major Design Winner

Oxley House, Tolleshunt D’Arcy Building Conservation Highly

Commended

Brambles, Purleigh Sustainability Winner

Former stables and Forge, Tillingham Design Highly Commended

Market Hill Garden, Maldon Landscape Design Highly

Commended

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BUILDING CONSERVATION WINNER - Lancaster House, Maldon This award is for the refurbishment and extension of Lancaster House, a grade II listed building, believed to have been built c.1820 by a Controller of Customs, who was the father of the Romantic Victorian artist, J. R. Herbert. , born 1810. Among its many special architectural features is a distinctive front porch, on top of which is a roofed balcony enclosed by decorative iron railings. When the current owners purchased the house in 2011 it was suffering from damp problems. These problems had been caused by the hard cement render, applied to the external soft red brick walls in the twentieth century, which was beginning to fail. The owners took the bold decision to remove all of the cement render and to apply a breathable lime render in its place. This has not only improved the building’s ability to manage moisture effectively but has significantly enhanced the appearance of the building. In addition, a pre-1900 alteration had resulted in a structural defect, which necessitated replacing the ground floor ceilings and inserting much stronger floor joists. The garden room extension is modest but handsome; its form, detailing and materials complementing without mimicking the character of the old house. The judges commented that internally, this addition has created a ‘superb space’. The historic iron railings have been restored, a boot room added and a number of minor internal alterations have been made which, cumulatively, have enabled the house to work better. A new, bespoke front door was designed to fit an unusually shaped opening. Overall, the judges felt that the development had transformed the site. In addition to the renovation of the house itself, the panel was particularly taken with the works that have been carried out within its grounds; a skilfully designed garden, an attractive new garage and quality boundary treatments. Wonderful views of the house from Mill Road have been revealed, framed by the iconic tower of St Mary’s Church in the background. The owners are Mr and Mrs Whinney. The architect was Annabel Brown, who has commented that the ‘project is the outcome of extraordinary commitment from the client to bring this wonderful house back to life’. The main contractor was Maturecourt Builders Ltd. The garden design was by Mrs Whinney in conjunction with Eden Horticulture

Lancaster House, viewed from Mill

Road. Before the development this

view was obscured by an overgrown

garden.

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Lancaster House, viewed from the garden prior to the renovation

Lime rendering

Lancaster House, viewed from the garden after the work. New garden room in the foreground

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BUILDING CONSERVATION HIGHLY COMMENDED Oxley House, Tolleshunt D’Arcy This award is for the conservative repair and restoration of an elegant, grade II listed, red brick house, dating from early in the nineteenth century. The house contains many Georgian architectural features – such as panelling, a staircase with turned balusters, and elaborate fireplaces – most introduced in the 1950s from buildings which had been demolished in London. It had been used as a residential care home for the elderly since 1984, the internal rooms carved up into small bedrooms. When the present owners purchased the building in 2002 it had lain empty for over a year. Numerous pipes had burst during a cold snap, causing damage to the historic fabric of the building. The renovation has been a labour of love, carried out in stages over the past decade by the current owners to a very high standard. Their approach and the techniques employed have been informed by their involvement with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The project to restore the building back to a single house involved the removal of the 1980s partitions but sought to retain as much as possible of the historic fabric. Internally, where old plaster surfaces survived in salvageable condition they were repaired; where they had been lost, they were renewed in lime hair plaster with a coloured lime wash finish. Externally, eroded brickwork was skilfully repaired using lime mortar and matching bricks. Modern concrete lintels over some of the windows were replaced with traditional, rubbed brick arches. Plastic rainwater goods were replaced with cast iron and the bituminous felt in three roof valleys was replaced with lead. The judges were enthralled by the outstanding craftsmanship exhibited by this project, which deserves to be held up as an exemplar. The owners are Paul Carlier and Andrea Weston. Paul carried out the leadwork himself to a high standard. The bricks were sourced from Bulmer Brick & Tile Company of Sudbury and W. H. Collier of Marks Tey. Lime products were from Anglia Lime of Sudbury. The rainwater goods were supplied by St Gobain Classical & Hargreaves Foundry. The joinery was by Roger Cooper of Leigh-on-Sea. Bricklaying was by Bob Binks of Tiptree. Rendering was by A J Wildash of Colchester.

Detail of a fireplace within Oxley House

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Flank elevation prior to repair

Flank elevation after repair

Detail of lead work

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Flank elevation prior to repair and extension

Flank elevation following completion of repairs and extension

Internal view of the Dining Room illustrating the fireplace that was exposed and wall surfaces renewed in lime plaster and limewash

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DESIGN WINNER Sawyers, Tolleshunt Major Sawyers is an isolated farmhouse, dating from the eighteenth century, and listed grade II. The award is for the conversion of a nineteenth century outbuilding, connecting it to the house and for the holistic re-planning of the site and its buildings. The designer of the project has explained that the aim was to create a ‘cohesive family house with a contemporary interior built entirely to support the idea that historic buildings can play host to modern amenities and furnishings’. The judges were struck, when visiting the property, by the harmonious relationship between historic features and a strikingly modern aesthetic. An old red brick outbuilding, at one time used as pigsties, has been converted to provide additional bedrooms, a bathroom and a utility room. It has been connected to the main house by a partially-glazed link which continues as a glazed corridor along one elevation. The judges agreed that this is an elegant but bold contemporary addition to the historic site. Memorable internal features include a new bespoke staircase in the farmhouse and the use of reflective polished concrete for the floors in the extension. The whole scheme is complemented by thoughtful garden design and sensitive new boundary treatments. The owners of Sawyers Farm are Mary-Ann Deasy and David Bisconi. The design was by the Pocknell Studio. The contractors were C&H Builders Ltd of Braintree.

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DESIGN HIGHLY COMMENDED The former Forge and Stables, North Street, Tillingham This award is for the residential conversion of an historic building in the Tillingham Conservation Area. Originally built as stables early in the 1800s, with a brick forge later attached to the rear, the building was subsequently used as a workshop before falling into disuse and disrepair. In 2011 the building was considered for demolition. The judges felt that this conversion scheme was well-considered and well-executed. It has achieved a surprisingly comfortable interior, with minimal alteration to the external appearance. The judges wished to applaud the rescue and reuse of a building which makes a valuable contribution to the character of Tillingham. The builder who carried out the conversion is Mr Ross Stevenson. The original design was by Barrie Whitley Associates.

Before conversion After conversion

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SUSTAINABILITY WINNER Brambles, Purleigh This award is for a highly original replacement dwelling in a rural setting, the design for which was driven by the owners’ interest in environmental sustainability. It is one of a small number of houses in the country to employ ‘Hemcrete’ – a combination of lime and locally grown hemp – for its wall and roof construction. This breathable material has excellent insulating properties and very low carbon footprint. The use of steel and concrete – which have large carbon footprints – has been minimised. Triple-glazing has been used in windows that are orientated to maximise solar gain. The development incorporates twenty eight combined photovoltaic and solar thermal panels and a ground source heat pump. A simple earth tube provides heat exchange with the stable ground temperature giving cooling air into the house in summer and warmer air in winter. LED lighting throughout provides further energy savings. Most of the building is clad in cedar boards and shingles but part of the building is covered by a living sedum roof. All these features have been deployed in a building which relates intimately to the topography of the site. The result is an attractive house of outstanding sustainability credentials. The judges agreed that this building is ‘brilliant’. They admired the vision and ambition of the owners and the ability of the architects to translate that vision into a graceful and practical design. The owners are Michael and Jenny Taylor. Mr Taylor is a retired local builder and one of the truly impressive aspects of the project is that he was main contractor for the construction. The architects were Plater Claiborne Architecture + Design, of Tollesbury.

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LANDSCAPE DESIGN HIGHLY COMMENDED Market Hill Gardens, Maldon These gardens are a beautiful, peaceful oasis on the bend of Market Hill. It is a popular place to rest, halfway up one of the steepest hills in Essex. From the garden, visitors can take in stunning views over the rooftops of old houses towards Fullbridge and beyond. This award is for the redesign and landscaping of the gardens. The work included new surfaces materials, planting and a new bench. The judges agreed that this work has been carried out very sensitively, making the gardens much more appealing to visitors and deserves commendation. The award goes to Maldon Town Council which owns and manages the gardens for the benefit of the public.