This Listed Cottage Downland Village project started with a careful historical appraisal of a Grade II Listed Cottage in a conservation area in the heart of the South Downs National Park. The client wanted to make better use of the compromised ground floor originally built prior to 1740 and subsequently extended and remodelled several times since, most recently in 1990s. The aim of this scheme is to clarify the main living spaces and strip away some of the subsequent confusing clutter of later additions. The challenge was to improve the overall amenity space of the dwelling, and create a formal kitchen, family, dining and entertaining space leading out into the pretty cottage garden.
Our west sussex architects created a scheme to preserve and enhance the significance of this Listed Cottage Downland Village and its setting. A series of alterations improving the flow and efficiency of the house was successfully negotiated through planning and conservation. Whilst only a modest increase of floor area was required the redesign of interior planning has transformed the use of the ground floor space.
The front door has been repositioned, the kitchen relocated and a wider garden opening negotiated to create a better relationship between the kitchen and the garden as well as bringing evening sun into the house. In addition, the stair has been rethought and rebuilt; the existing dangerous and awkwardly arranged stair has been redesigned to create a more comfortable arrangement linking more naturally to entrance and circulation areas.