FARMHOUSE CONSERVATION

Occasionally, a client purchases a house that has been unloved for half a century, and while it requires considerable intervention to undo years of neglect, such properties possess an unspoilt and rather special patina. This is what we faced at Uggeshall in Suffolk.

The Grade II listed late sixteenth century farmhouse required a light intervening hand, and this, coupled with a reliance on good materials and simplicity of design revitalised the house and equipped it for modern living. Inappropriate subdivisions made during the late twentieth century were removed. The attic accommodation, little altered since the nineteenth century, remains unconverted – its character so gentle that all agreed it should not be spoilt. Elsewhere retained features were enhanced through the careful choice of new floor surfaces, quality fittings and paint colours.

Bespoke hardwood doors and windows replaced inappropriate 1970’s softwood units, whereas some appealingly utilitarian 1930’s metal framed windows were refurbished and retained.

The result was the subtle conservation of an important and characterful Suffolk farmhouse, garden and outbuildings.