In 1991 these buildings were featured in SAVE's Buildings at Risk publication, 'Restoring Hopes' where they faced an uncertain future. In the past twenty years they have undergone remarkable transformations, from derelict buildings to marketable homes.
Oakhouse Farm, Great Clacton, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex dates from the sixteenth century and is a Grade II listed building. When featured in SAVE’s 1991 BaR catalogue, it had lain derelict for 10 years and was rapidly deteriorating. The photograph featured in the catalogue showed the end wall supported by scaffolding, several exposed roof timbers, and overgrown plant life encroaching on the building (image 1). The owner at the time had taken measures to prevent deterioration by felting and battoning the roof whilst attempting to obtain planning permission from Tendring District Council to develop the site. The proposed schemes for leisure centres were not accepted, and the 1991 publication hoped that the owner might be willing to sell. In the early 1990s the property was sold and completely renovated. Five and half years ago it was bought by Laura and Paul Marsh, who again redecorated it. They have now put it on the market, and the restored and refurbished Oakhouse Farm is described by Fine estate agents as “an elegant four bedroom Grade II listed detached residence”. The property is being sold for £550,000 and includes the farm’s outbuildings. The barn has been converted into a games room and gym, and the six stables (each measuring 12’ x 12’) also remain.
The photographs of the property today show the area around the farmhouse has been landscaped into a neat lawn and a small garden behind the house (image 11). Although this area would never have been so orderly during its life as a working farm, this shows that the property is receiving the attention it deserves. The red-brick façade of the building was restored, and the pebble-dashed walls on the other faces of the building whitewashed (image 2). The interior of the farmhouse retains much of its character with the timber frame of the building exposed in the wooden ceiling beams, and the vaulted ceilings on the upper storey, particularly in the master bedroom. The estate agents advertise the original mullion windows on the landing and in the master bedroom, and they emphasise the “wealth of exposed timbers and brickwork” around the building.
7 & 8 Market Place, Wincanton, Somerset, is a Grade II listed building. It dates from the early nineteenth century, and was built from local stone. Despite being located within the Wincanton conservation area overseen by the South Somerset District Council, in 1991 the building was in poor condition, with a leaking roof causing severe internal damage. Eighteen years later, the property has undergone exterior and interior restoration and renovation, and is now divided into modern flats(image 12). One of these 1 bedroom flats is currently on the market for £89,950 by Hambledon Estate Agents. The renovations equipped the flats with modern kitchen and bathroom facilities, but the estate agents advertise that “character features” of the old building are retained. The nineteenth century wedge shape of the building, caused by the angle of the corner, gives rise to an irregularly shaped room which in the modern flat has been converted to a double bedroom. The flats still sit above an estate agent, as they did in 1991. However both the lease space on the street level, and the upper floors of the building have been renovated so that the fabric of the building is no longer at risk, and so that the building is again suitable for use.
The former Church of St Michael, Baldhu, Truro, Cornwall, has been converted into a two residences that is currently for sale by the estate agent Lillicrap Chilcott. Both the 3 bedroom residence and 4 bedroom property are on the market for £625,000. This church was listed in the 1991 BaR catalogue as Grade II, but has since been upgraded to Grade II*. In 1991 the church had already lain redundant for some time, and was featured in SAVE’s publication as the Truro Diocesan Redundant Churches User Committee were considering demolition having been unsuccessful in finding a use for the building. The church was built in 1848 to serve the miners who worked in the local mines, and was designed by the well respected, if eccentric, Cornish architect William White.
Although an unusual candidate for a modern residence, the Church of St Michael has had its interior entirely converted to meet the needs of a twenty-first century home. In the 3 bedroom residence the elevation of the nave has been subdivided to create two floors in addition to a mezzanine level, fragmenting the interior church layout, but creating unusual and interesting living space (images 3 and 4). In the second floor bathroom, for example, the top third of a nave window with its pointed arch and stone tracery floats over the bathtub that has been installed along that wall (image 5). The exposed timber frames that support the roof in the 1991 photo remain in the converted church. They are almost identical to how they appeared in 1991, but the subdivision creates a very different scale effect as they dominate the second floor. The pointed stone arches that defined the bays of the nave area are incorporated into the layout of the house, and, truncated, must create a striking and slightly surreal living experience (images 13 and 14).
The property includes the original churchyard garden, complete with gravestones. The photographs of the property also show that solar panels have been installed on the roof. The property is described by the estate agents as an example of “exciting modern design woven through the original architectural splendor of a grade II* listed rural parish church”. It is one of the more unconventional and drastic transformations of a building at risk, but it has given the church new possibilities for use.
The photograph of Hay Farmhouse, Hay Lane, Ham, Kent in the 1991 BaR publication shows the farmhouse almost completely covered by Virginia Creeper (image 6). Only a few exposed roof timbers and the chimneys are visible under the vegetation. The property is now on the market for £1,395,000 by Chesterton Humberts estate agents, having been fully restored and renovated. The property today is unrecognisable from the one eighteen years ago (image 7). Hay Farmhouse is a timber framed farmhouse encased in English bond red brick, dating from the sixteenth century. It is listed Grade II and fell into the state of neglect seen in BaR after being uninhabited and derelict for many years. The owner, who died in 1990, had lived in a caravan on the site, and had not given the building itself any attention. The property was left to the YMCA with the stipulation that it be used for agricultural training. Not being able to find a use for it under these conditions, they put the property on the market.
The Hay Farmhouse property extends over 12 acres. It consists of the five bedroom farmhouse, Wood Hay Cottage- a three bedroom single storey building, the former granary known as Owl House Cottage that consists of storage area and a self-contained flat, and also other outbuildings- a traditional brick barn, a former stable block, and a former cart lodge. All of these buildings have been restored so that they are fit for use (image 15).
The farmhouse is the part of the property that is listed, and that has received the most attention. The interior has been completely refurbished, with more conversion and renovation than restoration, as there was very little fabric of the building that remained intact after it long period of neglect. Large timber cross beams are visible on the ceilings of several of the rooms, and new oak floors were laid in the main rooms and hallways to be in keeping with the historical nature of the building. The Gothic arched door that is one of the entrances to the ground floor is highlighted as a period feature that remains, and adds to the character of the house. The converted barn and stable block have had the structural timbers of their roof restored and left visible to maintain the link between the past and present uses of the building.
The grounds around the buildings have been heavily landscaped to create an orderly mown courtyard at the centre of the property. This is fairly incongruous with the countryside that would have traditionally surrounded a working farm. However it transforms the property into one that meets the needs of a twenty-first century resident, and allows Hay Farmhouse to continue to function as a residence. In addition, the small vegetable garden, greenhouse, and fruit trees provide a degree of self-sufficiency and production that reference the original function of Hay Farmhouse.
The Hollow Street Cottages, Chislet, Kent were built for farm workers in the late eighteenth century. The four cottages are built in one block, and are listed Grade II. In 1991 they sat empty for two years after the tenants vacated the cottages, and the photograph in ‘Restoring Hopes’ shows it sitting neglected with boarded up windows. Two of the cottages, Nos 1-2, have been converted into one residence that is currently being marketed by Chesterton Humberts estate agents with a price guide of £380,000-£420,000 (image 16).
The cottage includes a garden with a lawn and small vegetable garden. There is also a detached outhouse, greenhouse, and garden shed that come as part of the property. The brick exterior has been restored, and the estate agents highlight the ‘Heritage’ colours used on the window frames and doors. Creating one cottage from two required a conversion of the interior space. A ‘heritage’ look has also been considered in the interior, with dark wood timbers exposed on the ceilings and dark wood door frames standing out against the white walls. The cottage also features inglenook fireplaces. These large open recesses are reminiscent of fireplaces in medieval halls, and were brought back into fashion during the arts and crafts movement at the end of the nineteenth century. Although these do not accurately represent the period of the cottages original use, they add to the period feel of the cottage and avoid complete modernisation of the listed building. The cottages lie within the area overseen by Canterbury City Council.
Conigre Parsonage, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was built in the 1690s for a local family of clothiers. When they left it to the church in 1731, it was used as a rectory until it passed into private ownership. It was featured in ‘Restoring Hopes’ after falling into neglect, and despite having recently changed hands there were no signs that a restoration program was being considered. Various planning applications have been submitted to the West Wiltshire District Council since then, and today the property is restored and converted into flats, one of which is currently available to rent. The two bedroom flat is being marketed by Michael Tuck estate agents.
In 1730 the building was re-fronted with a red brick and ashlar detailed façade. The 1991 photograph shows this brick façade with ashlar detailing, and it can be seen that the fabric of the façade is in need of repair (image 8). The photograph on the estate agents website shows that the building’s exterior has received much needed attention, with the stucco on the current front of the building redone, gables added to the dormers, and sash windows installed (image 9). The photographs taken in the 1990s and the photograph on the estate agent website were taken from different angles, and so it is hard to ascertain the extent of the restoration work. The interior has been renovated to only a basic level and is unfurnished. There has not been much attempt to preserve the historic character of the building, and this interior treatment is likely a result of the property being for rent rather than sale. However the 1991 publication called for someone who would halt the process of decay and convert the building into a habitable residence, and this has been achieved.
The stately home of Kirklees Hall, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, has been converted into 15 luxury period homes since it was featured in the 1991 BaR publication (image 10). It is a Grade I listed mansion that dates from the sixteenth century, being built from the ruins of Kirklees Priory that was demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. The property was enlarged in the eighteenth century, and was the seat of the Armytage Baronetcy for 400 years, up until 1989. After the family had sold the property, it sat empty for a few years, prompting SAVE to feature it in the 1991 publication. The lack of fresh air inside the building was greatly damaging the fabric of the building. In addition, the water leaking in through the roof and valley gutters caused the air to become damp and stagnant, leading to a case of extreme dry rot that threatened the structural integrity of the roof. The restoration work that has transformed the site over the last 15 years was financially assisted by English Heritage, and carried out under their guidance.
Two of the 15 properties that make up Kirklees Hall are currently for sale. Park House, a five bedroom residence, is one of the larger properties at Kirklees, with plenty of space spread over three floors. It is being sold by Fine & Country estate agents for £725,000 and it is advertised as being “restored to the exacting requirements of English Heritage retaining many original features.” The solid timber door to the property is set within an original stone arch, and a period setting is evoked inside with exposed ceiling timbers in the kitchen, windows set into mullioned stone surrounds, sash windows in several rooms, and a feature period style fireplace in the Master Bedroom.
The second property is The Bothy, marketed by Whitegates-Brighouse estate agents for £375,000. The Bothy is not part of the Kirklees Hall mansion, but is a cottage located in the grounds of the estate. The three bedroom property is a low cottage constructed from natural stone. It has two floors, and was fully restored 10 years ago. It is described as benefiting from “quality modern fitments throughout whilst still retaining a wealth of period features.” Oak is used throughout the house to give it a high quality and ‘period’ appearance, with a carved oak staircase, a solid oak floor in the living room, and an oak period external door that leads from the house to the courtyard. There are also exposed ceiling beams in the living room, kitchen area, and one of the bedrooms, and exposed stonework in the other two bedrooms.
Both properties have their own private garden and courtyard area, but also included with the purchase is a sharehold in the company owning the freehold of the eighteen acre estate of Kirklees Hall. The estate, comprising of formally laid out gardens as well as parkland and deer forest, is communal for the fifteen residences at Kirklees, and an annual management fee is paid by all residents for the upkeep of the gardens and grounds. This fee also covers the cost of the external upkeep of Kirklees Hall (to the best of the estate agents’ knowledge), and seems to be an effective way of ensuring that the Grade I listed building and its surrounding estate are kept in the restored state that they deserve.
Images 11-16 available in the PDF below.
