Beechwood

Type: Refurbishment / Conservation
Use: Residential
Client: Private
Location: Sparkwell, Plymouth
Contract: N/A

Located near Plympton, the Beechwood House estate features a Grade II Listed 19th-century walled stable yard and adjoining coach house. The main country house itself, reputedly built in 1780 and remodelled circa 1850, is also Grade II Listed.

Carbogno Architects have been appointed to work on the main house, carrying out restorative works that include minor alterations to the building's external fabric. However, our primary involvement is focused on the reuse, consolidation, and change of use of the stables to create a small, historical guest house and an artist studio.

The main challenge of this scheme lies in balancing budget parameters with the discharge of complex planning conditions. This demands meticulous coordination with ecologists to safely relocate and preserve existing bat habitats - all while enabling the project to progress without any further degradation of the historic fabric.

The final design aims to work sensitively with a historic building and its environmental requirements, balancing the proposed interventions without generating future structural issues. A critical aspect of this older construction is the breathability of the structure. The proposal, therefore, focuses on the use of natural, breathable materials such as lime mortar, insulated renderings, and slate tiles. Our other primary challenge is successfully retaining the stables' historical elements, including the standing stalls, hay racks, and original cast-iron fittings.