Work is well under way to convert a Grade II listed curtiledge structure, formerly a stable, into a two storey, two bedroom dwelling. A new double garage is also being built at the same time, in a position similar to where another building once stood earlier last century and when finished the setting of the house, the garage and the stable should recreate the courtyard that probably existed there for several centuries.
The original stable had been altered many times in its recent history and before conversion no longer looked like a 'stable'. The design of the conversion deliberately aims to put back features that existed when it was a working stable.
For example in the photograph of the existing stable, a small opening exists in a central position above the central door and it is likely that this was the lower section of a door opening into a hay loft which must have been covered in its own dormer roof. One can imagine a cantilevered bracket above the door with a pulley for hoisting hay and straw bales into the loft and likewise back down into the central stable door. The proposal is to reinstate the dormer roof which will provide a window into a bathroom.
The existing front openings had previously been crudely enlarged, presumably to house modern vehicles. The conversion aims to reinstate the original openings, together with brick arches that would have existed for the horses and the household's carriage or trap.
By the careful conversion of a redundant structure, Axis Architecture will create two things, firstly a charming and comfortable dwelling and secondly a building that is instantly recognisable as a former stable. If both these criteria can be fulfilled then we feel that the true spirit of 'conservation' has been achieved.
The Building Contractor is Complete Construction of Westbourne.
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