A sensitive restoration and refurbishment of a Grade II listed townhouse in Frome, UK, bringing together a series of ad-hoc alterations into cohesive piece of architecture.
Set within a Conservation area in the Somerset market town of Frome, the building appears to be part of a well preserved terrace of 18th and 19th Century houses, however following a series of unsympathetic refurbishments up until the 1980s very little of the historic interior was left intact, whilst what remained was largely obscured by layers of architectural salvage installed by previous owners with a passion for reclamation. The front half of the house dates from the early 19th Century whilst the rear half, including a central stone staircase around which the primary spaces were then organised, was built some years later.
The building fabric was in a state of dilapidation with significant problems caused by water ingress over many years. The roof required a complete overhaul including the replacement of several dormer windows facing the rear garden, insulation, replacement of membranes and the renewal of the valley. External walls had been previously pointed in cement mortar and finished internally with gypsum plaster, trapping moisture and exacerbating damp issues leading to sections of rot in the timber lintels and ceiling joists.
The brief was open-ended, accepting of the fact that in a building of this type with so many unknowns the modest budget was likely to be stretched in order to rectify issues that would come to light. As such, a comprehensive scheme was agreed with the clients but with an initial focus on repair of the existing fabric, rectification of the identifiable causes of damp, stripping back modern finishes to allow the building to breath and, in time, dry out, and replacement of the antiquated building services. Minor changes to the layout would be undertaken to reinstate the fluid circulation between spaces around the central stair, however Listed Building Consent was also sought for the creation of a double-height volume over a section of the living space, and the reinstatement of a curved stair into the original scalloped niche on the first floor to provide permanent access to the roof space with enabling works undertaken which would allow them to be implemented at a later date.
On the ground floor, a new birch plywood kitchen was installed in the former dining room, modern glazed doors were removed to link the living spaces, whilst a new laundry room was created in the former kitchen. On the first floor landing, panelling was removed to uncover the scalloped stair niche and rubble party wall which were repaired and refinished in lime render. Partitions were modified to improve circulation, a new bathroom fitted in birch plywood, and new cabinetry in the bedrooms. The two roof spaces and valley gutter were stripped back to the structure which was overhauled and insulated. Extensive deterioration of the stone parapets and flashings was rectified, and the roof tiles rehung. On the larger rear section of the roof which now houses the master bedroom and a birch plywood ensuite bathroom, four new roof lights replaced a pair of dilapidated dormer windows, whilst in the lower, front section two additional dormer windows were constructed facing the valley to mitigate any visual impact and enable a future conversion to living space.
The interiors were dominated by timber ceiling beams, modern wall panelling, and bare stone walls which when combined with a steeply banked garden and deep plan, led to rooms being dark and uninviting. The ceiling beams were cleaned and repaired but otherwise preserved in their existing condition - in a building that was spatially very fluid with few clear thresholds from the entrance to the living spaces, the primary and secondary beams were used to demarcate different uses within the house. Along the external walls and around the stair, areas of modern ashlar and trowel-finished concrete had been introduced to form deep cills, niches and alcoves. It was felt that these elements contributed positively to the character of the building - a modern layer of construction that added colour and texture to the interiors - and as such were carefully restored.
A proposed material palette was selected to bring together these historic building elements and modern additions into a coherent composition: micro-cement was used throughout the ground floor to refinish an uneven concrete substrate - its buff grey tone complementing the remaining flagstones in the entrance and ashlar details in the living area; stone walls were repointed in lime and refinished with either lime render or lime wash; new cabinetry throughout is in birch plywood with a matt finish; whilst sisal carpet was used on the upper floors.
Exposed downstand beams meant that space for concealed service runs was incredibly limited, so routes and detailing of conduit and other pipework were carefully planned with the Contractor at an early stage in order to ensure the installation was respectful of the existing building.
The success of the project was based around small interventions rather than grand gestures. The new additions are not immediately obvious, however, the interior is now warm, light and welcoming, the plan is more coherent with spaces defined by subtle threshold changes, and the many disparate elements of the house, from various periods of the past 200 years, have been brought together to form a cohesive piece of architecture.
Architect: West St Studio Structural Engineer: Mann Williams Heritage Consultant: Michael Heaton Main Contractor: Emery Brothers
