St. Pauls, Denholme
St Paul’s is Grade II Listed and had fallen into disrepair when our clients bought it at auction.
It is a credit to them that they committed themselves so resolutely to the challenge of rescuing the building and after nearly 4 years of incredible effort now occupy a breath-taking and unique house.
To achieve this they employed Hawdon Russell Architects, who came up with a stunning design concept that they could never have imagined.
As well as using our deep knowledge of building restoration we have taken the notion of the ‘light-touch’ conversion of an important historic property to its limits – effectively designing the new house as a structure within, (and independent of), the original building. The architectural intervention is completely harmonious with the host building, but also distinctly contemporary in order not to confuse its architectural timeline. New and old become complementary.
To compensate for a lack of privacy and external space (the graveyard which surrounds the building is still visited by relatives of the deceased), the roof was also removed from the south aisle to create a private, beautifully landscaped courtyard, including a water feature inspired by the baptismal font, and a bridge across a carp-filled pool to the front door.
The scheme has been featured in numerous local and national newspapers, on the BBC’s ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ and Channel 4’s ‘Great British Home Restoration’.
A big thank you to Hawdon Russell Architects for not only turning our ideas into reality, but also for bringing some fabulous ideas to our project that we would never have thought of. Without the guidance and reassurance that 'we can do it', we would have certainly struggled at every challenge. Their enthusiasm, guidance and creativity made it possible. Sean & Debs
