Friday Cottage , Henley-on-Thames

This authentic Tudor cottage situated within a stones throw of the Thames river, had been recently purchased by a young family looking for a permanent base in the area. The building was flanked on 3 sides by adjacent properties, making extension into the surrounding spaces unfeasible.

The Client's brief demanded that as many of the period features were retained as possible, and at the same time maximum use of the space was to be achieved.

The proposal involved remodelling the ground floor plan to create a generous living space, incorporating a galley kitchen and French doors opening out onto the rear garden. Two bedrooms at first floor level were merged into one to form a large master bedroom with en-suite and integrated storage space. Re-planning of the existing bathroom gave the feeling of more space and made tasteful use of contemporary fittings.

The proposals required listed building consent, and traditional building techniques were adopted to restore the internal structural timber frame and lime plaster on the walls, which maintained the integrity of the structure. Insulation developed by NASA was adopted in the roof void to assure minimum disturbance to the existing timbers.

Status: Awaiting planning decision.