PROJECT REPORT: HERITAGE & CONSERVATION
27
© Angelo Hornak / Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust
© Andy Stagg
a domestic building,” says Harris. Neither the manor nor the library building offered sufficient space for any catering facilities to provide refreshments to visitors, so a new cafe building was erected in a walled garden some 12 metres south of the manor – now known as Soane’s Kitchen. Given its position and context, the architects wanted to keep the building as discreet as possible: “It’s a single storey building with a garden roof,” says Harris. In terms of materiality, the 571 m2
cafe is
a contemporary reiteration of the original villa building, subtly referencing elements of Soane’s style. The use of reclaimed portland stone, red brick and flint nod to the manor’s entrance archway, being composed of the same materials and referencing elements of style. The frameless rooflight refer to the manor’s restored skylight and coloured glass on the windows echo the conservatory and Soane’s use of amber glass.
Relocation & restoration Since Soane’s departure, the manor had become “compromised by Victorian accretions and internal alterations,” say the architects. So, in a set of swift manoeuvres, they sought to renew Soane’s original vision. Firstly, a Victorian infill accommodating a dining room that had been attached to the northern elevation of the building in 1901, plus a mid-19th century extension
ADF DECEMBER 2019
providing extra bedrooms for members of the Walpole family, were demolished. In the place of the infill, the architects revealed the original northern facade and rebuilt a colonnade to Soane’s original drawings, creating a covered connection, an open courtyard, and views between the two volumes. This provides more definition to the architectural heritage of the buildings which exhibit “two very different neo- classical styles.” Removing the bedroom extension enabled both a west-facing conservatory overlooking the park and a rooflight on top of the manor to be reinstated as Soane had originally intended them.
Harris stresses Soane’s pioneering use of glass as a construction material, saying: “He had this great glass conservatory on the side of his house 50 years before anyone had even heard about Crystal Palace.” The client was “understandably nervous” in the earlier phases of the project, so the architects acknowledged that engagement with stakeholders was key: “Talking about our proposals and hopefully getting them to support us.” Harris continues: “The main challenge was that it was Grade 1 Listed. Only 4 per cent of buildings have that status, so in terms of quality it’s right up there.”
Portland stone for the refurbishment of some of the manor’s stone columns, reclaimed brick matching the original
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A leading theme throughout the design process was the manor’s “demunicipalisation”
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