CASE STUDY


THE ART OF RESTORATION


A historic 100-year old house designed by a St Ives artist has become a decade-long labour of love for the owners to save it from demolition


TEXT & IMAGES EWEN MACDONALD HIGH POINT


“Discovering Bernard each fi replaces e too out the plaster and real- ised there was tiling that went right back”


Ty Bryn was built in 1928 in a Modernist style


I


t is a sad truth that it is often easier to raze a property to the ground and begin again, than to undertake the painstaking job of renovating something that has become dilapidated. Add into the mix the spectre of housing developers looing to cram profi tmaing properties into a large plot overlooking one of the country’s most sought after holiday spots, and you have Sheila Scholes and Gunter Schmidt’s project, Ty Bryn. Ty Bryn – which means Hill House – is an Arts and Crafts-era house overlooking the iconic har- bour of St Ives in Cornwall. It was grasped from the jaws of redevelopment thanks to an artist’s determination to recognise the building’s impor- tance, both as an architectural curiosity, and its place in the story of this famous artistic colony. The house was built in 1928 by renowned artist Borlase Smart, who was a pioneer of the modern British Art movement in St Ives. For more than a hundred years this ancient fi shing harbour has attracted artists drawn by its


76 www.sbhonline.co.uk


incredible natural light, and the unspoilt, often extreme landscape. Demand for holiday homes is high in this part of the world, which has put many of its most interesting architectural gems in jeopardy.


This unique home was built in a modernist style, and was in much need of a major but sympathetic renovation when it came to the attention of artist and designer Sheila and husband, Gunter, a scientist. Among its other more unusual charms, the shape of the building means there are seven external walls. All of this makes for an unusual and sometimes difi cult to navigate home, which was crying out for a creative touch. But being an experienced renovator, Sheila was excited by the challenge. Much of the promise of Ty Bryn could be seen in its unique exterior, says Sheila. Inside many of the rooms were basic and run down and at the very least needed to be stripped back to their original state.


mar/apr 2022


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