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Client: Private Client
Structural Engineer: O'Brien and Price
Contractor: Stephen Jeffery
Completion Date: Due to finish 2011
The majority of the current structure dates from the 16th century when the estate was owned by Corpus Christi College. The street facade is a typical example of this period of architecture, but a very distinct change can be seen on the rear facade where elegant and finely detailed extensions were added in the 17th and 18th century but, for some reason, never completed. The final extension involved raising and extending the old roofline with the result that the roof structure has developed into a magnificent and complex arrangement that is completely unique and of genuine importance.
By the middle of the 18th century, a new tenant, Thomas Cox, turned the building into an inn called “The Company’s Arms” which was open to the public for over 150 years. Substantial restoration had been carried out in the 1970s and Chalford Place was briefly used as a restaurant and workshop. Soon after an investment company took over and rented it to various tenants before becoming inexpensive student accommodation due to the general damp and poor facilities. The overall deterioration following the restoration in 1973 led to the collapse of part of the roof and temporary propping works were installed in 1998. The building once again stood empty before it was finally bought by the artist Damien Hirst in 2003 who recognised the potential of saving a magnificent building.
Our brief was to carefully restore the building while maintaining its original features and to adapt the interior to serve as a four-bedroom, three bathroom private residence. The interior works preserved all historic fabric that could be saved and repaired. Traditional construction details like swept tiled valleys and lath and plaster internal walls have been reinstated. New features such as oak wall panelling with a distinctive carvings of butterflies, skulls and bones have been introduced as well as an entire room clad with large stone slabs.
The house has been reformed as an art installation itself and also an environment for the display of specific works of art.
Structural Engineer: O'Brien and Price
Contractor: Stephen Jeffery
Completion Date: Due to finish 2011
Chalford Place is a Grade 1 listed 16th century Cotswold stone merchants house in a beautiful setting on the River Frome in Gloucestershire.
The majority of the current structure dates from the 16th century when the estate was owned by Corpus Christi College. The street facade is a typical example of this period of architecture, but a very distinct change can be seen on the rear facade where elegant and finely detailed extensions were added in the 17th and 18th century but, for some reason, never completed. The final extension involved raising and extending the old roofline with the result that the roof structure has developed into a magnificent and complex arrangement that is completely unique and of genuine importance.
By the middle of the 18th century, a new tenant, Thomas Cox, turned the building into an inn called “The Company’s Arms” which was open to the public for over 150 years. Substantial restoration had been carried out in the 1970s and Chalford Place was briefly used as a restaurant and workshop. Soon after an investment company took over and rented it to various tenants before becoming inexpensive student accommodation due to the general damp and poor facilities. The overall deterioration following the restoration in 1973 led to the collapse of part of the roof and temporary propping works were installed in 1998. The building once again stood empty before it was finally bought by the artist Damien Hirst in 2003 who recognised the potential of saving a magnificent building.
Our brief was to carefully restore the building while maintaining its original features and to adapt the interior to serve as a four-bedroom, three bathroom private residence. The interior works preserved all historic fabric that could be saved and repaired. Traditional construction details like swept tiled valleys and lath and plaster internal walls have been reinstated. New features such as oak wall panelling with a distinctive carvings of butterflies, skulls and bones have been introduced as well as an entire room clad with large stone slabs.
The house has been reformed as an art installation itself and also an environment for the display of specific works of art.
