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Photograph©Peter Wright Photography

A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION

The Threshing Barn is a Grade 2 listed farm building dating from the 16th century. Through the sensitive work of owners Janine and Roy Naismith, and their architect the Haddow Partnership, it has been transformed it into a striking and award-winning contemporary home.

Hidden in a small village in southern England, the barn lay derelict for many years before its current owners spotted its potential.“The character and history of old wood combined with the opportunity for open-plan living attracted us to this old barn” said Roy Naismith. “But we wanted to put a contemporary home inside the old timbers, not a faux farmhouse”

Today, the derelict, dark and musty barn has been transformed into a light, contemporary and highly stylish home without losing the precious character of the historic structure. Outside, the new thatched roof is weathering to a dull gold, and the traditional materials used to renovate the building are reminders of pre-industrial England. Inside, set amongst a soaring framework of mellow timbers is a spectacular open-plan living space with curved walls, long views, mezzanine platforms, floor to ceiling windows, split levels and a dazzling open plan kitchen by fashionable kitchen designer Johnny Grey.

The Purchase and Brief

For some considerable time the Naismith family, who were outgrowing their existing property, searched for a barn to convert. Eventually a magnificent but badly dilapidated barn right next door to their own home caught their eye.

The barn was originally a traditional English L-shaped threshing barn with double height openings and exposed oak trusses, plus a tractor shed.  Built in the local brick and flint, and clad with horizontal timber weatherboarding, the building had once been thatched. The roof eventually collapsed, along with the short L of the barn, at which point the farmer was legally obliged to repair the building.

Rather than repair it, the farmer decided to sell it and sought a planning permission for residential use with architects Seymour & Bainbridge. The Barn and its 1500sqm site, was purchased in 2005 by the Naismiths with a planning permission in place.

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography: The barn prior to convert

“Our dream was to create a contemporary interior within the old wood of the barn” said Roy “but we are both accountants with no previous building experience and this was not the easiest project we could have chosen. In fact, professional developers had rejected [it] realising just how difficult it would prove to convert”

The Naismiths knew what they wanted, but were unable to express this in practical terms so they held a beauty parade to find the architect who could translate their vision into reality.

The Haddow Partnership had already successfully created modern interiors within historic structures and understood the special sensitivities of this kind of project. Roy Naismith says “Robin [Haddow] was able to define the ‘contemporary’ feel and how it would integrate with the ancient structure. Robin understood exactly what we meant, and how to achieve it ”

The Haddow Partnership was appointed and set about re-assessing the design and conservation issues in line with the Naismith’s brief. A further planning application was required. A good working relationship was formed between the architect, client and Winchester City Council’s Conservation Officer and permission was obtained in a remarkably short time.

Robin Haddow explains “We all shared the objective of retaining as much of the old structure as possible. The very character which initially attracts is lost if alterations are too extensive, so we tell the owners they must accept that living in a barn is totally different from a traditional house and not try to change too much.”

Repairing and refurbishing the existing structure

Work commenced on the Barn in March 2005. Steel brackets and shoes were specially designed for junctions where damage had occurred, and were left exposed and painted black just as they would have been had the repairs been for a working barn. The oak trusses, and the oak framework, were held in place while repairs were carried out to prevent damage to the original fabric. Where the perimeter walls were collapsing they were rebuilt from a lower footing facilitating a lower floor for one of the living areas and in the bedroom area.

The rafters and oak framing were carefully surveyed and only replaced where absolutely necessary. This led to some strange shapes and awkward junctions that now add character to the interiors.

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography : The main barn interior before conversion

The east gable or short leg of the ‘L’ had collapsed altogether and was rebuilt in a similar manner, but the strength and stability of the new trusses provided support for a new mezzanine floor with space for a master bedroom suite and a study.

The magnificent new thatch that crowns the barn was the subject of intensive debate and investigation. By the time that the Naismith’s purchased the property all the original thatch was lost. The conservation department advised that long straw was the traditional thatching material in that part of the country, but the Master Thatcher felt that it would have a poor life expectancy on such a large roof. Fragments of the original roof were found on the barn floor, and these, linked to some old photographs, suggested that the roof had been thatched in water reed, which was then used for the new thatch. Rainwater gutters in galvanised steel were added for practical reasons.

New Interior

By June 2005 the barn was re-thatched and the shell completed so that interior fit out could begin.

All the new work is in a contemporary style with clear, simple lines. This approach separates old from new at a glance.

Most of the new walls are curved, helping to visually and structurally separate the old from the new and accentuating the organic feel of the natural wood. A curved wall sits as a fulcrum between the two wings of the barn enclosing a library below and an open plan study area at mezzanine level.  From this axial viewing point it is possible to see the complete length of both wings through the trusses, accentuating the contrast between the old and the new.

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography :All the new work is in a contemporary style with clear, simple lines. This approach separates old from new at a glance. The Johnny Grey kitchen is curved and uses different timber veneers.

Natural materials have been used throughout and where historic/contemporary elements meet, shadow gaps have been introduced to highlight the juxtaposition. Timber is used lavishly with all windows and doors constructed in oak. The kitchen cabinets are each finished in a different wood veneer.

Practical additions such as interior rooms, staircases, kitchen and fireplaces form free standing geometric forms.The downstairs main living areas are floored in light coloured stone tiles adding to the almost overwhelming sense of light and space. In the bedrooms and upstairs oak is used.  Under floor heating is supplemented by two contemporary fires by Focus whose sculptural black shapes, suspended from the 6 metre high vaulted ceiling, punctuate the spaces.

Johnny Grey Ltd was commissioned to design a bespoke kitchen for the space. The organic, curved kitchen is a circular hub for the house and follows the logic of curves established by the Haddow Partnership. By placing the freestanding kitchen centrally, Grey was able to give the owners a double panorama from the hob – views out of the double height windows on either side of the barn to fields and a church spire beyond.

“The heart of the house being the central circular kitchen is spectacular” says Ray Naismith “and ensures everyone is involved in the ongoing life of the house”.

A cosy stepped down sitting area is separated from the kitchen by a free-form curved wall that acts as a safety barrier and a design feature. The media room is encircled by a brick wall that supports the cantilevered oak staircase leading to a sound proofed ‘balcony’ above where the Naismith children can play drums. Roy Naismith loves the fact that the added elements are all very clearly additions to the historic barn.  “The media room is the best example” he says. “Stand back and look at it and it looks like a big can of soup that has been put down in the middle of the barn. I think it would look great with the Campbells logo painted on it.”

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography

As in the rest of the house, timber and natural materials are used for the contemporary bathrooms suites, From the family area the occupants move into a contained passageway or “secret tunnel” leading to the bedrooms where even the guest room door follows the curved line.

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography

In May 2006 the Naismiths moved into a 357sqm new home of immense character and space where they have found a contemporary style of living which suits their 21st century lifestyle yet integrates perfectly with the robust rural vernacular of a building which was built more almost 500 years ago.

Photograph©Peter Wright Photography

PROJECT TEAM

Client: Mr and Mrs R Naismith
Architect: Haddow Partnership
Planning Authority:Winchester City Council
Contractor:Philip A. Coleman Builders
Structural Engineering:Stephen Penfold Associates
Kitchen Designer:Johnny Grey Ltd
Cost Consultant: Chris Newman Associates