Project Description
Originally owned by New College, Oxford, this 12th Century Manor House had been extended through the centuries up to the 1930’s. The property had been variously used as a farmhouse and it would appear that it was amalgamated to the Manor with the adjacent farm during the 1930’s.
The IT entrepreneur owners of this unique Grade1-listed manor house, which was purchased in
2007, have a love of film and music and technical gadgetry. The results of which can be seen in many of the state-of-the-art systems and technical solutions featured within the property from the home cinema, gymnasium, library, swimming pool, basketball pitch and offices situated within the former stable block.
The Brief asked that the new design reinvigorate and transform their main family home whilst
accommodating the very special elements of the property including a 13th century undercroft and magnificent dining hall. The scope of works included a sophisticated audio visual installation with a home cinema; web based lighting and heating automation that can be controlled remotely. The design needed to be sympathetic to the original home whilst incorporating cutting edge technologies which would blend seamlessly into the fabric of the house. Contemporary classic treatments were given to the master suite and cinema, interpreting their individual historic attributes in a thoroughly modern way.
The approach:
From the outset Janine Stone developed a close working relationship with the local authority’s lead conservation officer working alongside English Heritage. Oxford the city and the surrounding county towns and landscape is blessed with some of the nation’s most extraordinary and historically important buildings and as such the planning and conservation departments of the local authority are well versed in the processes This productive relationship ensured the smooth transition of the major refurbishment and build elements which conformed to the strict heritage framework set down by English Heritage. The result is an elegant symphony of design and build, working in harmony to deliver an exquisite restoration of a beautiful honey stone manor house set within the bucolic landscape of Oxford, but with a fresh, modern twist from the materials to the technical infrastructure. The Janine Stone architectural, interior design, construction and project management services were utilised for this project alongside a range of Janine Stone managed and directed consultants including planning, ecology, geotechnical, structural engineering, and M & E specialists.
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