Wiltshire

2019

In 1972, the architect Michael Manser was commissioned to design a new steel and glass five bedroom house on the edge of the Wiltshire village of Winterslow. Similar to a number of Manser steel and glass houses, the design was conceived as an elevated box set above lower ground floor accommodation. Budget constraints intervened before construction started and the design was reduced to a single storey house on a brick base. Painted dark brown with added canvas awnings the house prior to refurbishment was an odd mixture of styles.

Refurbishment work started in 2013 with a new driveway and parking area to the east. A new route through the house was created to connect to the new entrance. Bedrooms and bathrooms were rearranged within the steel frame to overlook the garden to the north. The original south-facing living area with free-standing brick fireplace and timber-boarded ceiling was retained. The brick walls to the under croft were removed and the floating steel structure of the original design reintroduced. The steel work and wall panels were painted white and a new steel and concrete stepping terrace added to the south. The composition and the setting of the house was completed in 2019 with the construction of a new garden studio. Set against a brick wall that conceals the garage and service area, the glass panels of the new studio can be slid back to open the studio space to the garden and views to the south.

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