The Bread Oven
The extension has not only changed the feel and flow of the house, but it’s meant that we now make better use of the other rooms
The detached Grade II-listed building stands on a 1.5-acre plot, on the edge of the former village green within a Conservation Area. After the family moved into the house in 2006 they began researching the building’s history; Originating from the 16th century, with 17th- and 19th-century additions, the property is of timber-framed construction, rendered on a brick plinth, with a clay peg tiled roof to the front and a concrete plain tiled roof to the rear.
The simple plan, form and cross section of the historic house are preserved. The materials, craftsmanship and architectural features of the period are clearly visible within the structure, including six 19th century casement windows with cast iron latticed glazing bars, exposed timber framing, stop chamfered ceiling beams and two inglenook hearths, one with sealed baking ovens. On the wall of one first-floor bedroom there are scratched markings, which read ‘Maudie Paine, Hardwick School’ who was found on the 1881 census.
Bread Oven .....It was a farm with 242 acres of land and had belonged to the Wimpole Estate at one time, before being sold off to cover debts by the fifth Earl of Hardwicke, known as Champagne Charlie. Some people believe that the reason our oven is so large is because other houses would bring their bread here to be baked.
Having completed a measured survey, we discovered that we could construct a case for a single-storey extension around the concealed bread oven, allowing it to be reopened and revealed as an asset. After exploring a number of iterations considering the connection between the new and old structures, a sympathetic but modern proposal was agreed; a slanted addition which would follow the line of the existing listed wall.
The proposal married the long and narrow Grade II-listed house with a contemporary but subservient extension. This addition would not be visible from the street and would provide a family kitchen-diner with connection to the garden whilst freeing up space within the existing house to create a new guest bedroom and en suite in the former kitchen. The design centered around the bread oven, incorporating it to create a feature within the new kitchen, enabling the family and future owners to visibly enjoy this important historical part of the building.
Removal of the roof and surrounding walls enclosing the bread oven structure was approved and the walls brought to floor level, retaining the outline for evidence of the original extent of the oven enclosure
Period features
A study was created in the former dining room, where a huge inglenook fireplace, seat and cupboards were concealed behind later additions.
In the sitting room, lime plaster has been applied by a skilled artisan who also worked on other rooms in the house.
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Client
Private -
Location
Cambridgeshire -
Budget
Private -
Design Team
Supernature Garden and Landscape
Gawn Associates -
Contractor
N/A -
Team
Delphine Dryer, Molly Blackwell -
Photographs
Richard Chivers