Oate Barn
A contemporary Cotswold barn conversion restoring character to the property. Sympathetic craft and detailing achieve a complex, engaging and beautiful home.
Box, Wiltshire, 2025
Set within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wiltshire and the Avon Green Belt, ‘Oate Barn’ is a detached property, believed to date back back to 1811. Much of its character had been overwhelmed by poorly-considered rear extensions that have been badly executed, and which resulted in compromised layouts. As a result, Oate Barn arrived in much need of general update and modernisation.
Designs allowed a sympathetic material palette to draw upon the traditional Cotswold aesthetic, with restoration of ashlar quoins and surrounds restoring the natural stonework to be celebrated. A 'fabric' first' upgrade allowed a significant and sympathetic environmental upgrade to the historic property through a combination of improved insulation, as well as upgraded heating and electrical systems.
Works maximised light and views, particularly through the use of top lighting on the north-facing extension. At ground floor level, extensions provide better visual and physical links with the rear garden, improving access levels. Above, new windows give views over the Bybrook Valley, giving much more prominence to long views across the setting.
Location: Kingsdown, Wiltshire
Client: Private domestic
Status: Completed (2024)
Design Team: Matthew Clay, Jack Jarrett, James Bishop, Zoé Mangan
Structural Engineer: Morcom Design Workshop
Contractor: Bluemill Property, Clements Building Contractors
Photography: © Leigh Dawney Photography
We have had great pleasure in collaborating on over 30 projects across 15 years with Matthew Clay and his architects. This renovation involved complex solutions to allow the existing and proposed structures to work in harmony, and we found the team to be appreciative of the challenges this entailed. Above all, we have always enjoyed working with them.
Darrell Morcom, Structural Engineer at Morcom Design Workshop