Issue 36 2023 - Journal - Page 55
Tower Wood Cottage -
A sensitive conversion of a Grade II Listed
Barn, adjacent to Lake Windermere in the
heart of the Lake District National Park,
by Chetham Architecture Design
Tower Wood Cottage and Barn are situated off the main A592, which runs between Bowness
and Newby Bridge in the Lake District National Park. It is set within a large area of land,
which extends down to the shore of Lake Windermere.
Heritage
The property is Grade II listed under the Planning (Listed
Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (Ref:
1224962). The house and barn date from the late 17th
century or early 18th Century, with some later additions.
The property has random stone rubble walls, which had
been partially covered with a textured white cement render. There is a mix of windows, including six-paned timber
sashes with slate 'eye-brows' and some stone mullions to
the rear of the cottage. The doors are timber ledged and
battened, with small glass panes to the cottage. There is
a continuous slate roof over the cottage and barn, with a
small raised section above the main barn door.
The property is a fine example of early 18th Century farm
buildings typical of the Lake District during that period.
The Barn would have originally consisted of a 'threshing
barn' on the upper level, with the ramp allowing access
for carts, whist the lower level would have been used as a
cow shed, or possibly stables. The character of the
Below, NE Elevation (complete)
property is largely determined by the relationship between
the cottage and the barn, which displays characteristics
of a 'longhouse' arrangement, with a 'cross-passage' in the
barn. Consequently, it was considered paramount that
any alterations do not undermine this relationship,
particularly when approaching the property from the East.
Internally, however, there was little of the original barn
remaining. The roof structure had been replaced with a
modern timber truss construction and the suspended
timber floor consisted of chipboard on new joists. On the
lower ground floor there were still some original timber
beams, which had been retained and some timber
partitions, and the floor of the barn was a mixture of
cobbles and over-site concrete.
Brief
The attached barn was currently being used as a games
room/office on the upper floor, with storage on the lower
ground floor. However, these spaces were not insulated
or suitable for permanent occupation. Consequently,
the brief was to convert the barn into habitable
accommodation.
