The Bread Oven

'BreadOven' was the result of the desire to create a new focal point for the family to gather. A detached grade II listed building, on the edge of the former village green within a conservation area, originating from the 16th century, with 17th and 19th century additions, the original house 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 original house was simple in plan, the materials, craftsmanship and architectural features of the period are clearly visible witin its 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. To the wall of one first floor bedroom there are scratched markings, which read ‘Maudie Paine, Hardwick School’ who was found on the 1881 census.

The new extended part of the house is sited to follow the diagonal line of a historical external retaining wall. This deliberate design feature was used to ensure the new extension did not dominate the existing historical building or its setting within the conservation area and helped to connect new and old together. CDC studio offered a few itertations to suggest how the 'new' could latch onto the 'old' and the resulting rear hipped and end gable form was born.

The clients had a real love of 'scandi' architecture and embraced black vertical timber, and a dark zinc roof to create a real contrast of modern and old. Internally the driving force was the opening up of the orginal bread oven which on agreement with the conservaton officer had its enclosing external structure removed and its formed revealed within the space of the extension. Care was taken to retain the 'Bread Oven' structure and clean the facing brickwork and plinth. It now stands proudly between the existing building and the new extension and has a new client use for drying bulbs.

The volume of the space is open, held together with delicate steel rods and glulam timber structure to enhance the feeling of light and space. Internally a window seat offers new views out toward the magnificent garden which the landscape gardener client is developing. The internal flooring inspired from trips to the Barbican is a ketley brick extending out onto the raised patio and stepping down into the lower landscape. A lovely kitchen of oak with matt black nanopaint, and a thin Dekton worktop finish off the space.

The clients conclude “Building the extension has not only changed the feel and flow of the house, but it’s meant that we now use the other rooms in a much better way,”