19th Century, Heritage Cottage Renovation and Sustainable Extension

West Sussex

This cottage is a charming, unlisted, late 19th-century property designed in the cottage orné style, located on a generous, wooded plot. Although the house underwent unsympathetic alterations in the mid-20th century, it retains architectural elements of historical significance—including parts of the roof structure—believed to originate from a 19th-century or earlier water mill that once occupied the site. A small remnant of the original mill wall still remains.

The architectural brief focused on creating spacious, family-friendly accommodation that supports modern living, while preserving the cottage’s historic character and enhancing its environmental performance. The design solution involved a carefully considered two-storey wraparound extension. This addition is subtly set back from the original structure and adopts a more agrarian aesthetic, utilising locally sourced bricks and oak cladding to reflect the mill buildings that previously stood on the site.

The extension introduces a generous open-plan kitchen and family room on the ground floor, with a master bedroom suite above. Repositioning the staircase to the former kitchen area enabled the retention of much of the original floor plan, maintaining the cottage’s traditional, cellular layout. Two new dormer windows on the south elevation enhance attic bedroom space by increasing natural light and headroom.

The new extensions have been sensitively designed using high-quality, sustainable materials. They complement the historic cottage without overpowering it, offering visual interest and architectural harmony. The result is a thoughtfully modernised period home that respects its heritage and meets contemporary living standards.