Ivy Farm

Little Sodbury

Ivy Farm is a Grade II Listed farmhouse located in the historic Cotswold hamlet of Little Sodbury. Despite its listed building status, the building (much of which originates from the 17th Century) had suffered from decades of neglect and a sequence of insensitive adaptations.

When purchased in 2014 by an existing client, the farmhouse comprised a warren-like grouping of dark rooms and disjointed corridors. Externally, the house was coated in a cement render that trapped damp into its stone walls.

Paying careful attention to the simplicity of the original 17th Century layout, a planning case was successfully made to South Gloucestershire’s conservation officers for significant adaptations to later Victorian and 20th Century elements of the building. The new design included the comprehensive de-cluttering of the exterior, revealing a handsome southern elevation which provided the inspiration for a contemporary kitchen extension within a new projecting gable.

The generously glazed new space brings garden views and a much needed boost to the light levels of the farmhouse interior. The extension not only provides valuable extra floor area for the home, but is used as a strategy to unlock poorly utilised space in the original farmhouse. The introduction of a new oak staircase within the extension has enabled the removal of a cramped Victorian flight which had hamstrung the previous house layout.

Particular care was taken in the architectural detailing to establish a harmonious relationship between the contemporary addition and the original building. The slender rooflines seen in the original 17th Century tiled gables inform the design for the new kitchen, where the deeper construction build-up (necessitated by much more generous spans and 21st Century insulation requirements) is tapered to a fine-edged roof verge. The overall aim has been to confidently employ modern construction with appropriate sensitivity so that the historical character of the original house emerges enhanced from the process. The Cotswold farmhouse evolves into a flexible light-filled home that is well suited to contemporary family living.