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South Downs House

Lewes

Project Details

£0.5m to £0.99M

Sited in AONB

Practice

MortonScarr Architects

47 Middle Street , BRIGHTON , BN1 1AL

A new build 5 bedroom home, located in an exposed site on top of the South Downs. It replaces a workers cottage that was previously on the site, and careful consideration had to be given during the design to ensure the proposals did not have a more onerous impact on the national park than the previous house. As such, the house follows a similar footprint to its predecessor, as well as its simple pitched-roof form. The house is clad in flint, a material which has traditionally been used throughout the local area and whose robustness befits the exposed location. The flintwork is detailed in a contemporary way and is complemented with larch cladding and a standing seam metal roof. Cut-outs within the roof form a terrace for the first floor Master Bedroom, whilst glazing to each of the gable ends of the house provide incredible views over the surrounding countryside. Internally, the house has an open plan kitchen, living and dining area with sliding windows leading out into a sheltered garden. A study, dayroom and two further guest bedrooms make up the remainder of the Ground Floor. Within the entrance hall, a plywood staircase leads up through a double height space to the first floor, where a plywood wall is the main feature, leading from front to back and concealing bathrooms and wardrobes behind secret doors.