The Mountpleasant Methodist chapel in New Mills was built in 1892 in a Renaissance revival style. In 1993 the interior and roof was destroyed by fire, but the external walls remained standing, abandoned and hidden amongst an overgrown graveyard. Until, in 2020, a local artist purchased the land and buildings and commissioned us to design a new independent dwelling within the chapel walls and an outdoor cafe in the rear Sunday school. Our approach is to retain the character of the ruin and clearly distinguish the new elements from the old through a contrasting contemporary dwelling. The building then becomes a palimpsest, a layering of elements that in their own way tell the history of the building, from its original construction, through to its destruction by fire, and its rebirth into a new use.