·   Conservation Areas are places identified as having special architectural character or historic interest, which deserve preservation or enhancement.  Many of the historic towns and villages of the Cotswolds have a distinctive character given special protection.  Conservation Areas contain listed or unlisted buildings, ancient or comparatively recent structures, as well as open spaces, gardens or parkland.

Local Character is  marked in the  Cotswolds by oolitic limestone as the dominant material.  It is cut into smooth ashlar facings for the walls of important buildings, laid as coursed facings for the walls or as coursed rubble for less pretentious houses, cottages and barns.  Limestone was burnt in kilns to make quicklime.  When slaked with water, it forms the base for lime mortar, lime plaster and a weatherproofing external limewash.  Limestone is laid dry for boundary walls, and split by the frost into natural slates for roofing.  In the North ironstone predominates but the South East timber framing, elm weatherboarding make their appearance. Where the railways and canals extend into the region brick and slate occur.  The Cotswolds are charming because of the consistency of local materials, and the unfolding pattern of historic building styles.  Buildings appear to have grown together, producing a visual context into which new development must be thoughtfully inserted, working with the grain of the surrounding buildings. Today a wide range of architectural forms and synthetic materials are available.  These, when juxtaposed with traditional forms and natural materials, often appear alien and out of place.  Never the less Conservation Areas are not frozen in time but special care is needed in design and choice of materials for new building. 

Willow Cottage

For a private client in the Shilton Conservation Area we have successfully achieved the substantial enlargement of a Cottage close to the Shill Brook. By replacing a poor quality garage, with a 2 storey new building in the style of a traditional Cotswold Barn we have increased the living and working space. The new “Barn” is linked to the original cottage by a conservatory, with Cotswold stone floors, its light weight structure maintaining the link between the village street and the landscape beyond.

• conservatory

• oak framed  loft

• garage

• cotswold stone

• high performance doors & windows

• planning & conservation area consents