Fowlescombe Estate

  • an environmentally-conscious estate

  • A future-thinking rural estate guided by a visionary ambition

    This ambitious project sees a rundown Devon valley farm transformed to an environmentally-conscious estate which maintains the highest standards of animal well-being in a sensitive rural setting.

     

    The client bought the estate in 1998 with a vision to create not just a working estate with rare breed animals, but a rural community that would include homes for holiday lets, and a visitor centre which could accommodate schools  or local events. We worked collaboratively with the client on the strategic masterplan for the redevelopment of the estate, establishing guiding design principles that have provided a robust framework for subsequent and incremental development. Our approach facilitated the client’s absolute passion and commitment to sustainability, reintroducing traditional processes and craft, exceeding organic regulations for their produce and minimising environmental impact.

  • The study of Fowlescombe’s historical landscaping and routes informed the concept for the redevelopment. The estate contained a number of...

    The study of Fowlescombe’s historical landscaping and routes informed the concept for the redevelopment.

    The estate contained a number of ruined structures including kennels and a 17th century mansion overrun with ivy. The disparate and dilapidated buildings on the estate, some listed, were transformed into a coherent collection of assets including 3 highly sustainable guest homes with communal facilities including a laundry, a visitor and event centre with full catering kitchen, and the main residential home for the client. The project also encompassed the repair and protection of a17th Century Grade II Listed ruined Mansion House and bridge.  The entrance to the main house has been relocated in order to create an enclosed and terraced garden, away from the working farm.  A new driveway sweeps around the garden and arrives at a new glazed entrance to the west. A new glass house has been added to the house at lower level to allow for unencumbered views across the valley.

  • As well as its own livestock, the estate is home to a rich host of wildlife – barn owls, badgers,...

    As well as its own livestock, the estate is home to a rich host of wildlife – barn owls, badgers, hares, swallows, newts, frogs. The landscape has been sensitively restored with formal gardens, restored woodlands and pasture, and high quality animal accommodation. An old orchard and walkways connecting it to key buildings has been re-established, and landscape efficiency has been maximised with a sustainable drainage system.

     

    The creation of a new rural community gave us the opportunity to implement a communal energy strategy across all its buildings and functions. A biomass boiler, fuelled by waste products from the farm, provides communal heating and hot water supply. This is supplemented by solar panels and a wind turbine which together heat and power the Visitors Centre, farm office, workshops, communal laundry, commercial kitchen, farmhouse, guest accommodation as well as the livestock and animal housing.

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