Architecture Wednesday: The Stone Barn

This beautifully renovated and enlarged—there are four bedrooms and two-and-one-half bathrooms in 3467 square feet—modern home in Winchcombe is set within the walls of a Grade II–listed stone cottage and former agricultural barn.

A long avenue of trees lines the approach to the home, discreetly tucked into a quiet and secluded pocket at the furthest end of the driveway. A generous parking area, and a wide turning circle sits along one side, with winding paths that lead through the front lawns to the main entrance of the house.

A series of open-plan modern living spaces unfold once you enter the home juxtaposed with exposed stone walls and thick beams, and windows along both sides of the Great Room. The primary living spaces are loosely arranged across the central split-level of the ground floor, with the upper floors on both the north and south sides of the home housing the sleeping areas.

A sleek modern kitchen runs the length of one wall on the main level, with hand-crafted cabinetry and free-standing workstations; there is an additional pantry set in a lower-level room to one side. The dining area is positioned between the kitchen and living spaces, with exposed, lime washed stone walls and rich terracotta on the walls,; a sunroom living area protrudes beyond the original external wall, opening onto the front terrace in warmer months.

From the Great Room steps lead into a small library space and then to another living area with an open stone fireplace; down a few steps is a small study area and access to the back courtyard and outhouse—not a toilet, but an outbuilding currently housing a laundry room—and the southern terrace and gardens.

Bak inside, a staircase leads to three bedrooms on the upper southern levels; original curved walls and dipping ceilings retain the rural character; each bedroom has a beautiful view, and the upper bedroom has an en suite bathroom with a roll-top bathtub.

The Primary Suite sits along the second-floor northwestern side of the home and is probably the most impressive space in the house, with the double-height pitch of the ceilings, massive beams and windows along both sides of the space to bring in the light. The room has been artfully divided to provide an open plan for sleeping and bathing—perhaps a little too open for my taste. The sleeping area sits atop a raised platform with a soaking tub overlooking the gardens and fields; a dividing wall behind the bed is where you find the toilet and shower, while a dressing space is on the opposite side of a central screen of wardrobes and cabinetry in the middle of the room; a work area is placed behind the wardrobe as well with its own views of the countryside.

Outside the gardens and terraces have been designed with mindful intention, ensuring the outside spaces are enjoyed as much as the interior. On the east side a south-facing terrace is the spot to enjoy a quiet early morning coffee; for alfresco lunches and suppers, the dining area on the lower south-facing terrace is the perfect spot from midday until sunset. Pleached hornbeam trees create a natural screen, while beds and borders are filled with flowering perennials and shrubs—echinacea, salvia, verbena and prairie-style grasses—which burst to life in the spring.

If you’re interested, the price has just been reduced from $1.9M USD to $1.3M USD. There’s a bargain to be had. I might ask for a small allowance to close in that bathroom in the primary suite for a wee bit more toilet privacy …

As always, click to emBIGGERate …

Dwell