1840s townhouse, Notting Hill, London

Over the years this 1840s townhouse, which is individually described & pictured in the Survey of London, had been much altered & badly extended with unsymmetrical side wings. Internally none of the original features remained. The restoration sought to restore as many original features as possible and to completely rebuild one wing so as to reinstate the street elevation's symmetrical appearance. The garden elevation was altered considerably to improve the house's relationship with the (for central London) very large private garden which was originally laid out in the 1970s by garden designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd. The design alterations to the building's original fabric are executed in a traditionally correct fashion; they are 'stealth' changes in the manner of the 20th century classical architect Raymond Erith. However the new steel garden extensions & steel colonnade express themselves in a completely contemporary manner. The house is a modern family home and the restoration's mixture of old & new design is intended to express the building's contemporary function as well as being respectful of its history and considerable charm. It is now a harmonious whole that is greater than the sum of its old & new parts.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Small engines, big batteries: The quiet revolution of car design
More and more cars on the road are electric, and some unusual shapes and sizes glide past silently. But what does it all mean for design?
-
14 ways to keep your dogs cool in the heat, by A-list dog trainer Ben Randall
Dogs can't regulate their body temperatures as well as humans can, so at this time of year they need your help keeping cool, whether you're on the road, out and about or leaving them with someone else while you go away.