Cherkley Court
Location: Leatherhead, Surrey
Client: Long Shot Country Club Company Limited
Lead Architects: Colwyn Foulkes & Partners
Heritage Architects and Consultants: Heritage Architecture Ltd
Planning Consultant: Planning Perspectives LLP
Project Manager: Bond Davidson
Quantity Surveyor: Bond Davidson
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Services Engineer: Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architects: Colvin & Moggridge
Interior Designer: Susie Atkinson
Main Contractor: S&T Ltd. & Wates Construction Ltd
Cherkley Court Estate is located to the southeast of Leatherhead urban area. The estate occupies approximately 370 acres of the countryside of the Leatherhead Downs, which forms part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The main estate consists of farmland, woodland and the Main House, a Grade II listed building with nearby utilitarian outbuildings, and various estate lodges. Moreover, there are different individual listed structures within the grounds, also all Grade II and 4 scheduled ancient monuments. Beyond the Orangery to the northwest but within the curtilage of the Main House, is the former Stable block, comprising the Coach House and Stables, the Gardener’s House and the Gardener’s House Cottage. They form a complex of vernacular style buildings set around a courtyard. The open side of this features an arched colonnade overlooking the valley.
Special Interest:
Main House Exterior
The main building is classical in style with numerous Italianate features, such as banded rustication, vermiculated quoins and balustrade Tuscan porches and large keystones. Other elements such as the tall French windows and tall mansard roofs are evident and give the building its eclectic style. The decorative features, the classical proportions and elements that are part of the building’s original integrated services, such as rainwater goods, are all significant features of the exterior.
Landscape
An essential part of the Main House exterior is its immediate setting: the Italian garden, garden pool (grade II listed) and terraced steps and loggia (grade II listed). The synergy of these structures and landscape makes a harmonious composition. They are all historically and architecturally significant in their own right, but more so collectively.
Decorative Features in the Main House
There are two main layers of decorative fabric. The first layer is the 1880s fabric which includes the majority of the joinery, cornicing, skirting, plasterwork and some ironmongery. Original interior fabric from the 1860s, when the building was first constructed, was damaged in a fire in 1893. The second layer of interior decorative features are dotted around the building. These features are of particular interest, particularly in rooms where the 1930s décor is more comprehensive, contributing to the building’s historical and evidential value.
Project Proposal:
The proposed scheme involved alterations to the Main House, the other listed buildings within the estate and the buildings within the curtilage of the Grade II listed Main House. The proposal in the Main House comprised formation of internal openings and constructing partitions, insertion of a mezzanine floor in the kitchen in the service wing, installation of a DDA compliant lift and installation of new services including bathrooms. Works affecting the setting of the listed building and curtilage buildings included additions and alterations to the Coach House and stable complex, the creation of an underground indoor swimming pool and spa and the provision of an outdoor pool and alterations and additions to the Garden House complex.
Scope of Professional Services:
LISTED BUILDING CONSENT AND FULL PLANNING APPLICATIONS: A number of Heritage Statements comprehensive of: Historic Appraisal and Significance Assessment of the building; NPPF & Local Policy Justification Statement; Morphological & Significance Plans (for the Main House only) led to successful Planning and Listed Building Consents in September 2015 and January-March 2016.
DISCHARGE OF CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO THE LBC AND PLANNING PERMISSION & SUBMISSION OF NEW APPLICATIONS: We were appointed to provide heritage and conservation advice and liaise with the design team and other consultants. Part of our scope was liaising with the Local Authority as necessary and dealing with heritage matters that could be raised during this process. We were also appointed to prepare supporting statements in support of each new application and for discharge of conditions.