Lower Lodge - Future-Proofing a Gatehouse

Lower Lodge Gatehouse is an impressive building that marks the entrance to the Kentchurch Estate in Herefordshire. However, it wasn’t achieving its full potential as a gateway to the estate because the layout was impractical for day-to-day living, the fabric had suffered from a period of under-investment and had flooded in the past. We worked with our client to transform the gatehouse into flood-resilient holiday accommodation that allows a full appreciation of its architectural significance. Our approach has created value and preserved an important piece of the estate’s heritage. Our approach to creating valuable holiday accommodation was to turn the building upside down. In our design, the first floor above the historic gateway became the building’s main accommodation and features an open plan living, dining and kitchen space. We also added an opening to the south-facing roof above the ground floor bedroom to create a roof terrace with spectacular views of the estate and the wider landscape. At ground floor level, we created three bedrooms from existing spaces, including the former kitchen. Each of the bedrooms has an ensuite bathroom, which our client viewed as essential to the building achieving its maximum revenue potential. We took our cues from design elements found in the ancestral seat of Kentchurch Court, including wood panelling and chequerboard flooring. In the ensuite bathrooms, the distinctive tiling also echoes that found in Kentchurch Court. Ultimately, the work has helped to secure Lower Lodge Gatehouse’s contribution to the local and wider cultural landscape for the long term. It is also helping to give the estate a distinctive identity for the 21st century, allowing our client to leave his mark as the latest generation to be custodians of the estate.