New Swimming Pool & Pool House for Grade II* Listed Building in Kent

New Swimming Pool and Pool House Design at Grade II* Listed Home

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This beautiful property is a late medieval timber frame Hall House, dating back to circa 1440, according to historic map analysis and architectural form. The building has a long and rich history and has been a significant part of the village of Woodchurch for many centuries. This beautiful Grade II* Listed property sits within Woodchurch’s Conservation Area.

We were asked to design a new swimming pool and pool house within the land to the rear of the Grade II* listed building. Additionally, the owners instructed us to make minor alterations to the ground floor utility and boot room to the rear of the house to facilitate a required accessible wet room, as well as a new boundary wall. Maintaining the historic nature of the building was our priority as the house is Grade II* listed and within a conservation area. Careful consideration of the impact of a swimming pool on the building’s heritage value is required to ensure that the pool will not negatively impact the setting of the Listed Building. Additional steps were taken in the design stage of the scheme to ensure this would be achieved.

The result is an attractive pool and pool house, which fits perfectly in line with the historic house. The form, materials, and quality of construction complement its presence within the property and location.

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Designing a swimming pool and pool house at Listed home

The building is a typical example of a Wealden Hall House, a type of medieval close studded timber-framed house only found in the South East of England. The hall house is characterised by its half-timbered walls, steep roof, and central hall, whilst the architectural attribute of the Wealden Hall house provides a wealth of original Wealden Timber framing. The landscaped gardens to the rear and grounds extend to approximately 1.75 acres and provide a beautiful, secluded setting with formal and informal areas.

The main requirement was to provide a pool and pool house which blended with the historic character of the existing building and surrounding area. Additionally, our clients required the living arrangements to be brought into modern standards with the primary intention to facilitate a usable area to accommodate limited mobility and assisted living. The area in question currently serves as a utility room and this area will be sensitively converted into an assisted shower room with a level access shower and seat. We worked closely with the clients to detail exactly how they envisioned their new space to be.

Gaining Listed Building Consent for Swimming Pool and Pool House to Listed Building

To meet the brief, we designed a pool and pool house which retains the original character and appearance of the building within the site, whilst preserving the significance of the surrounding built heritage assets. To inform our designs, historical guidance has been consulted. We submitted a detailed heritage statement to support our planning and listed building application which was later granted by the local authority. In conjunction with this, a full site heritage impact assessment had been carried out of the site including an analysis of the buildings architectural and historical values.

The pool will be situated in a part of the building that is not visible from the street or other public areas and should not harm or damage the architectural and historic features. The use of sympathetic materials appropriate to the historic building were used, in keeping with the building and setting.

The pool is set away from the main house and the walled garden provides a visual buffer. The pool is not visible from the streetscape and would not affect the character of the Woodchurch Conservation area.

 Our design, detailed heritage statement and extensive expertise in navigating the planning process assisted towards obtaining Planning and Listed Building Consent for the two-storey extension.
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Internal alterations to listed building

The proposed shower room will naturally create moisture within the immediate area, potentially affecting the historic fabric. As such, the proposed works to protect the historic fabric include secondary glazing to protect existing windows from moisture and adequate ventilation with the addition of a new Tudor Style tile extraction vent, the form and scale for which will have minimal impact upon the roof form. To improve accessibility into the proposed shower room, there will be some minor alterations made to a section of existing walling and doorway. This requires the proposed trimming and raising of a section to a historic beam, conjectured as 18th century.

If you are interested in internal alterations to a listed building, please read one of our latest blogs here.

Building a pool and pool house to a Grade II listed Wealden Hall House

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In terms of the pool house, the proposed roof form incorporates a clay tile bonnet hipped roof with exposed rafters to match the existing roof forms. As such, the design and form maintain and preserves the characteristic of Kentish Agricultural vernacular and the Woodchurch Conservation Area. The proposed mass in visual impact is considered sympathetic, as the building is low in ridge height in comparison to the main dwelling. As such, the proposed structure is subservient within the setting.

As part of the works to grounds, it has been proposed to create a small aperture in the kitchen garden wall to enable a visible connection between the house and garden. The small alteration to the wall, identified as medium to high in significance, would be seen as low in detriment through its careful removal of bricks. The intervention is limited in scope whilst creating a visual enhancement.

The materials

The materials specified below are those used for the pool, pool house and minor alterations to perfectly blend into the original building. These include:

・Clay tiles for a bonnet hipped roof

・Exposed rafters to match existing roof forms

・Oak posts, bracing, and stretcher bonded brick with lime mortar provides a sympathetic style; one that is in keeping to the setting and principal dwelling.

・Natural oak and timber framing, in keeping with the wider surrounding historic environment and the Woodchurch Conservation.

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We are pleased our clients are happy with the design for a modern swimming pool and pool house at their Grade II* Listed Building. The proposed design blends seamlessly into the house and its surroundings, preserving the historic character. In addition, we made internal alterations to include a utility/boot room and new shower room which has improved accessibility on the ground floor.  

If you would like to discuss a swimming pool project, please contact our team here.

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