Client – Grasmere Hostel

Grasmere Hostel

Located in the heart of the Lake District National Park in the picturesque village of Grasmere this traditional Cumbrian Farm provides first class accommodation for visitors to the region.

Known as ’the Lake District’s Finest Independent Hostel’, its success meant that more accommodation for both staff and visitors was required, but being located in a conservation area and a Grade II Listed Building this project needed to be approached with sensitivity. An assessment of the site in conjunction with the National Park’s officers led to a store room and barn being identified as areas suitable for conversion.

The project involved detailed negotiations with the planning team at the Lake District National Park to ensure that a growing business was allowed to thrive whilst maintaining the spectacular original architecture of this farm.

The barns provided two discreet apartments with no apparent change to them externally, whilst delivering bright, light accommodation within.

Included in the brief was designing a suitable building for a biomass boiler for the site. This was delivered as a more contemporary cedar clad outbuilding. BCA worked extensively with the biomass engineers to design the paths and routes of the District Heating System to minimise excavations and disturbance to this sensitive site.