Winster House

The brief was to design an exclusive new residence at a beautiful Lakeland location set within 80 acres of woodland with its own private tarn.

The house had to complement an adjacent existing 1980s building and the proposal had to offer a level of privacy to both buildings whilst taking advantage of the impressive and tranquil views over the westerly tarn. In order to achieve this the new dwelling, was staggered in plan, being situated to one side and slightly in front of the existing building. The new house was set lower in the landscape, to avoid dominating its neighbour.

Traditional slate and lead roofs with valleys and dormers complemented the existing Lakeland vernacular, whilst a combination of stone and cedar cladding and crisp white render firmly placed this building as a modern, contemporary villa

In order to maximise the impressive views, the house was inverted with bedrooms on the ground floor; and an open plan lounge kitchen and dining room to the first floor with an extensive full-length glazed balcony deck.

The house was not on mains gas so a 21st century eco-solution to the heating and hot water system was designed with ground source heat pump manufacturer Vaillant; the first application for a Lake Heat Exchanger in an existing lake in the UK. The whole installation process was filmed for the ITV1s The Lakes programme.

Detailed landscaping sought to comfortably ‘nestle’ this crisp new building into the existing traditional Lakeland gardens. Extensive use of the stone from the ground works was used to create traditional drystone walls, and irregular steps made with boulders, as used on Lakeland fell paths.

As with our other private residence designs in the Lake District National Park, it is a fitting addition to the Lakeland landscape. This building is very much of our time whilst remaining relevant to the local style and use of materials.