Parke is a C17th Pembrokeshire cottage situated on a smallholding in the very south of the County. It is a rare survivor of the usual later modifications and retained a good part of the original base course straw thatch tied to waney oak laths with twisted straw rope. All of this had been protected from the elements under a tin roof for the last sixty years.

Parke from the East

A huge protective scaffold was erected over the whole property before we could begin to carefully remove the layers of tin and timber covering the original roof.

We had understood from the records that the original cottage under thatch had later been supplement with a C19 extension, perhaps a parlour? as well as having had a new lateral chimney on the front elevation. As the thicknesses of limewash applied over a couple hundred years were removed, the building started to tell a different and far more complex story.

The rear and gable wall of the C19 extension exhibit mortar that is perhaps older than the cottage under thatch while the front wall of the extension has clearly been rebuilt in the nineteenth century. The older walls revealed hidden ventilation slot openings hinting that this may have been an attached animal byre long ago. Further mysteries surround the east wall of the old cottage itself where floor to ceiling joints are found that no longer relate to the existing openings. We have speculated that the cottage originally had a central doorway with symetrical windows located either side, an arrangement that was later moved north as the lateral chimney with a C19 cast iron range was added. Perhaps we will not know for sure unless the ground reveals further clues when the existing tiles are lifted. At first inspection our Master Thatcher, Pembrokeshire’s Alan Jones, had thought that we may be able to save some of the original base course, but as the building was gradually revealed it became clear that it has deteriorated too much. However, we were able to save samples of the  straw thatch, the straw rope and oak pegs now retained at St Fagans Folk Museum.

Work continues at a good pace replacing rotting timbers while retaining most of the original A frames, consolidating walls and lintols ready for thatching to begin.

The Cottage that Stepped Forward to Take a Bow

Lower Grove Cottage presented a rare chance to conserve a typical small holding cottage beautifully located in the heart of rural Pembrokeshire. The dilemma with such a proposal is always the same—how to retain the existing building as the dominant feature of the scheme—answer in this case, explain Willis and Hole—utilise the principle of complementary contrast

The Brief
To create a modern family home by renovation and extending a rare untouched traditional Pembrokeshire cottage.

The Design Solution
Lower Grove Cottage presented a rare chance to conserve a typical small holding cottage beautifully located in a secluded south facing valley close to Cresswell Quay in the heart of rural Pembrokeshire.

The dilemma with such a proposal is always the same—how to retain the existing building as the dominant feature of the scheme when the requirements of modern living demand that the extensions are greater than the original. Planning Policy requires that the extensions should be subservient.

The design philosophy utilised the principle of complementary contrast.

The majority of the new living accommodation was placed in a light weight barn like construction clad in weathered larch to contrast with the massive stone walls of the original cottage and set back from the face of the original.

The contrast was maintained in the plan arrangement. The living spaces are open and flooded with light while the bedrooms are housed in the secure enclosure of the old building. The two elements of the scheme play off against one another to remarkable effect about the circulation spine created along the rear wall of the cottage.

Our professional clients finished the interior of the scheme to a very high quality. The project featured centre stage in the BBC programme Escape to the Country.

Services retained, conserved and still dominant, the cottage at Lower Grove Cresselly found its place in the limelight. Step forward and take a bow.