Leading the way in revitalising country estates

ADAM Architecture is one of the few architectural practices with the breadth of expertise required to meet the diverse needs of historic and more recently developed country estates.

Our experience includes the restoration and extension of estate houses and the adaptive reuse of associated listed buildings, the introduction of new structures and landscape elements, and the development of long-term strategies. At Chettle House, in Dorset, we restored Thomas Archer’s grand 18th century country house and added new buildings to the estate, including garages, a swimming pool and accompanying classical pavilion. All work was undertaken after meticulous historic research to ensure Archer’s intentions were preserved. The surrounding 117 acres were expertly restored by landscape specialists. The revitalised estate continues the legacy of Chettle House at the heart of the hamlet of Chettle.

Our approach to working with estates ensures that their architectural, historical and landscape heritage is respected, while enabling future social, environmental and financial viability. The Englefield Estate sits at the heart of Englefield, one of Britain’s few remaining intact estate villages managing 14,000 acres of land, more than 600 properties and employing 60 staff. We were commissioned to revitalise the sawmill as part of the estate’s long-term vision for the future, rooted in sustainability, conservation and community.

The estate opted to reuse the prominent building in the heart of the village to breathe new life into the Estate Yard as part of a wider economic masterplan to improve viability and promote adaptive reuse of the sawmill and surrounding yard and return it to an employment hub. Originally built as a workshop, our award-winning scheme has reinvented the sawmill as a comfortable, low-carbon office space for the estate’s maintenance and management teams, while staying true to the building’s industrial heritage and driving a sustainability agenda. It is now the hub of the modern, rural estate and fosters collaboration and ties with the community.

Our estate work is sometimes for much more recently developed estates. At Witley Park, a 500-acre private estate in Surrey, our ongoing extensive project includes the full regeneration of the estate, including the restoration and extension of the mansion house, designed by ADAM Architecture in 2014. As well as the house, work includes the comprehensive restoration of six cottages on the northwest boundary of the estate, as well as a lodge to the south.

With decades of specialist knowledge, we help owners unlock the future potential of their estates, often introducing new residential or commercial uses for existing buildings, designing new buildings and even estate villages to ensure a sustainable legacy for the wider community.