the old skittle alley

BARN CONVERSION AND HISTORIC RENOVATION - CARLINGCOTT, BATH

Embedded deep in the rural Somerset countryside, the old skittle alley was a derelict stone barn that once served as the hive of activity to the former village pub, but in recent years fell into severe disrepair. This was a fascinating project with the goals of first saving the broken structure from ruin, and then exploring new ways of breathing life and joy back into the building’s use.

The stone structure required extensive consolidation and conservation works, and the timber roof structure repaired where it was possible to retain surviving material. As well as the client, we were keen to preserve the external character of the worn barn, so new interventions were limited to the metal roof coverings and punctured openings within the gable elevation; that frame the extraordinary views down into the valley.

Inside this split level barn, the brief was simple: to restore the use of the space whilst finding ways to enjoy the inherent and previously hidden character of the structure. The main double height volume is dominated by the new plywood library wall, and celebrates the previously concealed timber scissor truss structure. Stepping down into the rear, the cobbled stone floor leads to a new compact stair taking you up to the snug where the boxed window seat provides a moment to share a book or coffee with the landscape. Reclaimed and salvaged materials have been used extensively throughout, ranging from the parquet flooring tiles and scaffold board lining the walls, to glass-block walling and light fittings.

The joy of working with historic buildings such as this, is the journey of discovery you take from concept design right through construction and beyond. Letting the building reveal itself as work progressed, and finding ways to adapt and respond to new opportunities that arose, was a crucial part of this project, but could only be achieved by working closely alongside the client and builder onsite.

This was also an example of the important role our client’s play in realising our projects, with not only a shared ambition to preserve and enjoy the unique character of this bruised building, but through their passionate input and bold ideas have installed a stone sense of personality unique to them, that could not have emerged from pure design alone.