Bramleys

‘Bramleys’ is a new dwelling sensitively situated within an existing orchard and small holding and designed to integrate into its environment. Located at Vale Corner, a settlement allied to the historic and picturesque village of Kersey, the site lies in a line of sight from St Mary’s Church, and is approximately within 60m of the residential curtilage of the Grade II listed Vale Corner cottages.

The project provides a modest home for a family of four, who had outgrown the space in the listed cottage. Their desire was to maintain their agricultural smallholding without substantial loss of trees and mature growth. The house needed to provide easy access between garden and paddock, space to wash and prepare the meat and vegetables grown on the site, and also be environmentally sustainable in its construction and use.

At the same time, the design needed to respect the special landscape area and built up area boundary of the village. Situated outside the settlement boundary, the house proves itself to be in a close functional relationship with the settlement, and appears as a natural evolution of the historic pattern of development and the way in which the village has grown in the past.