One of the most attractive things about old houses is that many of them have been extended and remodelled over the centuries, often using quite different materials and styles. This gives the building a sense of change, especially when the owners have resisted the urge to make the innards all look the same. I love it when when you walk through a house from one phase of building to the next; it gives a real richness that’s lacking in most modern constructions. Even houses that were built all at once, but have distinctly different areas that were used for different purposes, such as townhouses with back stairs leading to the servants quarters, have this richness. The contrast of the large public/family areas with the smaller, servant’s areas gives some character to the building.
It is perfectly possibly to plan this into a new build, as John and Jo Mew did when they built Braylsham Castle. Their castle (!) incorporates three distinct ‘phases’ – the castle tower, a church-like middle section, and a medieval timber framed phase, complete with wonky wall and roof.
The build certainly does have character, and whilst I’m not sure I’d go so far as to try to recreate a part of the past, I do understand why people yearn for something that looks old. We’re surrounded by very plain, boring mass developments, not to mention some absolutely hideous post-War carbuncles, and something like Braylsham Castle is truly pleasing to the eye. It chimes with our expectations of what is characterful and interesting and warm. Of course, castles weren’t warm, but build one with double glazing and your dream can come true, Cinderella.
What I want isn’t so much a sense of the ancient, as the Mews have created, but a house that has different and complementary atmospheres in different rooms. The main part would be a green oak framed house, with some double height spaces and a lot of glass, with a cob “extension” that had much lower ceilings, open fires and a much more cosy feel. I can’t cope with dark, dismal houses, especially as I work from home and so have to deal with the home environment all day. Light and air is really important to keeping a clear head and being able to focus. But equally, sometimes I like to snuggle up with Kev and watch a movie or read a book. That’s something that’s difficult in our current flat due to the Stalinist nature of our sofa (it does rather force one to sit up straight, rather than flollop), but I think it would also benefit from being somewhere with slightly lower ceilings, an open fire and smaller windows.
I imagine myself using the light, airy part of the house during the day, and thus more during the summer, and the cob extension when the sun’s gone down, especially in the winter. I suppose, in a way, it’s just the same as having a solarium or conservatory – a bright, sunny area that you use depending on time of day and weather, except our “solarium” would be the main part of the house.
The key part of having a cob extension is that, whilst I wouldn’t take on the building of a green oak framed house myself, I would feel happy digging into a cob extension on my own. I want to be a part of building my own house, not just as a project manager, but by physically taking part in the build. Cob is not the only way to do that, of course, but the idea of playing with mud patties is just too good to pass up!