The Country House Ideal

The Country House Ideal, Recent Work by ADAM Architecture is a survey of country houses designed by the Winchester-based ADAM Architecture.  It places the country house in its rich historical context and explores the way in which ADAM Architecture – a practice of five directors, each with a distinct architectural personality – uses historical precedents, techniques and materials to design country houses for modern times.

Adam Architecture, East Hoe, exterior

A new Queen Anne-style wing of East Hoe Manor in Hampshire provides a sympathetic extension to the eighteenth century original.

Adam Architecture, East Hoe, interior

East Hoe: the new exposed timber-framed roof structure of the family kitchen and sitting room.

Adam Architecture, Peny Lane, exterior

Penny Lane Farm in Hampshire has a strong Arts & Crafts character, with tall chimneys, timber dormers and steeply-pitched clay-tiled roofs.

Adam Architecture, Peny Lane, interior

Penny Lane Farm: the long, stone-flagged hallway is divided by square oak columns and is used as both a picture gallery and a room for occasional shoot lunches.

Adam Architecture, Windston, exterior

Wudston House in Wiltshire feels like one of the most Italian of the Palladian-inspired houses designed by George Saumarez Smith.

Adam Architecture, Windston, interior

Wudston: the principal overmantel of the sala, which is used for dining and receptions. You can just see the panels of plasterwork by Geoffrey Preston, specially commissioned for this house.

The Country House Ideal

ADAM Architecture – a practice of five directors: Robert Adam, Nigel Anderson, Paul Hanvey, Hugh Petter and George Saumarez Smith – is known for its diverse portfolio and its emphasis on traditional building skills, and its country houses are among the practice’s most admired work.  The quantity of work illustrated in this book is impressive, as is the variety of styles, which are featured in the four main chapters: Anglo-Classical, Rural Romantics, Palladian and Neoclassical. As Jeremy Musson explains, the houses reveal the country house ideal in a modern world, where energy conservation, technology and sustainability are high on the list of prerequisites, along with flexible family rooms rather than ballrooms and service wings.

All images  are copyright Paul Barker, as well as being taken from ‘The Country House Ideal: Recent Work by ADAM Architecture‘ by Jeremy Musson  (Merrell Publishers £40 www.merrellpublishers.com).

CRAVEN DUNNILL'S NEW LUDLOW TILE COLLECTION

VICTORIA STAINOW'S SHELL MIRROR & SCONCES

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Social Share Buttons and Icons powered by Ultimatelysocial