A new build fishing house on the River Test in Hampshire.

Traditional construction methods including green oak frame, hand made bricks, roof tiles and charred timber cladding were brought together to form a contemporary reinterpretation of a rural barn.

The house sits in the grounds of a listed Manor House and is designed in context to reflect the hierarchy of the adjacent structures whilst also picking up on the local vernacular of details and materials of the hamlet at large.

The house is run using sustainable natural resources including ground source heat pump, rainwater harvesting and recycling, solar and photovoltaic cells.

What was the brief?

• To provide new build house for occasional use.

• To have contemporary sensibilities but to reflect the vernacular form, language and materiality of the area.

• To be encourage sustainable principles.

Embracing contemporary sensibilities but reflecting the vernacular form, language and materiality of the area., this cottage was constructed using local companies, trades and suppliers. The local brick and clay works were handmade near by and a local company supplied the green oak frame superstructure.

External cladding was a scorched larch using a traditional method of preservation. The green oak frame was manufactured locally to form the superstructure an internal joinery elements were made by the local joiners out of reclaimed oak.

More from the Manufacturer:

We were delighted to be involved in the Mayfly cottage project completed early 2013 in Hampshire. This beautiful contemporary dwelling cleverly uses a variety of materials that compliment in tone, colour and texture both internally and externally. The house features our popular Michelmersh Handmade Edwardian Red Multi ATR facing bricks and Handmade Dark Vintage roof tiles, providing a simultaneous blend across the facades and highlighted by the bold contrasted landscaping surrounding the building.