Ruins to Riches

We fought to save the ruins, proposing a ‘building within a building’: a Russian doll-like structure juxtaposing the walls’ rugged textural quality with a contemporary modern aesthetic. A glass and Corten steel box extension within the ruin’s walls threads together the property’s three elements, linking the cattle shed to the main house and providing long-ranging views across the Welland Valley. Deliberately lightweight, the extension celebrates the ruins, its raw metal finish reflecting the industrial heritage of the site as a factory.

An underground spring runs beneath the building; its pure waters once fed subterranean baths used to clean animal hides before they were hung up to dry. One of baths has been repurposed into a water feature. The palette of honest materials continues indoors, with lime-washed stone walls, exposed structural beams and timber floors nodding to the location’s past.

The ruin walls, which are a scheduled monument, were repaired only where structurally necessary using stones from the garden; an archaeologist was present on-site to ensure they were not damaged. The ruins now form the bones of the house: as you move through the building’s walls, a timeline of history unfolds, its architectural evolution legible in every step.