The Chapel

ARCHITECTURE & CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: Palmer + Partners

INTERIOR DESIGN: Last Interior Design

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: SWJ Consulting

PRESS: Livingetc

OVERVIEW: The project involved the conversion of an 18th-century Cotswold stone Methodist chapel, which until recent years had been used for community and ecclesiastical purposes, into a residential dwelling. Works were carried out in close collaboration with the wider project team: Palmer + Partners, Last Interior Design and structural engineers SWJ Consulting. The Chapel, which comprised of two open vaulted knaves, had been subject to various commercial-grade internal alterations over the years.

Through carefully considered design, the use of honest materials and excellent craftsmanship, The Chapel’s old brick and stonework, roof trusses and original architectural detailing were revealed and enhanced. Modern interventions such as ASHP, MVS, breathable insulation, and a complete M&E overhaul were carried out in tandem with the remodelling of the internal structure. The finished dwelling is now perfectly configured to include a double height hallway with a feature staircase and suspended walkway, a mezzanine lounge area, three ensuite bedrooms and a vast double height kitchen-living space. A hidden doorway in the kitchen cabinetry leads to a bright, airy and functional boot room and laundry. The original church windows were preserved and repaired. Matt black steel-framed glazing panels were fitted both to enhance the historic fenestration and ensure minimal heat loss from the dwelling. Stone flagstones on the ground floor, and smoked oak timber floors above, blend effortlessly with newly exposed and repointed stonework. Black steel reveals finish the junctions of stone and plastered wall, nodding to dark painted exposed trusses above.