The Grange

Buckinghamshire

Location: Chilterns

Project Type: Country Estate

Architect & Interior Designer: Jane Duncan Architects + Interiors

Landscape Design: Taylor Tripp

Set at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, The Grange is a Victorian Italianate villa with a rich history. An extensive two-phased Barr Build project involved the remodelling and renovation of the main house, followed by the new build of a detached pool house and leisure suite. Works continue with the conversion of further outbuildings.

Working alongside Jonathan Dale of Jane Duncan Architects, Julie Parker of Jane Duncan Interiors and the renowned landscape designers Taylor Tripp, the project was a study in transformative yet sympathetic design.

Launch the Gallery

“Barr Build did a great job creating this home for us. It was important to us that the people designing and building our home understood how we lived our lives and what we needed. We knew from the outset we were in safe hands.”

Private Client, The Grange, Buckinghamshire

Project Overview

Buckinghamshire country residence with a distinguished legacy becomes a luxurious retreat, designed for family, leisure and relaxation.

Main house

The residence underwent a full-scale refurbishment, including the restoration of period features and bespoke cabinetry throughout. Remodelling the central section of the property created an expansive, open-plan family kitchen, dining and living space, where fine-line architectural glazing leads to a newly created south-facing terrace and the landscaped gardens beyond. Previously, the ground floor had been dominated by a long ‘corridor’ running from one end of the property to the other, accessing multiple disjointed split-level rooms. In the east and west wings, a newly delineated dining room, wine cellar, home cinema, guest apartment and games room were amongst the living and accommodation spaces created.

Poolhouse

Phase II works at The Grange involved the construction of a 200-sq-metre detached pool house and leisure suite, designed to complement the grandeur of the original house, while blending into the gardens and meadows beyond. The pool house structure incorporates two fully glazed faces, supported by a steel frame and exposed feature steel posts. Italian stone tiles, which flow from poolside through to changing rooms, shower room, sauna and steam rooms, seamlessly join the sprung timber floor of the new adjacent gym, laundry room and kitchenette.

Considered Craftmanship

Staircases, fireplaces, doorways, and mouldings were restored or sympathetically matched. Bespoke cabinetry, designed by JDI, aligns respectively with the elegant Victorian proportions of the old property and the clean lines of the newer sections.

While the oldest part of the building retained its classic lines, high ceilings, and original features, the newly formed central kitchen-living space, characterised by large architectural sliding doors, marked a purposeful transition from traditional to contemporary.

Central hub

A sequence of disjointed split-level rooms at the centre of the house were opened up and unified to form a single large kitchen-living space, creating a social anchor for the property.

Library

The original dining room, which was too cavernous for our clients’ requirements, was sympathetically sectioned with a traditional opening creating a library area - a considered reuse of generous Victorian proportions.

Wine cellar

A new electronic trap door and staircase, built into the hallway, provide safe and elegant access to the renovated wine cellar below.

Technology

An integrated state-of-the-art Control 4 system across the main house, leisure suite, and grounds optimises lighting, AV, wifi networks, security, heating and ventilation.

Flexible Accommodation

Private quarters
The primary first-floor section was reconfigured to create a private apartment comprising the main bedroom suite, dressing rooms, en-suite, child’s bedroom, snug and separate bathroom.
Extended living
A separate accommodation section can be opened up to bring in several further en-suite bedrooms, enabling extended family living when needed.
Apartment Apart
A self-contained apartment, accessible via its own staircase or by a hidden door on the first floor, provides perfectly configured accommodation for staff or guests.

Poolhouse Structural Details

Permitted development

In line with permitted development requirements, a double-tiered roof, encased by a stepped aluminium plinth with a sedum covering, complies with height regulations.

Fully glazed perimeter

Whilst the poolhouse glazing matches the fenestration of the main house, Italian stone tiles tone effortlessly with the York flagstones outside, cleverly bridging schemes.

Simple alignment

Behind a feature timber partition, running the length of the pool, a steam room, feature shower and changing rooms have visible openings, with the store and plant rooms cleverly concealed.