Property description

The village of Stoke Goldington lies approximately 4 miles NNW of Newport Pagnell and 10 miles from the centre of Milton Keynes. It essentially comprises of historic farmhouses and cottages that reflect its historic roots and distinctive rural character. In 1830 the village was a staging post on the north south mail routes and having seven coaching inns. By 1845 all the business had disappeared with the development oof the railways and canals.

Over the last 100 years the appearance of the High Street has changed little. Many of the older buildings are built of limestone, a vernacular material used extensively within the North Buckinghamshire villages where it borders Northamptonshire. Roofs tend to be finished with plain clay tile or Welsh slate with some surviving examples of thatched roofs. No 34 is a semi-detached Georgian town house that is perpendicular to and directly fronts the east side of the High Street. No 34 and its adjoining neighbour are jointly grade II listed and within the village conservation area. The principal side (west) elevation has a central panelled entrance door with pediment and pilasters.

The property has a narrow rectangular floor plan with accommodation over three floors and a lean-to conservatory at the rear containing the kitchen. Along the northwest elevation of the property is a private gated drive that provides not only the entry point to the dwelling, but some limited off street parking and the location of an oil tank storing fuel for heating the dwelling. The property faces northwest with a substantial garden offset to the east / rear side of the neighbouring property. To the rear of the property where it adjoins the open countryside is a detached single storey outbuilding known locally as the Chapel or Manse and now used as a garage and for ancillary storage.

Historic / aesthetic / communal value

From the councils historic records, the footprint of the chapel appears to remain the same as in 1880 with the only alteration being the height and roof which is a modern addition from 1969. The chapel building is much changed and undergone considerable change with little remaining of the original structure.

Currently single storey there is evidence to suggest that this was once two storeys with a gallery overlooking the central area. There are also original bricks in the floor of the building which form a historic decoration / feature. Brick window arches appear to be original however the doors and windows are later additions following domestication. Above the modern garage door is a keystone stating ‘1819’ being the date of its apparent construction.

Evidential value

Internally there is an original sign identifying this former chapel as the Stoke Goldington congregational church. There are also two shallow cupboards in the external wall presumably for hymn books.

Proposal

In early 2017 a pre-application enquiry by the previous owners sought to replace the conservatory containing the kitchen with a new glazed link and to renovate the chapel with a new hipped roof to better utilise the building as part of the extended home. The majority of the works were considered acceptable and considered to have a neutral impact on the listed building or heritage assets, subject to appropriate materials and further detail.

Renovation of Chapel

In 2018 the property was sold and we were invited by the new owners to act as lead design consultant and obtain the necessary consents.  When it comes to undertaking repairs of alterations there must be a full understanding of the building fabric including the technology of its construction. On this basis we carried out a thorough survey of the structure and conducted further research into the heritage.

The roof was not original and would be replaced completely but it was important to preserve the integrity of the limestone walls. We proposed a trussed rafter roof to distribute the imposed loads evenly. In keeping with the local vernacular, we specified a slate covered roof with rolled lead ridge and hips. The eaves projection would be kept minimal to include a parapet on the one side shared with an adjoining neighbour.

Walls would be repointed with hydraulic lime mortar with the advice and guidance of the conservation officer. Any sections of damaged stone would be replaced with material of equal quality. Internal walls would be finished with wood fibre panels and lime plaster or remain exposed where possible to retain character. The floor plan was already divided equally so one half would be for guest accommodation and the remaining side would be used as a family room. The book cupboards were retained in the design to reveal the significance.

Glazed link

The glazed link extension is designed as a lightweight structure of steel and glass with a simple flat roof design finished with a glazed lantern. Materials are chosen so as not to compete visually with the significance of the heritage assets.

A foam glass aggregate on a geotextile membrane was specified to prevent moisture being driven into the stone walls on three sides of the extension. This was then finished with a hydraulic lime floor screed incorporating an underfloor heating system so as not to require wall mounted radiators and pipework.