the walled garden

There is just one path up to the summit of the Nab, an ancient hill within the Peak District. If you make the winding journey to its highest point, you are rewarded with an abundant vista: the tumbling hills of the national park, wooded valleys, and the distant skyline of Manchester. This landscape is a patchwork of textures, accented by the white specks of sheep and stitched with seams of lichen-clad stone walls.

In the valley below, these same walls inspire the Walled Garden, a contemporary home arranged around a welcoming courtyard and a series of transitional spaces. Constructed from local limestone, the wall is composed of rugged elements of varying height and form, with some walls perceived as ‘whole’ and others clipped short of completion. These walls extend beyond the limits of the house, creating a series of sheltered pockets with abundant landscaping.

Out of the tangled form of the sculptural stone rises the lightweight timber structure, with its zinc roof sailing above to provide overhanging eaves for shelter. The two pairs of intersecting rectangular forms blend contemporary and agricultural architecture, carefully placed to frame the beautiful, far-reaching views across the valley.

Each space has been designed with family living in mind, optimised for long summer evenings cooking in the outdoor kitchen, tinkering in the bicycle workshop, or working out in the gym. The layout orchestrates a playful dynamic between the inside and outside, with the living room facing the outdoor kitchen to showcase the act of cooking al fresco.

Designing a sustainable home for the future was a significant part of the brief. The home aims to be an example of how sustainable development can be built within the Cheshire Greenbelt and will utilise a collection of locally sourced materials such as sandstone, timber cladding, and a zinc roof. The colour palette of these specifically chosen materials references the agricultural heritage of the area by retaining the visuals of local stone alongside the lightweight, vertical timber boarding of the farm outbuildings.

To minimise the project’s carbon footprint, we designed a locally sourced timber frame to reduce waste through off-site manufacturing. Operationally, the building will use a ground source heat pump to power the underfloor heating and replenish the air with an MVHR unit powered by solar panels.

Manchester Society of Architects Awards 2024// Winner / Private House Unbuilt 2024