Overhouse Tisbury

When we bought this late 16^th c farmhouse it came with an asbestos roof, a collapsing gable wall and several layers of vinyl wallpaper, cement screed and chintz. After a thorough investigation we carefully peeled off the tat, picked out the mid 20^th c joinery and found a robust and generous 16^th c house.

We rebuilt with locally milled, green oak timbers, used hand split oak laths and haired lime putty to restore ceilings and walls to both give the material qualities the house deserved but also to let it breathe as it had before the introduction of cement.

Salisbury Civic Society’s Lady Radnor Award

“Overhouse is a C16 house, which had been severely compromised by later alterations by the time the present owners moved in. What particularly impressed the judges was the way the major ensuing project, to return the building to a sound ad historically appropriate state, had been allowed to develop at its own pace out of a prolonged experience of the house. This enabled obvious improvements to the external fabric to be combined with an entirely flexible approach to work to the interior, based on a philosophy of treating the original fabric with complete respect. It was extremely rewarding to see how the use of the house as a comfortable, contemporary family home had been fully achieved, without in any way compromising the integrity as a historic structure. The care, attention to detail and respect for the original building were obvious in every facet of the work, and made the choice of this project as the winner of the Lady Radnor Award a very easy decision.”