Breaking with the traditional building style of the area, this contemporary house is all set to be a classic of the future
WORDS EMILY BROOKS PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BRITTAIN
The Cotswolds is known for its honey-coloured limestone buildings, but Tim Healy and Annie Heyworth’s three-bedroom home near Cirencester is quite different. Mostly hidden from the road, it’s long, low and black.
Semi-retired endoscopist Tim, 71, and Annie, 66, who is an artist, were set on building something contemporary. Although they worried about what might be permitted, they found the local planning department’s approach refreshing. ‘The attitude was, “If no one can see it, do something exciting,”’ says Annie.
Their home is the result of a collaboration between architect Nick Lyons of And Lyons Architects and architectural design consultant Hamish Herford, and takes its cues from Japanese buildings, featuring charred modified timber cladding, an overhanging black aluminium tile roof and a wraparound veranda. ‘The deep eaves really lend themselves to the UK climate, so Tim and Annie can enjoy the outside all year,’ says Nick.
In contrast to the dark timber, Tim planted a delicate prairie-style garden, wildflower meadows and a vegetable plot with hundreds of plants grown off site during the build.
Most notable is the south-facing pond reached down a set of steps from the open-plan living space or a diving board near Tim and Annie’s bedroom. As well as nurturing wildlife and offering the couple a place to swim, the pond generates enough electricity for the underfloor heating and hot water, as the pipework for a water-source heat pump is submerged at the bottom. Having met nine years ago, Tim and Annie were keen to create their own home together. ‘Instead of renovating, I wanted to start with a blank piece of paper and build something important from the beginning. Plus, in the Cotswolds, every house is a bit chilly – and I quite fancied not being cold,’ Annie explains.
After buying the 1.3-acre plot, they negotiated with a neighbour to fell trees along the south perimeter in exchange for giving them a strip of land. ‘The site felt enclosed, with woodland on two sides and tall trees on the other two boundaries,’ says Annie. Where to orientate the house became clear once there were fewer trees obstructing the view and light. And after realising an initial design would be beyond their budget, the couple hired Nick and Hamish.
On a concrete strip foundation, the house’s supporting steels can be seen beneath
