The project, in essence, was to extend this 17th century building into the rear garden. Interestingly, there was an old well in that part of the garden which our new building footprint would extend over. The clients did not want to get rid of the well by filling it in, they wanted it to become a feature within.
We had to come up with some ideas to incorporate the well into the fabric of the building, to make it stand out without being an inconvenience. One idea was to extend the well up above ground level, using the same materials, making it look as authentic as possible, and then capping the top to form a dining table or breakfast bar. Another idea was to cover the opening of the well in a sheet of glass at ground level and allow it to become part of the floor. Installing some lights inside the well itself would light up the interior making it a focal point.
Either of the ideas would have created a talking point whenever they had guests over, but the client decided to go with the idea of covering it over with a glass sheet and illuminating it with lights connected to the inner side of the well. We assisted with this transformation, including choosing what we thought to be the best lights for the purpose.
The only unfortunate thing is that photographs of things like this never really look as good when presented on a web page as they do in real life. But on a good note, the client is delighted with the outcome, and I suppose that this is the thing which matters most in the long run.
Written by Jade Turney – Building Tectonics Ltd.
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