Member Article

York Handmade plays key role in conversion of historic North Yorkshire agricultural site

The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has played a significant role in a stunning new North Yorkshire residential development.

The Easingwold-based firm, one of the leading independent brick-makers in the country, supplied specially-manufactured bricks for a state-of-the art barn development at Manor Ridge Barns, Slingsby, near Helmsley.

The bricks have helped to create a brand-new home, designed by acclaimed London and Suffolk-based architects TAS Architects, for property renovator Charles Saggers.

York Handmade provided Slingsby bricks and Bullnosed Brick Specials, which were used on the curved-edge pillars of the development.

Christophe Spiers of TAS Architects explained: “This was a tremendously exciting design challenge, converting a series of listed agricultural buildings to create a sustainable new family home. York Handmade’s bull-nosed bricks were perfect for this purpose and blend perfectly with the original bricks of the old barns.

“Set on a spacious site in the pretty village of Slingsby, a cluster of listed farm buildings have been lovingly restored by Charles and his brother, Will, to create a new family home. We linked the existing barns with new interventions including frameless glass links and a ‘floating’, weathering steel clad extension.

“A mix of traditional building methods and off-site manufacturing were brought together successfully to achieve a material-rich, contemporary aesthetic which works sympathetically with the historic buildings.

“We are proud to have helped to create a welcoming family home with intimate living spaces and flexible entertaining areas. The finished buildings are highly insulated, with triple glazed windows and an MVHR system, and benefiting from a biomass boiler - fuel for which is being grown on site for future use,” explained Mr Spiers.

Alun Nixon of York Handmade commented: “It has been a privilege to play a part in creating a really fantastic family home.”

Homeowner Charles Saggers has worked in property renovation for most of his adult life but, ironically, he never seriously expected to build his own home.

He explained: “It was only when my wife Clare and I were looking to move back to North Yorkshire from London with our two young children that it actually entered my head.

“After a year of fruitless house hunting we stumbled across a cluster of derelict farm buildings that were for sale near Helmsley and instantly saw the potential. It was such an exciting collection of buildings. There were so many different shapes and forms and building materials. We couldn’t get it out of our heads.”

“The biggest highlight of the project for me has been incorporating traditional building materials into the scheme, creating a contemporary space but with a firm nod to the site’s agricultural heritage.”

He added: “I would like to thank TAS Architects for working with us in transforming our dream into a fantastic reality.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .