Reinstatement of key aspects of Soane's design
London Regional Award 2019
Jestico + Whiles and Julian Harrap Architects for Ealing Council and Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery Trust
Contract value: £9.33m
GIA: 1,640m²
Cost per m²: £5,688
After three years, Sir John Soane’s grade I listed country home has been restored to its former glory. The design team’s archival research culminated in the reinstatement of three key aspects of Soane’s design; a conservatory overlooking Walpole Park, a striking rooflight over the centre of the building and a colonnade that would have linked the manor to a kitchen block, with later additions removed. Internally, the Victorian paint-over has been stripped back to reveal Soane’s original splendour. In particular, the upper drawing room is outstanding, with its breath-taking pastel-coloured ceiling and walls redecorated with Chinese wallpaper based on the tiny fragments that remained underneath existing panelling. The painstaking work extends to the grounds. The entrance sequence incorporates the sinuously curving carriage drive, a new cafe/ restaurant – a particularly successfully intervention – that nestles into a corner of the walled kitchen garden, and the preservation and enhancement of Walpole Park.