Project Overview
Thomas Studio Hereford Successfully Delivers Top-25 Grand Designs Recognition
Designed whilst Practice Director at award-winning RRA Architects, this exemplar heritage conversion demonstrates the sophisticated approach to agricultural building adaptation that established Thomas Studio’s reputation for securing complex planning approvals in sensitive rural locations. The project achieved national recognition as an all-time Top-25 Grand Design, showcasing innovative contemporary intervention within a medieval threshing barn in the Forest of Dean.
Working closely with furniture designer clients Robert and Jane Ellis, the design brief required a measured response that would celebrate the building’s agricultural heritage whilst delivering a distinctly contemporary family residence. The project successfully navigated complex heritage constraints to achieve a sensitive adaptive reuse that preserves the barn’s essential character while introducing sophisticated modern living spaces.
Design Philosophy and Heritage Response
The architectural strategy focused on understanding and responding to the building’s original agricultural function. The medieval stone structure, with its characteristic narrow arrow-slit fenestration designed for grain storage protection, presented unique challenges for residential adaptation. Rather than compromise the historic fabric through extensive new openings, the design employs an innovative ‘floating roof’ intervention that introduces natural light whilst preserving the building’s authentic agricultural character.
The spatial arrangement reflects a rigorous analysis of natural light patterns, with light-dependent living spaces positioned centrally to maximise daylight penetration through the barn’s original threshing openings. Private accommodation is strategically located in areas of reduced natural light, creating a hierarchy of spaces that responds directly to the building’s historic configuration.
Technical Innovation and Materials Strategy
The project’s most distinctive architectural intervention involves the precise elevation of the roof structure at eaves level, creating a continuous clerestory that floods the interior with natural light whilst maintaining visual separation between old and new elements. This technical solution allows the historic roof to appear suspended above the stone walls, creating dramatic internal volumes without compromising the building’s external agricultural character.
A bespoke steel mezzanine structure, fabricated by local specialist Thomas Forge, provides contemporary counterpoint to the ancient stone construction. The precision engineering of the steelwork creates deliberate contrast with the vernacular masonry, establishing a clear dialogue between historical craft and contemporary fabrication techniques.
“I come from a long line of blacksmiths and farriers and it was important to me to bring precision engineering to this project, to capture a sharp contrast against a wonky age old interior.” – Garry Thomas, Project Architect
Industry Recognition and Media Coverage
The project achieved exceptional industry recognition, with Kevin McCloud selecting it for Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme and subsequently awarding it Top-25 all-time status. McCloud’s description of the conversion as “Manhattan on Wye… and Crispy Edged” captures the project’s successful fusion of rural vernacular with contemporary sophistication. The project was subsequently presented at the prestigious Montrose Film Festival, cementing its status as an exemplar of sensitive heritage adaptation.
This recognition demonstrates Thomas Studio’s capability to deliver projects that satisfy both heritage preservation requirements and contemporary design excellence – a combination essential for securing planning approvals in sensitive rural contexts.
You can still catch up on this Grand Design episode, as it is often re-shown on More 4.
Or watch a short film here…
Project Information
Date: 2006
Client: Robert & Jane Ellis
Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Project Value: Undisclosed
Floor Area: Conversion of existing agricultural building
Contract: Traditional JCT Minor Works
Planning Consultant: CgMs
Structural Engineer: Shire Consulting
Specialist Steelwork: Thomas Forge
Architectural Practice: RRA Architects (Design Director: Garry Thomas)
Recognition: Top-25 Grand Designs All-Time, Montrose Film Festival