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Winner
Encombe House, Dorset
Client
Charles McVeigh
Architect
William Bertram
The core of this house is seventeenth century but what we see now is
the result of remodelling and enlargement between 1740 and 1770 for
John Pitt. Encombe is in a sublime but remote position on the Dorset
coast and when it was put up for sale five years ago it urgently needed
a sympathetic owner. The McVeighs have sensitively restored the
interior but, almost more importantly, have addressed the external
deficiencies. Encombe was marred by its projecting porch and its missing glazing bars. With
the support of the Georgian Group but after protracted argument with
other heritage authorities, the former has been removed and the latter put back. The
approach and entrance to the house also lacked clarity; William Bertram
has solved this by reordering the forecourt, introducing a new
wall, soon to be joined by iron gates, to create focus and a sense of
arrival.
Commended
Dowdeswell Court, Gloucestershire; Borwick Lodge, Lancashire
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