Bringing a Historic Building Back to Life
When I first walked into our Grade II listed building in Bibury, the brief was clear: keep what’s good, mend what’s tired, and add only what earns its place. The aim wasn’t theatre; it was a building that works beautifully, every day, without losing its character. For years, it had served as a small gift shop and the village post office. By the time we took it on, the fabric was tired, and the plan no longer made sense for how people live and work here. I wanted to make something for the villagers of Bibury as much as for visitors - useful, welcoming, built to last.
Front access on the village road is tight, so everything ran from the rear: every delivery, every piece of steel, every bucket of spoil through our garden. The slower pace sharpened the decisions. To form a proper kitchen and three garden terraces, we excavated about six metres from ground level to the top of the terrace - close to 1,000m3 of spoil taken uphill through restricted access. Wherever sensible, we crushed and re-used stone on site so the building kept its own material story.
The terraces sit on steel-reinforced concrete retaining walls, later faced in Cotswold stone so the structure reads as part of the village fabric. With no rear access, concrete was pumped by crane over the building and poured into shuttering in controlled lifts. Timing, weather and logistics had to align. Linking the levels is a cast-in-place concrete staircase: Cotswold stone to the risers, smooth stone to the treads, the sweep set left and right to clear the routes and frame the view back to the house. Galvanised railings, bannisters and handrails, made by a local blacksmith, are there to be used, not merely admired. At the top, the upper terrace hosts Betty - our vintage, carefully restored coffee truck - so the flow from the kitchen to service to seating works cleanly for busy days and quiet ones alike.
Much of the important work is unseen. We underpinned sections of the building to protect the historic walls; introduced structural steel discreetly; redesigned services and drainage were redesigned for a busy hospitality space. Fire protection and thermal performance were brought up to standard. With the river nearby, we installed an internal waterproofing system. None of this draws attention; all of it adds life.
Conservation at the Surface
The front elevation was repointed in lime, and exposed internal stone finished with lime plaster so the walls can breathe. In the main serving area, new joinery was French-polished to sit comfortably alongside reclaimed panelling. Old and new meet without competing - exactly as they should.
How It Feels Now
The terraces are simple and purposeful. Planting softens the edges; stone carries the load. The upper terrace takes the morning; the lower holds the evening warmth. Inside, floors are solid, doors swing cleanly, and the building goes about its work without fuss.
What Guided Us
We respected the listing and worked with the building rather than against it. We built for the long term - lime over cement; repair over replacement. We designed for people, with accessibility, comfort and efficient service considered from the start. And we used materials honestly, reusing on-site where it served the job.
Good restoration isn’t nostalgia; it’s responsibility. We asked what the building needed and answered with craft and common sense. The result is simple: a building that works beautifully today and is fit for another hundred years - and more. If you visit, you’ll see the obvious - the stone-faced retaining walls, the sweeping staircase, the terraces - and you can trust the rest: strength in the structure, care in the details, and a place made to last.
- Lady Anne