A new lease of life

In a recent project CSA Architects have expertly restored a beautiful Grade II listed house.

The Old Vicarage (Elynglas) is a Grade II listed house, which is nestled in the village of Cubert near Newquay on Cornwall’s north coast. When the property changed hands, the new owners appointed CSA Architects to develop proposals and obtain revised Planning and Listed Building Consent to restore the vicarage to its former glory.

“They were also impressed by how we restored the parts of the house that faced the village and noticed that they had been handled with considerable respect.”

CSA tailored the proposals to suit the individual requirements of the new owners, who needed a large home suitable to comfortably accommodate the whole family. Director Louisa Meek tells us: “We took careful consideration of the client’s brief and also of the findings and recommendations put forward by the Archaeological Team”, allowing the company to carefully execute the internal alterations to provide both practical and modern living accommodation for the family, and to simultaneously appreciate the historic character of the building and outbuildings.

Elynglas has since been transformed from a worn out, damp, Grade II listed Victorian vicarage to a beautiful, warm and inviting family home. The combined diligence of the design team, client and contractor delivered a successful project, within a strict budget, despite the constraints associated with a listed building of this nature. Currently in use by both the family and as a holiday cottage, the sympathetic renovations and alterations have both enhanced, and preserved Elynglas for future generations to enjoy.

CSA’s valuable input on this renovation hasn’t gone unnoticed and they were shortlisted for not one but two building awards, the LABC Building Excellence and Cornish Building Awards. Louisa explains: “The judges were very impressed by the building, they particularly liked the attention to detail in the restoration of the historic structure, the high-quality renewal of so many original features and the careful recreation of lost details where appropriate.” Louisa continues: “They were also impressed by how we restored the parts of the house that faced the village and noticed that they had been handled with considerable respect.” After viewing the expert restoration of the house, the judges even agreed that they would very much like to live there themselves and it was a particular delight to see such a fine house being restored to family use, so we think you’ll agree it was a resounding success all around!