WITHINGTON HALL

PLANNING CONSENT

Before any detailed design could take place we had to establish precisely what scale of planning permission we could obtain. Getting consent for a new hall, located in the heart of the Cheshire Green Belt in an area classified as Historic Parkland, was not going to be straightforward.

The history of the site and The Estate was researched and plans of the original Hall were unearthed. These proved that the original property was substantially larger than the 60’s replacement. This gave us an argument to justify an application for a much larger replacement dwelling sufficient to meet the requirements of our client.

The resultant planning application was for a house almost three times the floor area of the dwelling it replaced and substantially taller. Theoretically this contravened all the planning authorities’ guidelines for development in the Green Belt, however we argued that because of the nature of the site special circumstances should apply. It was our contention that the existing house detracted from its historic setting because of its inadequate size, proportion and poor quality of build. We argued that by building a house of unprecedented quality, we had a unique opportunity to restore one of Cheshire’s last remaining country estates. It was an argument that won the day and planning consent was unanimously passed by the members of the planning committee.

ARCHITECTURE

It was our client’s preference that the design for the new Hall should include architectural elements from the original Hall if at all possible. Along with a very detailed schedule of accommodation requirements, this formed the basis of our architectural brief.

Due to the client’s busy schedule he decided that a hands-off approach was best and PH Private Client were given the mandate to appoint and employ the professional team directly. This enabled the client to have a single point of contact in us.

Our research not only uncovered plans of the original Hall but also photos. It was these photos that ultimately provided the inspiration for key architectural features such as the curved bays and lead dome.

The final design resulted in a magnificent stone built Hall with slate roof extending to over 15,000 sq ft with 16ft high ceilings containing every conceivable requirement.

CONSTRUCTION

Having overseen the acquisition and design of such a special property and then obtaining planning consent we were then faced with the equally daunting task of building it.

The scale and complexity of the house was such that it required skills outside the parameters of normal house building contractors. PH Private Client took the decision that the best way to achieve this quality was for us to manage the process ourselves. We therefore took the role of management contractor and using our experience and extensive trade database we were able to identify and employ sub-contractors and tradesman from all over the country with the requisite skills and experience.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Our client was anxious that the grandeur of the interior matched the splendor of the exterior. We employed a leading interior designer whose brief was to create a faithful reproduction of a country house interior. We worked hand in hand with him to ensure that his vision could be practically accommodated.

Each room was meticulously designed and planned and this produced rooms of exquisite quality finished in the finest materials from suppliers of the stature of Zoffany and De Gourney. PH Private Client oversaw the project until the final curtain had been hung and chandelier fitted.

LANDSCAPING

The project included the refurbishment of the stable blocks and other outbuildings which were totally restored and returned to their original function as service buildings to the Estate. The listed walled garden was completely restored and a swimming pool and tennis court added. The dovecote and bothy were also renovated to form a guest cottage and garden room. An extensive estate management programme was put in place to ensure that the woodland, lake and pasture land which make up the remainder estate were returned to productive use.