Midlands & East Anglia

Thetford House Farm gets a new lease of life

Over 100 years old, Thetford Farm – located just outside of Peterborough – has been given a new lease of life by Frank Richardson and Son ltd.

The farm house is situated within the parish of Baston, Lincolnshire and comprises a Grade II Listed house, traditional brick barns and two steel frame barns.

Previously an agricultural storage space, the old barn on the site was converted into a spacious two storey office, complete with meeting rooms, toilets and a car park. Some external landscaping was also included on the project.

With the age of the site in mind, the barn was converted with the greatest sensitivity. The redevelopment used reclaimed bricks from the original barn and the contractors worked with local farmers and the local drainage board to ensure the best results were achieved.

In addition to paying homage to the barn’s past, the site was also designed with a number of environmental considerations in mind. The roof was insulated and fitted with solar panels and extra insulation was included in the walls, in addition to an air source heating system being installed.

An air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C. The heat the pump extracts from the air is constantly being renewed naturally.

A new foul and surface water drainage system was also included as part of the project.

Work on the conversion at Thetford ran smoothly, with no major problems. A few delays with materials did occur, so the project was completed a few weeks later than originally expected.

Work began on the site in July 2012 and was completed in December 2012. The main contractor was HH Adkins, whilst William Miller Associates provided all architectural services on the site.

William Miller has been in practice since 1985 in Cottenham Cambridge and has been involved in all types of architectural work since. The company prides itself on being able to work across a broad spectrum, whether it’s green eco projects, housing developments, extensions and alterations or sympathetically restoring a listed building.

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