Bakewell - Peak District

This 1940’s Arts and Crafts style house on the outskirts of Sheffield is going through an innovative refurbishment into an energy efficient Passive House.

Historically this house was built by the son of Joseph Jonas, one of Sheffield’s industrialists, who’s Continental Steelworks had capitalised on the growth of the steel industry during the boom of the second industrial revolution. The house’s building coincided with end of the Arts and Crafts movement which marked a change in the value that society placed on how things were made as a direct reaction against the impacts of industrialisation. The Arts and Crafts movement celebrated individuality, regionalism, craftsmanship and the relationship between the house and garden.

In this design we have taken inspiration from the design principles of the Arts and Crafts movement and used them to reimagine the garden with a contemporary style.

Principally the garden will be a family space and an extension of the home with spaces to play, cook, eat, and relax. The garden will have a formal framework of hedges that will be planted in a naturalistic manner to encourage local biodiversity. The creation of meadows with low maintenance input and planting choices which include flowering plants for pollinators, fruit, berries, hedgerows, and shrubs to make habitats for nesting birds. Habitat features will create playful sculptural additions throughout the garden.

It is important that the garden is locally distinctive celebrating the vernacular of Sheffield and the Peak District. Materials will be chosen to reflect the unique style of the house and will be reclaimed or produced locally to ensure sustainability.

The special features of the site will be retained and enhanced including many mature trees which are a valuable asset for biodiversity and site materials which will be reused to maintain the gardens uniqueness. The long views across Sheffield and the countryside will be framed and celebrated.