A contemporary country house by James Gorst Architects is clad in ironstone and bronze

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Alex Franklin

Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of a country dwelling, Ironstone House in the Midlands by James Gorst Architects comprises a series of interlocking blocks that frame views into a sheltered courtyard and out across the landscape. Clad in ironstone and bronze, the building is intended to complement and evoke the earthy tones of the surrounding fields. Replacing an existing house, the brief was for a family home that would not only maximise the potential of the site and its aspect, but also satisfy the demands for both private domestic life and large-scale entertaining.

The four-level dwelling stands alone, remote from the nearest village, on a ridge of higher ground overlooking the rolling agrarian landscape, writes James Gorst Architects. A line of stone, set flush in the turfed landscape, leads visitors forward, and as the ground drops away the line continues, morphing into a wall that forms part of the stepped and unfenestrated east elevation. A sheltering, cantilevered outcrop of turmeric ironstone draws one’s attention to the bronze entrance door. From here, the fractured cruciform plan yields a view across a reflecting pool of water to the landscape beyond.

Internally the zoned layout is expressed using a palette of finely detailed and textured materials, including Cumbrian slate around the pool, English walnut floors and wall panels in the living spaces, limestone and Carrara marble in the bathrooms, and bronze door furniture throughout.

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