“A series of visually lightweight structures that appear quite transparent from within the walled garden would help conserve the original character and intention for this space.”
Historic England
Westonbirt Walled Garden School is situated within Westonbirt Park and Gardens and adjacent to Westonbirt House, (both Grade 1 listed).
The School is contained within a courtyard known as the “Walled Garden”. It is directly north of the Grade II* listed Italian Garden and is enclosed by a traditional brick and stone wall which is bookended east and west by two ornate pavilions.
The Walled Garden at one time contained a series of low level green houses. Now, only Grade II* listed Camellia House, Palm House and the remnants of the 1905 glasshouses to the north east of Camellia remain. These historic buildings are predominantly steel frame, exposing elegant decorative steel structures. The Italian Garden and Walled Garden are an important part of the School’s heritage.
Stonewood Design were appointed to develop design proposals for a new eight classroom teaching facility within the Walled Garden. The classrooms are to be flexible and to be used by either the Prep School or the Senior School.
As well as taking on board input from Historic England, we were given the following steer from the Head of Westonbirt School, Natasha Dangerfield: “Traditional with a twist; most importantly we want to be inspired.”
The design incorporates a series of single storey pitched roof buildings that are subservient to, and maintain the hierarchy of, Camellia and Palm House. A clear counterpoint between the new buildings and the Heritage Asset was important.
The new classrooms are reminiscent of the historic greenhouses that once inhabited the Walled Garden. They adopt a light coloured material palette for the facade using white bricks and light grey window frames and zinc roofs.
Combined with the highly glazed fenestration, this creates lightweight structures which have transparent and reflective qualities within the Walled Garden. Emphasis is on permeability rather than opaque. References are made to details within the Walled Garden.
It is important that the proposals preserve the legibility of the Walled Garden as a space . Courtyard spaces are created within the scheme to reinforce the horizontal connections between the east and west side of the Walled Garden through Camellia House. The courtyard spaces also encourage connectivity through the age groups, from pre-school through to senior school, providing areas and opportunities for outdoor play and learning.
Internally, finishes are light and simple, with exposed steelwork reflecting the decorative qualities of Camellia House.