Sherborne House, a magnificent Grade I listed Georgian mansion in North Dorset, has been meticulously restored and transformed into a vibrant, versatile arts centre. Acting as lead architects, our team directed the project from planning permission through to detailed design and full project management.

Due to its Medieval wing and significant artwork by Sir James Thornhill, the restoration demanded the highest level of conservation and heritage expertise. The overall project carefully balances the preservation of the past with a forward-looking cultural vision, employing local, traditional and sustainable materials throughout.

The success of this complex scheme relied on close collaboration and the coordination of numerous professionals, institutions and specialist trades and it has since been shortlisted for multiple national awards, including the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2025, Georgian Group Awards 2024, Wood Awards 2024 and Structural Timber Awards 2024.

Athelhampton is a nationally recognised, multi award-winning project, including the Architects’ Journal Retrofit Award 2024 winner, presented in collaboration with SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) and demonstrated to Historic Royal Palaces. To our knowledge, it is the first exemplar of converting a Grade I (1485 Tudor) estate in to a carbon neutral estate.

This pioneering scheme involved the installation of two solar arrays, twelve Tesla batteries (one of the largest Powerwall installations in the UK), four ground source heat pumps and fifteen air source heat pumps.

An estate-wide, community-focused project in the heart of Dorset, Athelhampton Zero has significantly reduced the client’s energy costs and stands as a benchmark for delivering meaningful sustainability within sensitive heritage environments.

As one AJ judge remarked: ‘We were looking for something exceptional and this project really was’.

Phase 2 on the Grade I listed estate in Dorset involved implementing new electrical and heating systems (including UFH), along with sanitation and ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom. We also provided a fully bespoke design service to transform each individual room within this historic building, undertaking extensive joinery and lighting design, in addition to the technical restoration of an Elizabethan kitchen range and repair to the external building.

This project required meticulous Listed Building consent and a sympathetic approach to bringing modern heating systems into a heritage build.

Working within and early 20th century farmstead, without any dwelling, and in the open countryside, Duntish Mill in West Dorset was a game of two halves. Initial planning was permitted for the brief of the site, and then resubmitted during works to double the size of the house.

A project for a young family, we undertook a full-service offer on this site, working hard to obtain permission for a dwelling house and three holiday lets, along with implementing a biomass boiler system for renewable district heating, and solar PV for electricity.

Bringing both archaeological and conservation constraints into play, the project at Trinity Street in Dorchester required careful planning and intricate construction techniques to limit damage to archaeology.

For our developer client, we provided a full-service solution to obtain and implement mixed use for two retail units and four flats in the heart of Dorset’s capital town.

A primary school in Poole which needed to expand for growing numbers of students, Lilliput CE Infant school is a project that brought much-needed facilities to its community.

Working around strict school access and safety requirements for students, we undertook a full-service project management, design, and build package to alter the existing structure of the school, making it fit for the future.