Hidden House
PEN Y BRYN, TREBETHERICK
Hidden House is a magically secluded home located on the leeward side of the north Cornish coast. Surrounded by agricultural fields and cut off from the hustle and bustle of the seaside, the house is tucked into the earth with the bedrooms positioned on the lower ground floor.
There are a number of different types of Cornish walls surrounding the site in various states of being colonised by nature. These provided inspiration for materials and planting. The hard landscape was kept to a minimum around the house and mown paths provided access into the wider landscape, creating a soft, naturalistic experience that lives up to the house’s name.
Status
Work In Progress
Client
Private
Architect
Main Contractor
MQS Limited
Landscape Contractor
Walmsley Shaw
Response to Site
Working closely with Loyn + Co Architects, we kept our proposals true to the hidden nature of the site. We wanted the house and garden to feel discovered and part of the surrounding countryside.
Materials in Use
Taking inspiration from the existing walls on site, we constructed the retaining wall from large pieces of local stone, into which we then incorporated planting. The cobbles for the paths are offcuts from the building and landscape walls, made of the same local stone as the retaining wall. The landscape steps are carved from a solid piece of stone which feels like it’s part of the bedrock.
Plants in Use
We kept the ornamental planting to a minimum and associated it close to the house, helping to integrate it into the surrounding meadow garden where plants were encouraged to colonise the landscape and further blur the boundaries. All of the other planting has been designed to tie into the local context and enhance ecology.
Enhancing Habitats
We custom grew meadow turf with a high percentage of native grasses to tie into the context and used this in the landscape and on the roofs. We also repaired the existing native hedge and diversified it.
Insect hotels integrated into house
Understated meadow to tie into rural context
