China Tower The China Tower is a Grade II listed folly built in 1839 as an eye-catcher within the designed landscape seen from Bicton House and park, and has views back to the house, to the hills to the north and to the sea. It was commissioned by Lady Rolle as a wedding present to her husband. It was briefly converted for domestic use in the 1950’s but has since been unoccupied and was in danger of falling into disrepair. Clinton Devon Estates asked us to take on the challenge to convert this unusual building into holiday accommodation to be leased to the Landmark Trust. This has helped to secure a sustainable long-term use for the building.The planners regarded the site as extremely sensitive. Not only is it a grade II listed building within the curtilage of the grade II* Bicton House but it is also a prominent feature within a registered park and garden.We managed to provide all the necessary accommodation within a limited, octagonal footprint while conserving the essential architectural character of the building. There were no existing services to the site which we took as an opportunity to provide a more sustainable heating system with the use of highly efficient air source heat pumps. We provided detailed designs and specification for the necessary repairs and careful integration of modern elements (services, bathroom etc.) within the historic fabric, and inspected work to achieve a high standard of finish throughout.The tower was shortlisted for both the Michelmores Western Morning News Property Awards 2014 and the Architects Journal Retrofit Awards 2014. For more information about the tower visit http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk Download project card (482 KB pdf)
