This large, superbly constructed Grade II Listed Arts and Crafts house was designed by Francis Troupe in 1902. It was divided vertically in about 1975 to form three self contained dwellings. My clients owned the major part with the main staircase connecting ground and first floors. The servants’ staircase, connecting all three levels, fell within the next door property. The major part only had access via a loft ladder to its extensive attic rooms. My brief was to provide a new staircase in this sensitive context. It was achieved by sacrificing part of a small first floor bedroom and forming an oak-panelled, bookshelf-lined ‘cabinet’ entered through a new door off the landing.
