Building record MDO47766 - Abbots Cottages, Corfe Castle

Erected in 1997 to designs by Ken Morgan Architects in 1997 is a group of nine cottages built to provide social housing on land at Corfe Castle, Dorset. The client was a local charity who wanted to provide affordable housing for local people who otherwise found it difficult to remain in the village. The site highlighted for the development was on East Street at a point where there was previously a gap in the development along this side of the street, between the rows of cottages to the north and south.

The main issue that arose when planning the development was to find an architectural language which would relate to its surroundings in a well-preserved historic village. The architects solution was to design a scheme which would not be noticable in the context of the village. This meant adopting the materials and the methods and, as far possible, the dimensions of the historic cottages and houses in the village. The intention was not to produce buildings which would appear to be older than they really were, but buildings which would be unsurprising in their context. A traditional design solution has therefore been implemented to create six cottages arranged in a courtyard plan with three fronting East Street. A skilled use of local stone which has allowed the scheme to blend seamlessly into its environment, in no way compromising the homogeous character of the village. Age and weathering will further integrate this scheme into its architectural landscape and legal agreements have been made to ensure that Abbots Cottages continue to provide low-cost housing for the local community. Following completion the development won awards from the Rural Development Commission and Civic Trust. <1>

Record last edited

Jan 19 2024 4:02PM