Grade II listed house alterations, Foxton

This Grade II listed house in Foxton, near Cambridge, originated as an eighteenth-century malthouse and was converted to a dwelling in the mid-nineteenth century. Over time, a series of later unsympathetic additions altered both its appearance and internal arrangement.

Our commission was to carry out sensitive alterations and a modest extension to support the building’s continued use as a family home, while respecting its historic character and significance — an approach we regularly take as Cambridge architects working with listed buildings.

Along with the removal of later additions, we created a single-storey side extension that brought daylight and a visual connection to the garden into the home, and enabled the new modern kitchen and utility spaces. New construction was carefully designed to sit quietly alongside the existing building, allowing the historic form and fabric to remain legible. We used slim glazing to visually separate the new works, bring light into the interior and allow framed views of the garden.

More recently, the house has been recognised with a blue plaque commemorating Dr Louis Leakey, whose work in paleoanthropology transformed our understanding of human evolution — adding another layer to the building’s long and varied history.