What do you do with a listed outbuilding in need of major repair and renovations? Our clients in Greenwich had an outbuilding in their garden that they needed to put to more valuable use to justify the expense. The outbuilding predated the house and was a chapel and mausoleum for officers of the navy at the old Greenwich Hospital. Built under the direction of Sir Nicholas Hawksmoore in 1714 in the hospital’s first burial ground next to Royal Greenwich Park, this represented a unique challenge.
The architecture of the chapel of rest is a well proportioned and robustly constructed brick structure over an arched brick vault crypt. The slightly morbid heritage of the site revealed that it was quickly filled and the hospital acquired further burial grounds and later built over this ground with a children’s asylum, which was later converted into houses.
The chapel appears to have been forgotten about and became an obscure outbuilding in a back garden. Subsequent attempts to convert it to a more domestic use had been piecemeal and caused various problems and harm. The officers were taken from the vaults by the Admiralty in the 1990s.
Listed building specialists; E2, came up with a scheme to convert the chapel to a residential annex with a small mezzanine, comfortable for the family to enjoy as extended living and recreation space. This was granted full planning and listed building consent.
In addition to this damp problems will be dealt with and the crypt is to be made suitable for storage to enable the garden to the rear of the chapel to be tidied and become a sun-trap courtyard. An additional outbuilding will house a new purpose built pottery studio.
"Enjoying the creative process with them. Everything very clearly set out at every stage."
"Super professional outfit. Enjoying the creative process with them. Everything very clearly set out at every stage."
Private Client
Private Residential Client
A key aspect of the brief was to create dedicated space for pottery, an activity that is not suited to the historic fabric or the family’s use of the existing chapel. Introducing a new structure within this sensitive heritage setting presents a significant challenge—one that demands the expertise of a conservation architect to ensure a harmonious and respectful response to its historic context.
Through meticulous research into the site’s history and evolution, we identified opportunities for sensitive enhancements that respect and enrich the setting. The carefully considered placement, scale, and refined ceramic finish of the new outbuilding ensure it remains secondary to the listed buildings, mitigating its impact while creating a complementary contrast. This thoughtful approach balances the less-than-substantial harm with a design that harmonizes contemporary architecture with heritage significance.
Explore the design proposal in our 3D virtual tour
Do you have an outbuilding that’s listed or located in a conservation area? Navigating listed building consent can be complex, but we’re here to help. Get in touch to see how E2 can guide you through the process and transform your outbuilding with care and expertise.
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