Meticulous in its design and representing a truly fine example of old meets new, this wonderful home in the Cotswold village of Lower Dowdeswell blends a grade II-listed 16th-century house with a contemporary design by award-winning architects De Matos Ryan. With five bedrooms, a beautifully landscaped garden and an annexed studio and garage, the house sits within a small cluster of historic manor buildings.

Completed in 2011, the house, a former monk’s presbytery, underwent a four-year redesign under the careful stewardship of De Matos Ryan who worked closely with the owner to realise the project. Given the nature of the grade-II listing, the emphasis was on restoring the original building with great integrity whilst creating a modern wing that dramatically expanded the living space.

The overall design garnered much attention when it was first completed. The house won the Roses Design Awards in 2011, and was shortlisted for the RIBA Regional Award 2012 and the World Architecture Festival 2011.

The restoration allowed the owners to specify thoughtful modern additions that elevated the original building, with particular focus on creating a sustainable modern home that celebrated the protected heritage. Amongst other details, the stone roof tiles were recreated and replaced, all the windows were replaced with appropriate flat-lead alternatives, new handmade guttering was installed and the floors carefully lifted and underlaid with underfloor heating so that the inner walls were not fouled with modern radiators.

The house is approached from the road beneath a dovecot to a gravel drive that is shared by the neighbouring houses. There is access to the garage from the shared drive, or else a hardstanding with space for a number of cars contained within the property’s curtilage.

The main entrance to the house is positioned at the western end of the original building opening to a stone-floored hall that is surrounded by a black American oak partition that gives way to a boot room on the right, and a magnificent reception room ahead. An impressive stone fireplace provides a wonderful centrepiece beneath the exposed oak-beamed ceiling. Double doors open to the garden, whilst a short flight of stone steps lead to a raised-level dining room.

From the dining room a reconditioned spiral staircase, cast in stone, ascends through two floors, past the master suite on the first floor and, on the top floor, a large bedroom in the eaves. The master suite has a beautifully proportioned en-suite bathroom with freestanding bath and oversized rain shower, and a separate dressing room which could be used as an additional bedroom or study. There are three further bedrooms in the original plan of the house.

Attached by a glazed link to the original house is the distinctly contemporary flat-roofed structure designed by De Matos Ryan that incorporates the old stables/garden stores. The structure contains the open-plan kitchen and dining area, beyond which is a more intimate family / garden room, a guest bedroom and shower room. The structure is glazed all along the garden side, with sliding walls of glass that can be seamlessly opened to access the outside areas. The floors are laid with a limestone floor that echoes the materials used in the old house.

The new structure is partially clad in wood, where it is not glazed, with a pitched roof at one end that replicates the use of stone tiles, and a flat (butterfly) roof over the kitchen that is covered in sedum.

Home Farm is very well located in the quiet Cotswold countryside, just under five miles from the centre of Cheltenham. There is easy access to the A40 which runs directly into town. The house sits in an elevated position in the lower half of Dowdeswell Village within the Dowdeswell Conservation Area – the village itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Upper Dowdeswell has a cricket pitch and the nearby village of Andoversford has a village shop, post office, pub and is home to the Cotswold Point to Point course.

Cheltenham is an elegant and cultured town on the edge of the Cotswolds. It hosts many highly regarded festivals of literature, jazz, film, folk music, comedy and science as well as a busy racing calendar including the Gold Cup. It was recently named by the Daily Telegraph as the best place to raise a family in the UK. It’s combination of beautiful Regency architecture, outstanding schools, rich cultural life and amazing festivals all add to its unique appeal.

Excellent schools include Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Cheltenham College, Dean Close, St Edward’s RC and The Richard Pate School. Highly sought-after state schools include Pates Grammar and Balcarras Secondary. Cheltenham offers easy access to the M5 and a train service to London Paddington in just over two hours.

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.