Rusticated stone façade at ground floor, typical of military institutions, believed to date from around 1907. Original Georgian brickwork and windows above.

Modern finishes were stripped back to the 1907 rusticated stonework, and the gate recreated from a 1960s photograph.

Georgian staircase with handrail and decorative details remade where lost. Joinery partially stripped, leaving traces of historic layers of paint.

Stripped walls, bare floorboards, carefully conserved windows, painted using linseed oil.

Historic Georgian window repaired and redecorated with linseed paint and unlacquered brass ironmongery

Original cupboard and fireplace with bullseye surround with limestone slips and iron grate. The wooden floors were gently cleaned and newly oiled, preserving the patina.

Original fireplace with bullseye surround with limestone slips and iron grate.

Repaired Georgian wall with new (white) lime plaster patched in to the original, with layers of historic paint.

Open plan ground floor workspace, formed in the 1950s. We stripped back the poor quality, later finishes, painted white and installed a metal-framed glazed screen to separate from the workshop from the main stair hall.

We levelled the roof of the 1950s workshop with new flush rooflights and timber decking to create a first floor courtyard garden.

1830s BLACKSMITH /
1907 THE BUFFS DRILL HALL

Hawley Square, Margate

2021+

This Grade II listed building has had a more varied past than most of our projects, and we've worked for two separate owners, each with a different aim and scope.

Our first client bought the building at auction from the Local Authority, who had been using it as their Parking & CCTV Monitoring Station for over twenty years, following decades as general council offices. It was in a very poor state, riddled with asbestos, surface-mounted plastic trunking, and chipboard cabinets. It was hard to imagine a fascinating old building lay beneath the gloss magnolia wood-chip wallpaper, fluorescent lights and thin brown carpet.

Our research uncovered a rich history to the building, likely constructed around 1830 as a blacksmith on the ground floor with residential accommodation above, and then a variety of light industrial and commercial uses. In 1907 the building was converted for use by the 4th Battalion The Buffs, East Kent Regiment, and an Officer's home above. A huge Drill Hall was constructed on the rear, and later removed to build a multi-storey car park in the 1970s.

In our first phase of work we stripped out the 1970s finishes back to the 1830s/1907 materials, layering in new services and facilities to create a comfortable 3-bed historic home with refurbished 1970s workshop on the back, and new garden terrace over, ideally suited to a live-work creative practitioner.

Our second phase of work, for the new owner, a graffiti art print producer and dealer, is to add a fourth bedroom on top of the thermally-upgraded 1970s rear extension, and reinstate more of the missing architectural details, such as the 1907 Buffs' flagpole and 1830s blacksmith's balcony along the first floor front facade.

Phase 1:

Developer: All Creative Ltd.

Contractor: Newbery Renovations Ltd.

Structural Engineer: HF-K Ltd.

Phase 2:

Client: Graffiti Prints.

Structural Engineer: Alan Baxter Partnership.

Photography by inigo.com

and Studio Sam Causer

1830s BLACKSMITH / 1907 THE BUFFS DRILL HALL

1830s BLACKSMITH /
1907 THE BUFFS DRILL HALL