This year, Historic Houses and Country Life joined forces with Neptune to celebrate great examples of new kitchens in old spaces. Last week, the inaugural Historic Houses Kitchen Award was presented to the Willoughbys, owners of Birdsall House in North Yorkshire.
The story of every historic house is one of evolution: façades are updated, roofs remodelled, wings added (and removed). But in the 21st century, alterations are more likely to be functional than stylistic. Kitchens, in particular, reflect different times; fewer staff and changing lifestyles require a multi-functional space that can accommodate family and entertaining rather than merely the preparation of food.
For the members of Historic Houses, creating a large kitchen within the confines of a heavily listed space can present a challenge. The shortlist for the award included three very different responses to the conundrum: Francis Terry moved the kitchen to the drawing room, making the most of lofty proportions and beautiful light; Brian and Annabel Charlesworth repurposed furniture from other parts of the house; and the Hon James and Lady Cara Willoughby combined six separate rooms to create 1,000sq ft of space that provides room for cooking, entertaining and relaxing.
After much deliberation, the judges — John Sims-Hilditch, co-founder of British interiors brand Neptune; TV presenter Sarah Beeny; Kate Earle of interior-design practice Todhunter Earle; and Country Life’s Executive Editor, Giles Kime — decided that the award should go to the owners who had succeeded in the greatest architectural challenge.
Without a doubt, the couple that met the criteria most closely was the Willoughbys, whose light-filled kitchen has west-facing views over the garden. The result is a space that offers the perfect setting for 21st-century living within a house with 16th-century origins.
‘Needless to say, it has been so exciting to have the collective hard work of those who created our kitchen recognised by the judges,’ says Lady Cara. ‘We hope it demonstrates the versatility of historic buildings.’
Historic Houses membership
The Historic Houses pass (£54 for an individual adult, or £86 for a joint membership) gives free entry to more than 300 impressive castles, beautiful houses and gorgeous gardens. Together, they form Britain’s largest collection of historic houses open to the public, from Alnwick Castle to Athelhampton House, Sandringham to Sudeley. On top of free admission, members enjoy opportunities to book places on exclusive private tours of hundreds more undiscovered, lived-in, places and receive Historic House magazine four times a year. Country Life readers enjoy an exclusive £5 discount on any new membership of Historic Houses. Visit www.historichouses.org to sign up, using the code CLSCRB.
Credit: Simon Brown/Country Life Picture
How to create the perfect party kitchen in a historic home
For owners of historically important houses, creating a kitchen in tune with 21st-century living can be a headache. Wood Hall
How to avoid a boxy extension by moving your kitchen into one of the finest rooms in a house
For owners of historically important houses, creating a kitchen in tune with 21st-century living can be a headache. Freya Hardman
The new kitchen design mantra: Don’t be afraid of the dark
Dark colours and rich materials are creating moody new looks in kitchens, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
How to create a serene, yet hard-working kitchenPlain English worked with antique dealer Robert Young to make this traditional kitchen with an effortlessly relaxing colour scheme that marries perfectly with the views over beautiful gardens.
-
Why kitchens are going green — literallyGreen is the perfect colour for a kitchen, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
A modern kitchen perfectly framed by the exquisite ancient beamsArtichoke designed a discreet and timeless kitchen to complement a converted granary. Amelia Thorpe takes a look.
-
Yes, you can put a new kitchen in a Grade I-listed house — and this beautiful example shows howTraditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire.
-
A London townhouse kitchen transformed to be sociable, practical and charmingThe new owners of this London townhouse have reconfigured it to create a sociable space for cooking and entertaining.
-
A beautiful new kitchen sympathetically created for a 16th century manor houseLimewash walls, a large island and plenty of open shelving combine to create a kitchen that’s sympathetic to this 16th-century manor house in Somerset.
-
10 things I wish I'd known about doing up old houses before I started, by Country Life's interiors guru Giles KimeCountry Life’s executive editor and resident interiors expert Giles Kime shares the lessons he’s learnt from the experience of dragging a succession of houses into the 21st-century.
-
Seven beautiful new looks in kitchens, from classic cabinetry to 80s revivalThe latest looks in the kitchen, selected by Amelia Thorpe.
