The best country house specialists in Britain, from stonemasons and joiners to builders and paint specialists

More from the Country Life Top 100:

• Best garden designers in Britain
• Best architects in Britain
• Best interior designers in Britain

Artichoke

Known for fine-quality bespoke kitchens and fitted joinery, this respected firm, run by founder Bruce Hodgson, has been operating for more than 30 years. Expert in sensitive updates to period homes to make them suitable for modern family life, Artichoke now also offers a full interior-design service to deliver a seamless ‘complete house’ experience from its Somerset design studio and workshops. All its timber is sourced from British suppliers and cured on site.

01934 745270; www.artichoke.co.uk

Artorius Faber

A family-run British natural-stone specialist based in Yeovil, Somerset, the firm produces interior flagstone flooring, exterior paving and architectural detailing, such as staircases. All Artorius Faber products are created from scratch in the company’s workshops, often with stone from its own quarry. It also sources and reworks reclaimed materials. Projects include Georgian townhouses, country estates and major heritage buildings. The company undertakes schemes across the UK with its complete site-survey, design and installation service.

01935 847333; www.artoriusfaber.com

Graphenstone

Although many paint manufacturers have moved towards recipes made with more environmentally friendly materials over recent years, Graphenstone still stands out as a leader in the sustainability charge. Its ‘Purifying Paints’ are manufactured from a combination of lime, calcium carbonates and natural minerals, fused with graphene — a non-toxic material made from pure carbon, discovered in 2004 by two Nobel Prize winners at Manchester University.

‘Our paints gently combine time-honoured materials, such as lime and silicate, with 21st-century graphene technology, ensuring they are ecological, sustainable and highly durable,’ explains Patrick Foulkes, CEO and chairman of the UK arm of the highly certified Spanish company, founded in 2013. Such credentials make Graphenstone a favourite among designers (Tim Gosling, Michelle Ogundehin and Rose Uniacke all have colour collections with the company). Clients include The Ashmolean in Oxford, Grosvenor Estates and Historic Royal Palaces, with a range of 16 colours created in partnership with London’s Royal Ballet and Opera, which was launched last autumn. In April, Graphenstone will unveil a new collection in collaboration with English Heritage.

01379 772940; www.graphenstone-ecopaints.store

Jack Badger

This traditional joinery company comprises a team of skilled craftspeople, known for its experience of working on prestigious projects — and is a firm favourite among leading architects specialising in the heritage sector. Taking its name from the traditional woodworking plane, Jack Badger was founded by managing director Ben Naylor 15 years ago. The company is admired for the full gamut of period architectural joinery and carving, including internal and external doors, flooring, gates, kitchens, staircases and bespoke pieces, made at its workshop in Old Glossop, Derbyshire. Projects include panelling, doors and furniture made for Plumpton Place, an Elizabethan manor house in East Sussex that was once the home of the first editor of Country Life, Edward Hudson.

Last year, Mr Naylor and master carver Rob Poole won the inaugural ‘Outstanding Craftsmanship’ award from the Traditional Architectural Group for their work on a medieval manor house in Oxfordshire. ‘By choosing authentic, handmade joinery, owners of period buildings can not only do what’s most appropriate for their homes, but also help preserve traditional skills,’ notes Mr Naylor.

01457 854440; www.jackbadger.co.uk

Knowles

Founded by Robin Knowles more than 30 years ago, this construction company is respected for expertise in complex super-prime projects. The family-run, 250-person-strong firm provides a comprehensive service, from concept to completion, and undertakes construction and specialist heritage work in London and the Home Counties. It also offers a special projects and aftercare service.

020-3988 7994; www.knowles.uk.com

Lapicida

This leading luxury tile and stone specialist is headed by managing director Jason Cherrington, who founded the company more than 30 years ago. In addition to the impressive showroom in Harrogate, Lapicida now has a new and inspiring two-storey London showroom in Pimlico, displaying natural stones, including antique reclaimed stone and a new collection of limestone floors produced in collaboration with English Heritage, and fine Italian porcelains. Custom design and bespoke manufacturing services are available.

01423 400100; www.lapicida.com

Oakwrights

This award-winning firm creates oak-frame homes and extensions, garden buildings and garages. It uses renewable green oak and can advise on energy efficiency, creating bespoke structures with high performance characteristics in mind (the company built the first oak-frame Passivhaus in the UK, using its own encapsulation panels). It has an in-house architectural design team and offers opportunities to visit its workshops on open days at its Herefordshire HQ.

01432 353353; www.oakwrights.co.uk

Prime Oak

A UK market leader in the manufacture and construction of oak-frame garden rooms, orangeries and annexes, Prime Oak also produces timber-frame garages and stables, employing sustainable oak that is air-dried in the company’s own yards. The company, which was founded in 1999, manufactures in Staffordshire, where it has a show site, with another in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and a new one in Hampshire.

01384 296611; www.primeoak.co.uk

Moulding

Established in 1798, Moulding is a residential builder that remains family owned and is today run by eighth-generation family member Tim Moulding. The firm employs more than 100 craftspeople and specialises in new-builds and renovations of country houses, with in-house bespoke joinery and planned preventative maintenance services. The company is also responsible for maintaining English Heritage sites throughout the West of England, from Herefordshire to Cornwall.

01722 742228; www.mouldingthebuilder.co.uk

R. W. Armstrong

This family-owned residential builder was founded in 1957 and operates across the South of England and London. It specialises in the refurbishment and renovation of country houses and listed properties, as well as the construction of bespoke new houses, both contemporary and traditional in style. The firm offers an in-house joinery service, plus design-led custom architectural interiors.

01256 850177; www.rwarmstrong.co.uk

Rose of Jericho

There is little this Dorset-based team doesn’t know about the materials used in the conservation, repair and decoration of traditional and historic buildings. The firm also provides consultancy services and is currently employed at the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. A new natural and sustainable chalk wash paint, Lavaggio con Gesso, launches this month.

01935 83676; www.roseofjericho.co.uk

W. G. Carter

Specialising in the restoration and renovation of country and heritage houses, many of them listed, this full-service construction company operates from its Abingdon base across Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds and the surrounding counties. Established in 1947, the award-winning firm is now run by James Robertson, who leads a team of 65 construction professionals and skilled craftsmen.

01865 864626; www.wgcarter.co.uk

ZOTA

This Cirencester-based construction company is known for its work in the Cotswolds, taking on both new-builds and renovation projects across a variety of traditional buildings. It works closely alongside leading architecture and interior-design studios, including Simon Morray-Jones and Sims Hilditch, to deliver a co-ordinated and well-executed result. Founded in 1997 by director Nick Moffat, who now heads a team of 40 staff, ZOTA provides a complete service, from initial planning to realisation.

In addition to construction, the company’s services include bespoke cabinetry made by its in-house joinery workshop, plus audio, lighting and home technology, heating systems, solar energy and other sustainable solutions. It also has an in-house decorating team that offers specialist techniques and a spray workshop. ‘We bring 28 years of expertise in blending historical architecture with modern adaptations to deliver exceptional results,’ says Mr Moffat.

01285 708708; www.zota.co.uk

Country Life Top 100 picture credits: Jack Badworth; Jo Thompson; Yiangou; Max Rolle; Research by Amelia Thorpe; Adrian Lambert; Jason Ingran; Tom Mannion 2018 Andy Manshalt Claire Takach Photography Simon Brown Chris Walteld Photography, Clive Rose, Oukar Proctor; Kally Marshall, Marry Crowder, Paul Manuey; Helen Cathcart; Martin Monelt Marianne Majerus Garden Images; Eva Nemeth/Country Life Picture Library Future Pie; Simon Uptor; Harlet Chalis; Richard Bloom, Rachel Warne: Nick Smith, Jake Easthan;