Upper Bedfords Farm, Essex

Making places in rural contexts

A sensitive residential development that re-imagines the barn conversion typology to provide comfortable modern homes.

This disused and derelict farm sits on top of a hill in the Green Belt just outside London, enjoying commanding views over open countryside to the north and east, and towards Romford and Dagenham to the south. The cluster of large barns and courtyards were in the curtilage of the listed Victorian farmhouse which remains occupied.  

Most of the barns were late 20th century sheds apart from one historic 18th century long timber barn in very derelict condition. The farm had ceased to function economically some years ago, and the owners’ decision was to build a cluster of houses, instead of the sheds.

Modern black house with large windows and a sloped roof, surrounded by a neatly maintained lawn and gravel pathway, under a partly cloudy sky.

Being Sensitive to the Context 

Working closely with the planners and conservationists at the London Borough of Havering, the designs and the landscape approach had to satisfy two quite difficult site requirements:

  • The land is in a green belt zone and farmland where consent for new housing is difficult to obtain. It is next door to a country park and woodlands.

  • The site is in the curtilage of the listed building

 We surmounted both these difficulties by designing contemporary barn-like houses on the footprints of the former sheds and barns, and ensuring that each new building was no higher than its predecessor.  In this way the whole scheme still looks like a farm cluster from a distance.

New-build and Conversion

The two oldest buildings were converted to residential use, and new houses with steep pitched roofs were built where the steel barns had been:

  • Eight houses have been created, with consistent use of dark weatherboard cladding, simple modern windows and zinc roofs.

  • There is a variety in the shape and configuration of each house interacting with shared landscaped courtyards and individual gardens leading to the open fields and surrounding woods.

For the Council, it is a successful exemplar of what can be achieved with redundant farm sites.

A digital illustration of a residential scene showing a modern black wooden house with large windows, surrounded by trees, a yard with a fence, and a few people walking and standing in the yard. In the background is an older castle-like structure and additional buildings, with a cloudy sky overhead.
Drawing of a residential neighborhood with multiple houses, trees, and a winding road, seen from above.

The details

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Client: Manor Properties
Location: Romford, Essex
Completion: 2022
Building Type: Residential/ Historic Conversion
Value: Confidential

APPROACH & INFLUENCE

Project Type: Heritage residential new-build and adaptation

Design Approach: Conservation-led design, discreet modern insertion

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