Open House - Night at the Palladian
Above: The stunning Castle House is located just next to Guildford Castle
Located just a stone’s throw from Guildford Castle, the spectacular Castle House is undoubtedly one of the town’s most historically important residential buildings. Andrew Lopez-Calvete stepped back in time to explore this fascinating property
Nothing gets me more excited about doing this column than a house with history. It’s like the surprising dinner guest who suddenly reveals that they knew Noel Coward and spent the 1960’s photographing war zones for Time before becoming a Michelin starred chef. Couple the building’s sense of past with a prime central location in one of the south’s most sought after towns, and I think you’d have to agree that we have the recipe for something truly exceptional.
Located on the slopes of Castle Hill in Guildford, Castle House has little competition for being the town’s most historically important residential building. Take that accolade a little wider to include all central properties, and suddenly the list of superior competition only counts the likes of the Guildhall, Abbot’s Hospital and The Grammar School. Having a blue plaque on your house, or a mention of its precedents in the Doomsday Book, might be enough to tip a potential buyer over the edge, but when Guildford Castle, in whose garden your property is essentially located, has a display board explaining the extensive links between the two buildings, you know you are living somewhere seriously special. It even warranted a mention in the landmark book Buildings of Surrey by Nikolaus Pevsner who described it as a “Palladian house of c.1740, five by three bays with a hefty doorcase”.
The present custodians…
Currently, the couple that has the privilege of calling Castle House home is Kate and Brett Vorley. “Locals will probably remember this building with most affection for having been home to Traylens Antiquarian Bookshop,” says Kate. “After the business closed, it stood derelict for a number of years before being purchased by a local businessman who gutted it ready for development.” Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite according to plan – not least because of the enormous amount of red tape involved – and Castle House was destined to remain uninhabitable until the arrival of the Vorleys in 2003.
“Not only is the building listed, but the garden is actually part of a Scheduled National Monument, i.e. the castle, so every step takes a raft of paperwork,” explains Kate. In fact, it wasn’t until 12 months after they bought the property that any work could take place at all – and there was plenty to do even before the couple could move in.
“When we first entered the property, it was effectively gutted and open to the elements,” she continues. “Brett is a developer so we knew what was required and ambitiously set ourselves a budget and 12 month schedule to complete the work.”
Many first time developers miss vital aspects of a project in hand, and I guess we all put this down to lack of experience, but even those in the know can be tripped up by unexpected problems. “It was only when the work commenced that it became apparent that we had two key issues that needed to be addressed,” says Kate. “Both the roof and elements of the rear projection of the house had to be completely rebuilt.” Not exactly minor issues even if the property in question was a 1950’s bungalow, but on a protected building of such size and on such a historic site?
“At one stage, we had four specialist carpenters on site for a month working exclusively on the roof,” she continues. “Even though we were running the project and selecting our own contractors, which helped save us a fortune on bills, at one point we were still paying out £30k a month in wages to get the project done – so little surprises like that weren’t exactly welcome additions.” All of which contributed to an overspend of a whopping £1/2million and a schedule on which the clock is still ticking.
A distinguished history…
Whilst aspects of the property remain unfinished, including the magnificent ballroom with its marble fireplace, which is claimed to have originated from Arundel Castle, the main living areas have been completed to a quite exceptional standard. “I actually trained as an interior designer for a year with KLC School of Design in Chelsea Harbour, learning about everything from materials and lighting to fabrics and finishes,” says Kate. “As such, we wanted responsibility for every aspect of the house and we both put a lot of ourselves into it. We only deferred to specialists for certain areas, such as Bunny Guinness for the garden design and John Cullen for the lighting.”
Indeed, the first thing that hits you is the high quality of materials throughout the house – for example the oak floorboards, Chalon kitchen and stunning William Holland bath in the master bedroom’s en suite. It’s also very apparent that the décor seems to ooze from within the property’s walls, never masking the integral character, whilst avoiding period pastiche and mockery.
“We wanted the house to speak to us when considering the interior,” says Kate. “Naturally, we preserved all the intrinsic period features but also wanted to integrate them with the 21st century – we have to accept that we are not Jacobeans or Georgians wandering the corridors with tallow candles, and that the house has to be effective as a family home.”
The extensive collection of art displayed in the house is also far from ‘period’. “We both love modern art and we have a lot of work by Tim Walcott and Sam Toft,” says Kate. “I personally felt very inspired by Kettles Yard in Cambridge where I grew up, which is now a museum and combines aspects of old and new seamlessly.”
An exciting opportunity…
All of this attention to detail very much reflects the love that has been invested in Castle House, and the over-spend and extended schedule merely a reflection of the couple’s uncompromising approach to a project that just can’t be rushed and justifies only the
finest.
Changing circumstances and new projects on the horizon means that the sands of time have run out for the Vorleys and their residence at Castle House. This means that not only does the property represent an exciting opportunity to own a large slice of local history – not to mention the adjacent commercial property, which is available by separate negotiation, but also to stamp the new owner’s personality on their new home as they apply the finishing touches.
Get the look
- Laminate flooring isn’t going to cut it – antique oak flooring is compulsory
- Look for heritage colours, but integrate modern finishes for contrast
- Use lighting to highlight interesting features, like beams and uneven walls
- Retain as many period features as possible, or source replacements from salvage companies
- Be eclectic with your choice of furniture.
- Make key pieces, whether period or ultra modern, stand out against a neutral backdrop
- Don’t hide your technology