astley castle originally served as the royal family’s fortified manor for three generations before being turned into a hotel during the second world war. after years of abandon, it became a ruined curiosity for those who knew of its location until the landmark trust – a building preservation charity – proposed to restore the structure. a competition took place for which architects were invited to submit proposals for the renovation of the residence and surrounding gardens.

london-based studio witherford watson mann architects was chosen to carry out the project, breathing a new life into the ancient construction. given a project of this scale, the studio questioned relationship between the old and new — how the new structure might fortify the collapsing ruin without stripping it of its historical image. to retain as much of the original feel of the space as possible.



all images courtesy of the landmark trust

the design strategy aimed to reoccupy the old residence, to re-institute the spaces as they had historically been used, retaining as much of the original feel of the space as possible. brick became the material of choice for the intervention as it matched the idea of the first construction but retained a visually evident difference. it also allowed the new construction to transition into the old masonry elements following the uneven joints created by the dilapidated walls. construction crew worked hand in hand with archaeologists to excavate the site in preparation for the insertion of new materials. large concrete lintels and other larger structural members had to be craned in from outside the mote, which also complicated the construction process. cintec ties were used to strengthen existing walls without adding any visible structure with a process that includes drilling holes into the partitions and filling them with a steel rod and expanding cementitious grout.



entry gate



stark contrast between original masonry and new brickwork



main hall exemplifying moments of the new intervention and the old construction



central stairs made from contemporary materials



stair detail



kitchen



masonry detailing in the kitchen



living room



bedroom



exposed original stonework in the bedrooms



exposed original stone details in the bathroom



bricks follow the uneven wall lines of the original masonry walls



bird’s eye view of the original castle, before renovation