In Conversation; Built to Last
From Muddy Fields to a Woodland Haven: The Story of Chestnut Farm
In our recent shortlisting for the Architecture Today awards 2025 our clients recounted the origins of the Chestnut Farm and what it means to live in a building built to last.
It all started with a phone call in late 1993. “Would you like to buy a caravan on the edge of a large, muddy field?” The answer was a firm no.
But fate had other plans. A few days later, a friend rang with a different proposition:
“I’ve found where you’ll live for the rest of your life. Come down now.”
Curiosity won. The next day, Chestnut Farm revealed itself—a shabby park home perched on the edge of a muddy field. Hardly inspiring. Yet, alongside it lay something magical: an ancient woodland, serene and beautiful. That woodland changed everything.
A Leap of Faith
The following day, I sat with my bank manager. “The good news,” I said, “is that the firm is doing well. The bad news is that you’re going to buy me a farm.”To his credit, he did.
For years, we commuted from the city, loving the woodland and paddocks but loathing the mobile home. Two thin layers of plywood, poor insulation, and fittings of the cheapest kind—it was freezing in winter and cramped year-round. We dreamed of something better.
Finding the Right Partner
Undertaking an architectural project is not for the faint of heart and the architect, client relationship is critical. It needs fostering and collaboration. At PAD we have a deep rooted ethos of respect which we bring to our collaborations.
By chance, Jane heard about our New Forest home being built nearby and she tracked us down. Soon we were sitting in that old mobile home together sketching out the possibilities.
In their words “We had struck gold: an architect who listened, collaborated, and shared our vision”. By summer 2011, plans were taking shape.
Sustainability at Heart and Designing with Nature
The site had once been carved from ancient woodland. The clients wanted to retreat into the woodland fringe, not impose on it. The new home had to be beautiful, flexible, and sustainable, embracing emerging technologies.
Today, their home boasts:
- Excellent insulation
- Ground source heat pump for hot water and underfloor heating
- Photovoltaic panels on the roof
- Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery
And soon, they are looking to add battery storage and maybe tap an old well for our own water supply.
It was important to the clients that the landscape was natural. No manicured flowerbeds here—just a small patch for dogs and children. A kitchen garden in raised steel beds supplies much of our fruit and veg. Two rainwater tanks store over 20,000 litres for irrigation.
Planning Constraints: A Blessing in Disguise
We thrive on understanding planning policy and researching how it can unlock challenging sites for our clients. Allowing us to achieve the beautiful homes that are built to last.
Consent was granted under the Caravan Act of 1968 and this allowed the clients to build two mobile homes as one dwelling, linked by a suspended deck. The beauty for our clients was that the planners couldn’t dictate finishes or glazing. In developing the project we chose screwpiles—17 of them—to support the structure without concrete, leaving the land undisturbed. If ever removed, the site would return to nature within months.
Living Among the Trees
As stewards of the ancient woodland, the clients are living among the trees and describe how visitors of all types enjoy the Chestnut Farm.
Our home sits quietly in the woodland fringe, surrounded by grasses and perennials instead of lawns. From the living room, we watch birds feast on seedheads just metres away—like living in a modern bird hide.
Wildlife is everywhere: deer, foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, badgers—even kingfishers have flown inside. The house blends so well into its surroundings that visitors often struggle to spot it.
It is the greatest compliment when tradespeople often ask to photograph the house, amazed at how it melts into the trees.
Beauty in Simplicity, Materials That Tell a Story
The materials chosen, the Chestnut cladding, oak decking, ash furniture—all echo the woodland’s character.
The interiors are deeply personal “Walls painted acid green and deep blue mirror euphorbia and bluebells in bloom. Our dining table – Three ash boards from a single tree in Stansted Forest. The carpet – woven from Swaledale wool, the leftover yarn turned into cushions by artisan weavers. Every detail roots the house in its landscape and our lives.”
The design is minimalist yet warm: flush ash skirtings, full-height doors, hidden blinds to preserve dark skies. Even the stainless-steel nails were hand-spaced for a subtle, shimmering pattern. Between the two units, an aluminium-and-glass link creates an indoor-outdoor dining space with a wood-burning stove.
We have outdoor cooking areas, seating for 16 indoors, and space for 200 guests on the deck—proven when our daughter’s wedding filled the woodland with laughter.
We are deeply grateful to PAD studio for creating a home that is not just a building, but a way of life—sustainable, flexible, and utterly in harmony with nature.