November 20 2023

A ruinous cluster of Victorian agricultural buildings that was once home to the last native speaker of Deeside Gaelic has been revitalised at the hands of Moxon Architects for an artist/architect client.

A decade-long vision to restore and convert the Cairngorms cluster for modern living has seen three outbuildings revitalised as a guesthouse, glasshouse and artist's studio without increasing the built footprint around the main Ardoch House residence.

Home to Naomi McIntosh the rural retreat retains the surviving 19th-century fabric while taking the opportunity to bring energy efficiency up to modern specifications. McIntosh said: “Every day I think about the craftsmanship that the original builders used; the consideration of the site, the beautiful and simple forms of the granite and the measured symmetry. I felt very strongly that I did not want to extend our small farmhouse. I wanted to retain all the original proportions and simplicity of the buildings but also wanted friends and family to be able to come and stay.”

New additions provide additional study and living space as well as a self-contained guesthouse within a former steading, going the extra mile to rebuild a partially collapsed wall and roof using traditional techniques. This attention to detail extends to the use of oak joinery to conceal modern appliances with new additions emulating the original.

Separately a ruinous store has been reimagined as a glasshouse supported by new steel beams, adjoined by an artist's studio within a granite steading which boasts a bespoke pine floor and a single sheet of custom glass to preserve the original entrance.

Ben Addy, founding director of Moxon Architects, concludes: “The completion of these three buildings marks the culmination of a ten-year project that celebrates the art of building and craftsmanship. It is testament to the robustness and resilience of the historic buildings that this is a project characterised by retention and repair. Where there are new interventions, they are modest yet highly crafted, and seek to emulate the craft, form, and rigour of the 170-year-old architectural fabric, that for a large part retains its integrity on the site”.

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