Brick, hanging tile, half timbering and weatherboarding: these are the building materials of our village vernacular. Millwood Designer Homes has applied them all to effect at Stedlyn Retreat in Lynsted, Kent. Like a traditional cream tea, the development combines a familiar set of ingredients into a rich and delectable whole.
Millwood’s intention at Lynsted was to create a village within a village. Although the site was brownfield, having been put to such varied uses as a greyhound rearing centre and a car reclamation yard, it has an idyllic backdrop. The 13th century Church of St Peter and St Paul is within sight of the homes.
The 22 three to seven bedroom homes complement their setting perfectly, something that particularly impressed our judges. These houses may be newly built but they have been designed to look as if they have been nestling in the village for years. One pair of houses has black weatherboarded additions to the side, designed to look like extensions, while another more formal Georgian style home has a bricked up window, in faithful reference to the historic window tax. Alongside them are a terrace of cottages, a row of individual homes that accumulate into a village streetscene, a mock farmhouse and more.
The architecture is enhanced by the addition of sympathetic landscaping, including railings and timber fencing. With generous gardens, and a communal woodland and pond included in the package, Stedlyn Retreat promotes the rural idyll to the full.
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