Western Daily Press (Saturday)
New homes to be built on site of old mansion
ADEVELOPER has secured a multi-million pound funding package to build 18 homes on the site of an historic mansion in Wiltshire owned by a 19th-century meat tycoon and his family.
Gloucestershire-based firm Stonewood Partnership has secured £3.7m from lender Paragon Development Finance for The Courtyard project in Calne, which will see 11 new build and seven Grade II listed conversions of the remaining buildings on the estate.
Four two-bedroom apartments and a one-bedroom apartment will be developed in a former stable block, while a former coachman’s cottage will be extended to become two two-bedroom cottages. The cottage was part of a former malthouse dating back to 1758 and had, in 1826, housed the town’s fire engine.
The cottage and stable block had most recently been used as a social club until it closed after going into receivership in 2015.
The 11 new homes will be grouped around a central courtyard and public space on the site of the mansion once known as Woodlands. They will include seven three-bedroomed terraced homes, three three-bedroomed cottages and a one-bedroom bungalow.
Woodlands was built by businessman Charles Harris after purchasing the land in 1869. His family’s pork processing company C&T Harris, which established a bacon factory in Calne in 1770, employed 2,000 people in the town at its peak.
Stonewood Builders, which specialises in restoring listed buildings, will convert the older buildings into apartments, while Stonewood Partnerships, which has won awards for its developments at Great Somerford and Holt, will build the new homes.
Stonewood Partnerships commercial director Adam Marks said the key task for the developer would be protecting the heritage of the original buildings.
Mr Marks said: “We’re excited to return these buildings to their former glory. We want to strip the building of the add-ons that have been built over the years to return it to its original state, including revealing three stone pillars that have been hidden.
“We are also creating beautiful new homes that reflect the history while embracing all the modern comforts, as well as being light, airy and welcoming.”