Inglis Hall | WT Architecture

WT - At Renton Hall, our intervention became a catalyst for resurrecting a neglected B-Listed country manor that had stood empty for at least a decade. Through restoration and extension, the building was given a new lease of life, re-establishing it as a permanent family home that honours its 200-year history while embracing the needs of contemporary living.

IH - There are buildings that wait. They hold stories in their stone and timber, patiently, until someone arrives who is willing to listen. Renton Hall was one such place. A multi-year rescue mission, a testament to the vision of its new owners and WT Architecture. They saw beyond the decay, hearing the whisper of what it could become.

WT - The brief was not only to save the house, but to restore its spirit. Our design sought to create generous social spaces that foster a sense of living within the landscape. A new wing of living and dining areas extends from the Georgian core, framing a sheltered courtyard and opening to the gardens beyond. This strategy allowed the historic interiors to remain largely intact, while also providing the flexibility and functions that the original building could not.

IH - Early dialogue began with what already exists, respecting the bones of a place to prepare it for a new chapter. A contemporary extension, reaching out from the side of the old house. A sympathetic addition, flowing from old to new, bringing with it a quiet, modern voice. At the heart of this union, an opportunity for a very special kitchen and living space.

WT - At the outset, we undertook a conservation appraisal to establish the building’s character and capacity for change. This informed a scheme that removed unsympathetic later additions and introduced a carefully composed new wing, drawing inspiration from vernacular farm buildings. Constructed from lime-rendered masonry and Douglas fir, the extension sits quietly beside the manor, deferential to its grandeur yet confident in its own identity.

IH - For Renton Hall, exposed timber connected the old with the new. We carefully chose materials that complemented the architecture, history and setting, inviting warmth and togetherness.

WT - Equally important was the resurrection of the extensive gardens, long abandoned and overgrown. The new extension was deliberately arranged to reconnect the manor with these landscapes. Openings frame views to the walled garden, while courtyards and terraces establish outdoor rooms for everyday life.

Architecture here provides a framework, but the gardens themselves have become central once more — spaces for cultivation, gathering, and reflection, reuniting the house with its broader estate.

IH - An integral element of the overall kitchen design, the landscape commanded a layout that maximised views from the windows on both sides and the continuity of flow from room to room. The colour palette was heavily influenced by the land and local shoreline with walls cloaked in Fenwick and Tilbrook Aged Copper.

WT - At the heart of the plan lies the kitchen, created by combining the manor’s former reception room and scullery. This generous, light-filled space now anchors the home, flowing seamlessly into the extension and beyond into the gardens. From here, daily life unfolds across a continuum of architecture and landscape. A rhythm of cooking, dining, and gathering that is both intimate and expansive.

IH - This is a kitchen design where the materials do all the talking. A wall of our signature raw band-sawn oak cladding integrates with the existing architecture and neatly houses bulky appliances and the pantry at one end. It’s rough, organic texture sits comfortably here among the old and new of the building. Contrasted with smooth oak veneer cabinetry on the open-ended kitchen island, which grounds the space and has unrestricted views of the extension and gardens beyond.

The understated elegance of Black Diamond Richlite cabinetry elegantly cloaks the clean zone, finished with burnished brass.

A freestanding kitchen glassware cupboard commands its own space, quietly confident in smooth Fenix it stands elegantly on an elevated band-sawn oak frame. A cupboard that has now proudly become part of our product series.

WT - Today, Renton Hall is no longer an abandoned relic but a revitalised estate, where historic architecture and restored gardens work together as a living whole. The project demonstrates how sensitive intervention can breathe new life into forgotten buildings and landscapes, creating a home that is as rooted in its past as it is open to the future.

IH - Renton Hall is a story of patience and restorative care, where every beam, every stone, and every plant hints of its past while embracing a sustainable future. It was a pleasure to work with WT Architecture and owners; Tibi and David Weir.