IH.550
Why we have a particular fondness for this project is, largely, why we revere Lewes.
Size and scale do not, necessarily, make a town special. There are larger towns, cities even, that have less intrigue and allure than Lewes.
These larger places may be more efficient, more logically planned and heavily invested in.
LEWES IS A TOWN THAT SUGGESTS IT’S ORIGIN WAS ACCIDENTAL AND ANY PLANNING HAS BEEN SCRIBBLED ON A NAPKIN WHILST DOING SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING.
A beautiful meandering labyrinth laid across challenging hills divided by The Sussex Ouse.
Crooked alleyways that lead to off kilter doorways which access unlikely and wayward buildings.
Architectural psychaos could possibly describe the (non)plan of a town whose focal and spirit centre is a brewery.
Deeper into Lewes, past the attractions featured in the colour supplements and lifestyle magazines.
The almost secret flow of the Cockshut and The Winterbourne. Spectral arteries of cold water that drift, whorl and wracket through a Lewes known only by those who live here.
A Lewes that was, incidentally, a playground and playing field to an adolescent Toby Inglis Hall who knew every nook and gutter by instinct. A Toby slight enough to squeeze through the sluice gates of the Winterbourne.
Adventures close to home.
Sherburn is one of those houses. A charming punchline to a riddle of pavement, corner and kerb.
A four storey definition of Lewes.
And every story needs counterpoint.
Contrast, context and the perfectly judged twist.
Anchoring this elegant and poised home is a kitchen of pristine composition and peerless precision. A kitchen that effortlessly proves that efficiency does not have to be at the expense of charm.
Sculpted into the lower ground level of a tall form. Below the pavements of Lewes.
THE KITCHEN FEELS, LITERALLY, EARTHED, SOLID AND PERMANENT. THE ELEMENTAL COMFORT OF SECURITY AND HOME.
A palette of materials that compound and distill this sense of comfort and belonging.
Exhaustive design and rigorous thought enable intuitive and subtle simplicity.
Warmth, texture, purpose and contentment.
This is a home of duality. The intrigue of history painstakingly rebuilt with surgical attention to detail.
A fascinating, delightful and beguiling building within pebble chucking distance of the otherworldly Winterbourne. A meticulously functional and contemporary home for a creative and dynamic family.
With a confidently elegant kitchen at it’s heart.
Lewes. It’s streets and alleys. It’s water. The artists who try and capture it’s allure in word, melody or colours on canvas. It’s houses. Sherburn, The Rusty Brick and others. With their kitchens.
People cursing the hills on the way up and whistling on the way down.
Ongoing stories with an unwritten ending.
Our love letter to Lewes and Sherburn.
Sincerely.
Inglis Hall
