Grade 2 Advice on what to keep

[tombaker88]

We have recently purchased a Grade 2 c.1816 house in our local village.
I have conducted extensive research on the history of the property, and can see it was the first house built on the village green, owned by just 4 families since it was built, and before us, last sold in 1961.

We have been in discussion with the CO, and followed guidance on the emergency repairs to roof, flashing, windows, and now started a sensitive rewire and pipework install (existing was all lead and mild steel!!)

As the building has evolved, it seems to have a mixture of styles, such as the bay window added under a chimney, picture rails relocated to some rooms, ceiling rose in main living room.

It's not a grand house, giving more farmhouse vibes, but we are now at the stage of picking which period to lean to when decorating, and I am looking for some advice on what features to keep.

Skirting is very simply grooved style, and picture rails are in most rooms but not all.
Dinning room has a almost inglenook size fireplace, but smartened up with brickslips in the 70s.
Staircase strings, rails and spindles look like a 60s 'improvement'
There is also a.... interesting lean-to building at the back of the house!

It is our intention to restore the entire house, to a suitable period, and we in no way want to modernise the design - It's just tricky when there are so many design elements in the house already.

Any advise or guidance greatly appreciated.

 

[phillc]

Lovely looking house. What's going on above the bay window? I can't tell whether the black lines I can see coming from the bottom of the window above are some settlement that needs attention or remnants of flashing or similar sticking out from the wall?

From a listing point of view, you'll be under no compulsion to return your house to original decoration. As you write, that's hard as every previous generation will have stamped their mark. Returning it to an arbitrary date and trying to pretend it's original creates false history. Conservation Officers don't like that and HE explicitly recognises that buildings and tastes evolve. The important points are that you don't destroy any historically significant fabric and that any substantive changes you make are readable. If you're about to rip stuff out that risks altering the historic character, getting listed building consent first keeps your nose clean.

Historic character is kind of defined as what the house was like when it was listed and all the approved changes since. If the house had a grand orangery on the side that was ripped down the day before it was listed, it never had an orangery and you are under no compulsion to reinstate one or be concerned that there was one there. Likewise, if someone installed an extension after it was listed without approval, the same normally applies.

Listing isn't an inventory of every nut and bolt so you have to use your reasonable judgement as to whether something is in scope. In practice, at grade 2 your CO is very unlikely to get all excited about commodity internal fittings or obviously modern additions like 1970s brick slips.

Most people who start out with fine intents to reinstate a, say, Victorian paint scheme soon decide against it when they see what Victorian schemes were actually like. They're not that easy on the modern eye.

So, in summary, my advice would be: Treat it as you would any other house and decorate it to your taste. You have a right to live in the house and evolve it to meet your needs and preferences, just as all previous owners have. If you want to try to do something that nods to history, do that because it is your want and recognise that it will be a modern pastiche - do not do it because you feel obliged to, or believe it is the rules, or believe there is a "right" period for the house. And, if what you're doing involves knocking stuff about or ripping stuff out that you suspect constitutes part of the listed fabric, get consent first.

Most of all, enjoy it!

 

[paulc]

Most people who start out with fine intents to reinstate a, say, Victorian paint scheme soon decide against it when they see what Victorian schemes were actually like. They're not that easy on the modern eye.

Disclaimer: My late 1920s house isn't listed.
I originally looked at 1920s & 30s paint schemes and most appeared to be drab colours coupled with dark brown furniture. Certainly not to my taste. Instead, gone for a pale yellow polished plaster for the kitchen, and have started painting woodwork a blood red with either pink walls or a light cream wallpaper. Oh, and black polished plaster on the chimney breast in the lounge.
Still trying to retain doors, skirting, picture rail, and architraves as close to original even if it means I have to make my own (have quite a collection of router bits as a result).

 

[mardinor]

You have a right to live in the house and evolve it to meet your needs and preferences

Sorry, not true. Listing makes you criminally liable for the latter. That is the whole point - the building's needs are above the owner's.

But OP, sounds like you are doing the right thing keeping the CO onboard. And have good intent. Just make sure you are clear what listing actually means, not what you might think it does.