This Grade II*-listed 12th-century former church in Rishangles, Suffolk, was sensitively converted in the 1980s into a wonderful four-bedroom house. The renovation was completed by a local furniture maker who used local timber in a considered way to ensure the house retained its ecclesiastical grandeur, keeping the focus firmly on the original features, such as stained-glass windows, soaring ceilings and exposed wooden beams. Further thoughtful modifications by successive owners mean it is fully equipped for modern living. Nestled in an acre of garden with nearby woodland and fields, the house is secluded yet close to the thriving market towns of Eye and Debenham while readily accessed from London.
I have church conversions on my mind after finding last weeks beauty, and then my husband sent me a real estate listing to one in a nearby town that had me dreaming about buying it, and then I found this one on Inigo. I think I’d prefer one without a graveyard on the property though. Eeeekkkkkk.
Formerly the Church of St John, constructed in 1896 on the outskirts of Ford in Wiltshire, the building has recently undergone a thoughtful and sensitive conversion, creating spectacular spaces for living and entertaining as well as three lovely bedrooms. Extending to 2,844 sq ft internally, the building retains its ecclesiastical integrity yet provides a number of cleverly designed, intimate spaces. The structure was built entirely out of distinctive, honey-coloured local stone and a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
My dreams of living in a converted church will never die if I keep finding homes like this 😉 Currently for sale via Inigo.
Once a community church, and later, a theatre, The Church, has been renovated into a 3 level contemporary home, while providing a sympathetic adaptation to a historic building. Heritage listed, the brick and sandstone façade is preserved to the public elevations. It’s legacy lives on to frame the progressive lifestyle of our clients.
One of my favourite church conversions we’ve posted, particularly for that picture perfect view standing back looking at the kitchen. Hallelujah!
Architecture/Design: Michiru Higginbotham; Builder: Straightup Build; Architect in Association – ARC Architects; Photos: Katherine Lu; Styling: Holly Irvine
From its hotel-like foyer to its deep petrol blue hues in the kitchen this church conversion is the height of contemporary chic. A series of steel and glass boxes sit within the sandstone shell delineating spaces and allowing for privacy in what once was an open public space. St John’s Paddington by Sydney-based Tom Mark Henry.
Photography Damian Bennett
There were three concepts that guided the transformation of this small 16th century church in the Basque region of Spain: the history, the client and that this part of the project was just the beginning. At the start of the project, the roof had collapsed into the interior and the church was in a dire state of structural instability. The restoration was as sensitive as possible with Garmendia Cordero Arquitectos and their client agreeing that whatever comes next will be achieved “by respecting what was already there, leaving visible what is generated in the present, voluntarily and consciously facing the history of the previous building, without touching or making up the scars that show their travel almost as directly as a story would.”
Photography by Carlos Garmendia Fernández