Cliveden Village: Developing Funds for a National Treasure

A copper wall at night. Courtesy of Paul Eccleston. http://www.arthousedigital.com/

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Cliveden, The National Trust's Italianate mansion, and its formal gardens are perched above the River Thames and surrounded by woodland. This historic estate was formerly home of the Astors; a luxurious location for high society gatherings and widely remembered as the venue of a 1960s' scandal, The Profumo Affair. It is also the site of a new contemporary development of 135 homes, Cliveden Village, designed by a team headed by LDA Design's director of architecture.

Working in partnership with Countryside Properties, the Trust wanted to create a new community of sustainable and desirable homes to realise extra funds from the land to pay for restoration works on the estate for both the main house and the extensive grounds, on which Charles Bridgeman, Sir Charles Barry and Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe have all had an influence.

Proposing a modern development in a Grade I Listed landscape required the range of skills offered by LDA Design. Our landscape architecture, historic landscape and ecology teams worked closely with the architects to establish a masterplan that responded to the sensitive setting and context while creating a new landscape within the framework of the estate.

Cliveden Village is a unique development recognised as exemplary by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). The design integrates landscape and architecture, from masterplan to detail and delivery. The layout uses passive design principles, orientation, solar water heating and thermal mass to allow the properties optimum natural light and heat.

The close relationship between building and landscape is further demonstrated with the selection of a palette of naturalistic materials including copper, stone and indigenous timbers, allowing the homes to weather in harmony with the surrounding trees and ground surface finishes.

Ultimately we have delivered a high quality and unashamedly modern residential development in a sensitive cultural landscape, adding an additional layer of design history to an estate characterised by many great periods of design. An environment that allows people to live in a beautiful setting while being part of a new approach to safeguarding our heritage and limited resources has been created. In 2008, Cliveden Village achieved a BREEAM excellent rating.