Mount pleasant | Brackenfield Chesterfield

Brightman Clarke Architects were appointed to design a replacement dwelling at Mount Pleasant Farm in Brackenfield, North East Derbyshire.

Our clients approached us to design a replacement home for a dilapidated farmhouse. When we arrived to carry out our design consultation meeting.

We found that our clients lived in a static caravan as the farm they had purchased the previous year was structurally dangerous and needed replacing. 

The site, however, is incredible: situated within designated open countryside. The farm had been built around a traditional courtyard with a modest farmhouse to one side, brick and block built barn to the side.

A series of barns and outbuildings on the opposite side to the dwelling with 17 Acres fields all around containing our clients Alpaca herd.

Views could be found in all directions, it was a real architect's dream site, but with the courtyard and size of the existing building, we had a clear location and orientation for the new home already.

Having endured a very cold and cramped winter living with all of their dogs, cats and rabbit in a small caravan, they were determined not to spend another winter in these conditions.

Because of this, they had already engaged with the planners to seek advice and had a rough idea of how they wanted their new home to function and flow.

Due to the site being located in open countryside the planners had stipulated to our clients that the proposed design should not be materially larger than the existing house to be replaced so we set to preparing designs to meet all these parameters.

The final design provides large openings to harness the views out over the countryside, yet a rural charm has been retained through a more rustic palette of natural stone and dark timber cladding.

Our clients have now moved out of their caravan and into their lovely, warm, dry and spacious home and enjoy living here whilst running a number of successful businesses from brewing tasty Kombucha tea's to breeding Alpacas.

They even offer Alpaca Trekking experiences (Jonathan Clarke, one of our directors can personally recommend these having spent an afternoon with his family doing just that!)

You can book at https://brackenfieldalpacas.co.uk/