The Halt

The Halt sits within a Conservation Area in Tyler Hill, on the site of the historic Blean and Tyler Hill Halt. Opened in 1908, the Halt was a stopping point on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, a route also known as the Crab and Winkle Way.

The existing house sits on the site of the old railway crossing keeper’s hut on the edge of a historic pond. Surrounded by 7 acres of mature landscape, with an avenue of Oak trees lining the route of the original railway tracks, the site has a special character and offers unique long-distance rural views.

The proposed extension is nestled next to the line of the old railway tracks, reinforcing the historic route. Additional bedrooms, a home office and garage space are created to respond to the needs of a growing family and to the increased demand for flexible home working. The internal layout of the existing house is also altered to create flexible living spaces, breathing new life into the house and combining with the extension to create defined zones for living, working, and sleeping. The design captures and celebrates long views into the landscape, bringing them into the house and connecting the rhythm of daily life to the surrounding rural context.

The extension is conceived as two separate pitched gable roof volumes, proportioned to form a relationship with the existing house. Clay tiles clad both the roof and primary facades, establishing a sense of place by responding to the tone and materiality of the existing house whilst referring to the history of Tyler Hill as a historic medieval centre for pottery and tile industries.