Overcourt in Bisley, Gloucestershire, is a beautiful, Grade II listed manor house originally built in the fourteenth century and extended in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to provide a spacious home. The building boasts a wealth of original architectural features and is steeped in history.
Now a comfortable, well appointed, private home, the current owners needed extra kitchen space for entertaining, and decided to update the existing unused scullery and pantry, along with an old passage and WC. Meliora was appointed to manage the renovation project.
The works needed to bring the area up to date and make it a useable and attractive workspace, while ensuring that the original features and materials were retained and restored to the highest standards. It was also vital that any new materials used were sympathetic and compatible with the building and met the requirements of the Listed Building Consent.
The existing wooden partitions, plumbing and electrical fittings were stripped out, flagstones and suspended ceiling removed and paint was removed from the original walls to prepare the surface for plastering.
The floor was excavated to allow for underfloor heating throughout and to ensure a constant level. A layer of Glapor foam glass aggregate was laid first. Made from 100% recycled glass, it is thermally insulating, perfect for saving energy. Limecrete was used as the floor slab, because it is breathable and does not contain concrete, further increasing the sustainable nature of the renovation. Underfloor heating was laid, and the floor was finished with limestone tiles.
The walls and windows were repaired and finished in keeping with the building, then shelves were fitted in the pantry and the new kitchen units and appliances were installed. The new sanitaryware for the WC was installed.
Meliora managed the installation of all the new plumbing, power and lighting, and connecting the underfloor heating manifold to the existing heating system. It also fitted a new external joiner-made timber door, renovated the existing stone step, installed external damp proofing and drainage, and laid a new patio, making the external area as smart and functional as the new scullery inside.
A dark, unused area is now a light, attractive scullery and pantry – and a serviceable addition to the main kitchen – along with a modern and convenient WC. The homeowners are delighted with the finish and said:
“We would totally recommend Meliora. We have had a stress free build project which we are delighted with. The overall contract has been within budget and we are very pleased with the finished product. The floor tiling in particular is beautifully done and looks as if it has been there for hundreds of years – which is exactly what we needed.”
Overcourt is at the heart of the Bisley Boy conspiracy theory. Legend has it that Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, was sent to stay in the countryside to escape the plague, which was rife in London. During her stay, she was taken ill and died, and her governess and the controller of her household, knowing that her father Henry VIII was due to visit, panicked and, fearing for their lives, found a boy in the village with the same pale complexion and hair colouring to replace the princess. This is said to be why Elizabeth never married. The legend was discovered and popularised by Dracula author, Bram Stoker, who wrote about it in his book ‘Famous Imposters’.
