Keepers Cottage

Set within a wooded hillside landscape on the edge of Cheltenham, Keepers Cottage combines traditional Cotswold stone architecture with a carefully detailed contemporary extension designed by Blake Architects. The project balances solidity and transparency, using natural materials, structural glazing, and slim aluminium framing to create a calm architectural language rooted in the surrounding landscape.

The extension introduces expansive areas of glazing beneath low-profile rooflines, allowing the building to sit quietly within the woodland setting while opening the interior toward long views across the garden. Existing stone walls and curved masonry forms are retained and contrasted against minimalist glazed interventions, creating a dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary detailing.

Natural light was a central driver throughout the scheme. Large sliding glass panels, frameless roof glazing, and carefully positioned apertures allow daylight to move deep into the plan while maintaining a strong visual relationship with the mature trees and surrounding landscape.

The primary garden elevation is formed around a large sliding door installation, specified with ultra-slim 20mm vertical sightlines to maximise transparency and reduce the visual weight of the framing.

The system comprises a 4360mm x 2700mm sliding arrangement with one fixed pane and two sliding panes, paired with an additional 700mm fixed glazed return connected through a glass-to-glass corner detail. Together, the elements create an almost uninterrupted glazed edge facing the terrace and woodland beyond.

Rather than appearing as a separate inserted product, the sliding system is integrated into the wider architectural composition, sitting flush beneath the roof overhang and allowing the stone walls, timber lining, and landscape to visually flow through the building. The minimal sightlines and large-format glazing strengthen the sense of openness while maintaining a refined and understated external appearance.

Structural glazing was used extensively throughout the project to bring natural light into the deeper parts of the plan while maintaining the clean architectural language established by the extension.

A curved frameless structural glazed panel measuring 1200mm x 1800mm was introduced within the rounded stone tower element, creating a distinctive glazed opening that softens the geometry of the scheme and reinforces the sculptural quality of the masonry. Additional frameless rooflights measuring 650mm x 1500mm and 2200mm x 2200mm introduce controlled overhead light into the interior spaces, brightening the central areas of the plan throughout the day.

The frameless detailing allows the glazing to remain visually recessive, ensuring attention stays focused on the material palette, changing daylight conditions, and surrounding woodland views rather than the framing itself.

Minimal aluminium window systems were incorporated to provide ventilation and carefully framed outlooks without disrupting the simplicity of the elevations.

The specification included a compact 400mm x 700mm side-hung casement window alongside a tall 500mm wide x 2700mm high fixed glazed panel. These openings punctuate the timber-clad elements of the extension with a measured rhythm, balancing the larger glazed expanses with more intimate moments of enclosure.

The restrained proportions and slim aluminium profiles contribute to the disciplined façade composition, allowing the glazing to support the architecture rather than dominate it.

A full-height hinged aluminium door was specified as part of the secondary access arrangement within the extension.

Measuring 900mm x 2700mm, the door aligns with adjacent glazing lines and maintains the project’s consistent vertical proportions and minimal detailing. The slim framing and full-height format allow the door to integrate seamlessly alongside the larger glazed elements while preserving the calm, understated character of the overall scheme.

The completed project delivers a restrained and highly resolved living environment that feels simultaneously open and sheltered. Externally, the extension reads as a lightweight glazed pavilion positioned alongside the original stone cottage, with timber cladding and slim aluminium frames softening the transition between old and new.

Internally, the glazing creates uninterrupted views into the woodland beyond, giving the living spaces a quiet sense of immersion within the landscape. Full-height sliding glass panels dissolve the threshold between interior and terrace, while the curved stone wall and frameless corner glazing introduce moments of softness and transparency within the otherwise linear composition.

The material palette remains intentionally subdued throughout, combining pale stone, natural timber, muted aluminium finishes, and large-format glass to create spaces defined by texture, light, and proportion rather than ornament. A non-standard RAL7033M finish was specified for the aluminium systems, allowing the framing to sit more naturally against the tones of the stone and surrounding woodland.