Hospitality Vaulted Over

A new restaurant for a retirement community in England experiments with materials and typological precedents despite its small budget.

- George Kafka

The United Kingdom’s county of Kent connects London with the southeast coast and, on account of its abundant orchards and greenery, is known as the “Garden of England.” Here, in the town of Sevenoaks, to be precise, sit the rolling hills of the Wildernesse Estate, with Wildernesse House at its center. Built in the mid-18th century, this Grade II—protected Georgian mansion was home to aristocrat and philanthropist Baron Hillingdon during the 19th century. Later it served a variety of functions before being bought by PegasusLife, a retirement housing group, in 2013. The mansion is now the center of a retirement community where the first residents are due to arrive in the coming months.