Ready for anything

How do you prepare a country house for the challenges of the future? Arabella Youens asks the experts

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OVER the past 100 years, country houses have faced many threats, not least in the post-Second World War period when many needed remedial work after the depredations inflicted by requisition. Soon, another blow came in the form of death duties, which hit 75%, in some instances 80%, leaving havoc in their wake. Today, the challenges remain, but a combination of new technology, materials, pragmatism and time-honoured craftsmanship is securing their future.

'Conserving the past and meeting modern energy demands appear at odds'

It wasn’t always so, says Bruce Hodgson, founder of furnitureand kitchen-makers Artichoke (www.artichoke.co.uk). The problem, he says, was not only decay, but also the way it was addressed. 'The challenge is the damage done in less enlightened times—the 1970s comes to mind.' Philippa Thorp, founder of her design firm Thorp (www.thorp.co.uk), agrees. 'There wasn't the money to focus on detailing and shortcuts were taken. Today, there's a renewed interest in correcting past mistakes and setting houses back on the right foot for the next 100 or so years.'

At the top of the list of challenges facing owners of historic houses is incorporating efficient and cost-effective heating. Britain has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe and it’s also among the draughtiest. A 2020 survey by Tado, a smart thermostat company, found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20°C and an outside temperature of 0°C loses, on average, 3°C after five hours, three times more than the average German home.