The Old House Project, St. Andrew’s Chapel, Kent
St. Andrew’s Chapel is a late monastic structure originally connected to the Cistercian Abbey of Boxley. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, it was converted into a dwelling and extended to the south and west using masonry salvaged from the Abbey. From the late nineteenth century, part of the building operated as a shop, later incorporating a post office. Unoccupied since 1970, the chapel had fallen into disrepair, with significant structural defects that led to its inclusion on the 'Heritage at Risk' Register.
In 2019, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) acquired the site as part of their Old House Project. The ambitious undertaking aimed to repair and improve the disused Grade II* listed former chapel and reinstate its use as a dwelling. MFA were appointed as project architects through competitive interview in 2019. The project’s core aims were:
To repair a building at risk
To promote the SPAB Approach
To deliver an educational and training programme
To produce a domestic building saleable at full market value once repaired
MFA have worked closely with a broad team of specialists to carry out extensive research and fabric analysis, develop repair and improvement proposals, and oversee works on site alongside a rich educational programme of open days, courses, and working parties. The project involved major structural and fabric repairs by leading craftspeople, alongside sensitive thermal upgrades and new mechanical and electrical services. A new acoustic garden wall of rammed earth created a cloistered walkway between the house and new garage, while a lost medieval door case was repaired and reinstated to form a new garden entrance and ‘light touch’ porch with views back to the Abbey.
More information on the project can be found at https://www.spab.org.uk/campaigning/old-house-project-0
Credit Photography to Inigo and MFA
