Reclaiming the Past

When an architect visited Val Foster’s house recently, he made a thorough inspection of the picturesque building framed by expansive Nottinghamshire fields of green and umber. He noted the panelled doors and the gilded lion’s heads set in roundels. He admired the symmetry of the façade with its neat portico and sash windows. Concluding his tour, he decided that it was probably time this ‘fine example’ of Regency architecture was listed.

Appearances are invariably deceptive. What the visitor did not know was that this property is in fact a pastiche of styles and eras. ‘The house was built in three phases. It began as a farmhouse in the 18th century