The Wilderness is a 750 sq m new-build country house in the Suffolk countryside designed by London-based Paul+O Architects.

The design draws on a European architectural language and is one of the few built examples of houses granted planning permission under PPG7 clause 3.21, a planning policy guidance note passed by MP John Gummer in 1997 in the UK to permit planning consent for isolated new houses in the countryside if they “are truly outstanding in terms of Architecture and landscape design and would significantly enhance its immediate setting and wider surroundings”.

Following completion of the house former MP John Gummer praised the project for its architectural merit and sensitivity to the site, adding that it was precisely the kind of country house he had in mind when he introduced the PPG7 exception clause. The house has also won support from CABE (Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment), the Suffolk Preservation Society and the Suffolk Society of Architects.

The country house tradition is a significant part of England’s heritage, but with very few examples built post war. The Wilderness sets a precedent for the new English country house in the 21st Century. Unlike its predecessors, which follow the tradition of the house dominating the landscape, the Wilderness sits modestly in a clearing of a wood, its sculptural asymmetrical form bringing a restrained grandeur to the picturesque setting.

The house combines traditional materials with modern detailing and construction methods. The asymmetrical volumetric massing with large cantilevers is achieved with a steel structure. Traditional and local materials, including oak and flint, and a warm grey render are used to harmonise the house with its woodland setting. 

The existing grid of the site, formed by rides and hedgerows, generated a cruciform plan which exploits aspect and shelter and opens up all elevations to the surrounding landscape. The ground floor elevations of the house are largely transparent, dissolving the boundary between inside and out and making one feel surrounded by the landscape. The first floor overhang is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Suffolk medieval timber-framed house with its projected upper storeys.

Inside the interiors are arranged as a series of generous but intimate spaces for the client to enjoy alone or in the company of guests.

A double height entrance hall with staircase and gallery creates a grand arrival point. The arrangement of spaces is in the tradition of the later 19th Century revivalist country houses which in turn reinterprets the medieval house. and where the vertical spaces act as a counterpoint to the long horizontal vistas which run the length of the house.

The hall is screened from the living room by a spine wall, painted dark olive, which bisects the house, continuing the line of an existing hedgerow outside. To the left (East) is the Studio/Office and the Library/Study. To the west is the double height Kitchen/Dining, the service areas and further along the swimming pool. The upper floor accommodates 6 bedrooms. All south facing bedrooms have external terraces.

The house integrates modern environmental strategies such as rainwater harvesting, grey-water recycling and solar panels.

The approach to the landscaping has been to preserve and enhance the existing soft and untamed qualities of the existing woodland so as to provide a contrast with the precise architecture of the house. The garden has been enriched with trees, shrubs and perennials native to the area and contemporary sculptures and water features have been integrated into the woodland setting.