The conversion breathes new life into a landmark building in the heart of New Milton.
The refurbishment into residential provided the opportunity to give the building a new lease of life and restore some of the former character. The George now provides eight 1 and 2 bedroom apartments within the former pub building, while a former coach house to the rear has been turned into a pair of semi-detached cottages.
The development has been positively received by Milford Heritage Society, who have welcomed the conversion to ensure the long term retention of the building as a landmark feature in the village.
Our digital model allowed us to accurately test what worked best with the original fabric of the building.
Williams Lester worked with the client, Pennyfarthing Homes, to maximise the potential of the building, both in terms of value and heritage. The existing building was digitally modelled in detail in our Revit software, which allowed the design team to explore different options accurately before starting on site, a big benefit on such a complex old building with many different roofs and spaces.
The end result is a set of highly characterful apartments that work with the structure and details of the original building. The original staircase is reused to serve the flats, the original timber balustrade retained and restored. Cresent windows appear in lounges and even in bathrooms, making for interesting features in rooms. Balconies have been sensitively introduced within the original roof forms of the building. At ground floor French windows have been repurposed to serve as front doors, giving many apartments their own external entrance. The 2 cottages in the former coach house offer open plan living and private gardens. Overall the development offers a variety of dwellings in an attractive old building in the centre of town. .
