Underbank House | Prue chiles architects

Underbank House sits overlooking the textile mills and stone houses nestling against the steep valley sides of Holmfirth. The project creates a small single storey living space that capitalises on the surrounding views whilst improving access to the cascading garden terraces. The scheme is conceived as a space hewn from the rock of the hillside, appearing as part of the surrounding moorland where low lying heathers nestle amongst fissures of rock. The space is accessed from the main house via a narrow stone staircase that delves into the rock of the hillside. A doorway cuts through the wall of the old house and is incorporated into the depth of the shelving that lines the rear of the space. The ceiling height rises to create a scale of space not experienced elsewhere in the old textile workers cottage. Large glazed doors frame the expansive views of the valley below.