A Deck overlooking the Thames in Hampton

A fun little project of a new deck for a friend's house that was recently recently built. The house is located on a small island in the river Thames and the deck overlooks Garrick's temple and Villa to the north, quite a view!

One of the interesting features of the new deck is the integrated gutter system that allows to collect water below the deck in a seamless fashion.

A project for a new deck to a house situated on Garrick’s Ait in the middle of the River Thames has been completed.

The new deck is stunning, and it contributes to make the most out of the beautiful existing views over Hampton including Garrick’s temple, Garrick villa and St Mary's Church.

The existing deck needed to be repaired and it was decided with the clients to remove one of the stairs that lead directly to the river.

This decision generated more space for the deck itself without the interruption of one of the stairs.

The existing handrail was replaced with a new timber balustrade with horizontal elements that is more in keeping with the nautical theme of the house and the island in general.

The new timber deck rich tones create a beautiful contrast with the striking colours of the river and the landscape in front.

Square One architects have also been involved in the detailing of the new drainage system that is concealed below the deck. This system is a more efficient and elegant way to get rid of rainwater and contributes to the simple yet beautiful look of the new deck.

The final images of the project can be seen here.

River living

We are redesigning the deck of a property on Garrick's Ait, a small island in the River Thames facing some of Hampton`s most prominent landmarks. The property has a stunning view overlooking Garrick's Villa and Garrick's temple. More images to follow!

This is a project that we carried out for two friends of ours who live in a very special place. 

Their house is a detached timber framed construction in the middle of Garrick Ait, a small island in the River Thames.

The house is facing North with majestic views over St. Mary's Church, Garrick Villa and Garrick’s temple.

The property itself was in very good condition, however it featured a timber deck that was in need of repair as it often happens with timber constructions that are in direct contact with humidity and water.

The original deck also featured two stairs that lead directly to the river, some storage space underneath and a corner to store a small boat just below a portion of the deck.

Drainage was very poor, and it caused several leaks within the space below the deck.

The idea was to replace the deck however our friends wanted to include some changes to the existing layout removing one of the two stairs creating a wider deck and exploring some alternative drainage solutions. 

The deck is now built you can have a look at the final images here. We also posted another blog post that was published at the end of the project here.

St Mary's Parish Church, Hampton

St Mary's is the main church in Hampton, and it represents one of most significant and prominent local landmarks.

The present church was built in 1831 and it is a fine example of Gothic Revival. Its interiors were modified in the 1860’s and the church was refurbished at different stages including in 1920 where a war memorial screen to the fallen of world war I.

Previously on the same grounds stood another church built of flint and stone that was demolished in 1830. The old church had been extended through the centuries as it always happens with this type of historic buildings and featured a brick tower that was replaced in the XVII century.

Since the XV century the church featured a schoolroom for the Hampton School and today it runs a free school.

It was a pleasure to sketch the church next to the river on a nice sunny day. The setting is wonderful, with great views of the Thames and Garrick island. The church is located in the Hampton Village Conservation Area and it is a very prominent feature from many of our projects, in particular our historic house renovation in the heart of Hampton and our project for a deck on an island in the middle of the Thames right in front of the Church.

It is also located next to other significant Hampton landmarks like Garrick’s temple and the Hampton Library and Waterworks down the road towards Sunbury.

Garrick's Temple

I sketched this pavilion in 2015 while I was walking along the river. The building dates back to 1756 and it was built by the actor David Garrick in Hampton to honor William Shakespeare.

As an architect based in Hampton, I am particularly interested in the local Hampton architecture.

Garrick's temple to Shakespeare stands out as one of the finest examples of classical style architecture in the area and it always intrigued me as a very singular building.

The temple is located next to the River Thames, right in front of Garrick’s Villa.

The architect of the temple is unknown although there has been speculation that the temple could have been designed by Robert Adam. What we know for certain is that the temple is heavily inspired by the architecture of the Pantheon in Rome or the Chiesa della Gran Madre in Turin. I used to pass in front of this church during my years studying at the Politecnico di Torino and the architecture of the temple always felt very familiar.

The temple had been used by Garrick as a working space, it was supposed to be literally a garden office for his villa. I really understand Garrick’s need to separate between house and work which is something that I advocate very strongly! My office sits right behind my house so I can relate somehow (although my office is not as majestic as the temple!).

Today the building is Grade II Listed and it can be visited by the public. I feel very attached to this building due to its prominence in Hampton, but also the fact that it sits right in front of one of our projects located in an island in the middle of the river.

I feel very fortunate to live and work in this beautiful part of London and I strongly believe that the temple is one of the great highlights of this area.

Iacopo

PS: more information can be found here.