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| Holy Austin Rock Houses, Kinver |
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The caves at Kinver have been occupied for many
hundreds of years. However, the Victorian Houses
that had been built on the rock face were declared
unsafe and finally demolished in the 1960s. Under
an imaginative scheme, funded by the National
Trust, one of these former dwellings has now been
recreated.
The rock face forms the back wall of the house and
the utility room is, in fact, set within a cave.
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Furthermore, the stairwell to the first floor has been
carved out of the rock formation.The front of the
building is totally new and has been painstakingly
reconstructed to follow the Victorian design of this
unusual house. Photographs, postcards and a wealth
of local knowledge were used by the architect in
producing the drawings.
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The project required the careful selection of
reclaimed stone and
brick, combined with
purpose made windows
and doors to recreate the
19th Century façade.
Internally, structural
pinning works were
carried out, to
consolidate the rockface,
followed by proprietary
treatments to hold back
the inherent damp in the cave walls. Joinery, plaster
work and paint finishes were then applied to the
walls abutting the rugged face of the cave to form
unique living spaces. Quarry tiles were laid in the
kitchen and hall, whilst polished pine boards were
used on the first floor.
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Rock anchors were also used in the other caves in
the immediate area, to consolidate the stone faces
of some of the earlier cave dwellings.
The opportunity to live in a cave is not one that
comes to all of us, but the resulting home is one of
interest and contrasts.
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| Architect: John Greaves-Smith |
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