Richard Parr restores The Newt’s historic Somerset lodges

British studio Richard Parr Associates has restored a trio of 19th-century buildings at The Newt in Somerset, creating a 32-guest holiday retreat that celebrates the layered history of the rural estate.

Known as Yarlington Lodge, the five-hectare site forms part of The Newt in Somerset, a luxury hotel, working farm and country estate just outside Bruton in England.

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The project comprises the main lodge, Coach House and Cottage in the Wall, which historically served as a rectory, coach house and gardener’s cottage respectively.

Working alongside The Newt’s founders, Koos Bekker and Karen Roos, Richard Parr Associates approached each building as a continuation of its history rather than a blank canvas for contemporary hospitality.

The 1831 lodge takes its visual cues from the drama of the Napoleonic era, with vivid colours, bold patterns and theatrical details. Swooping textiles across the bedroom ceilings evoke military tents, while classical paintings feature throughout the green-hued library.

Despite the expressive interiors, the architectural interventions were deliberately restrained. Original fireplaces, elm floorboards and stonework were carefully restored, allowing the buildings’ existing character to remain legible.

“Houses need to retain the spirit of their entire life and should reflect their many owners, hence the references to previous occupants through portraiture and furniture,” Parr said.

“The renovation is a mix of little snippets of history with life today.”

The Coach House draws on its equestrian past, using blackened steel and raw timber throughout. Its brick-clad living room is anchored by a low-slung, beam-lined ceiling, creating a more robust material palette than the main lodge.

Meanwhile, the Cottage in the Wall has been given a softer treatment, with sandy-toned walls and timber details complementing its lofty ceilings.

The same restraint extends to the exterior, where “deliberately pared-back” changes use local Hadspen stone alongside brick, slate, tile and lead. Internally, these materials are reinterpreted through timber flooring, local blue limestone and pastel colours inspired by late Regency England.

One of the project’s more contemporary challenges was integrating air conditioning into the listed buildings. Parr said the need had become increasingly important as summers grow hotter, but discreetly accommodating ducts and grilles within historic structures proved difficult.

Alongside the three restored buildings, the Yarlington Lodge site includes a rectilinear, tile-clad swimming pool opposite a lush greenhouse. Across The Newt’s wider grounds, a lakeside apiary and rammed earth yoga studio by Invisible Studio add further contemporary interventions to the historic landscape.

Together, the project demonstrates how sensitive adaptation can give historic buildings a new role while retaining the traces of the people, materials and uses that shaped them.

Images by Ollie Tomlinson via Dezeen

British studio Richard Parr Associates has restored a trio of 19th-century buildings at The Newt in Somerset, creating ...