Wilton Park Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire CLIENT: Inland Homes
DATE: 2013
ARCHITECTS: ADAM Architecture
SCHEME: 350 homes
MASTERPLAN & DESIGN CODE: ADAM Urbanism
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Chris Blandford Associates
SITE: 39 ha
Until 2013, Wilton Park outside Beaconsfield, in the Chilterns, served as the Defence School of Languages owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence. When the site was bought by Inland Homes Plc the next year, ADAM Urbanism was approached to provide a comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment, consisting of 350 homes, with some commercial units and public open space. The focus of the estate was the house of 1770s, designed by Richard Jupp, surveyor to the East India Company, for Josias Du Pre, a nabob who was at one time Governor of Madras. During the Second World War it was used as an interrogation centre and prisoner of war camp for senior Nazi and Italian officers. The original house was demolished in 1968 and replaced with a tower block.
ADAM Urbanism produced a masterplan which connects Wilton Park to Old Beaconsfield and the countryside beyond, while providing a strong and distinctive sense of place. The scheme takes the form of a village, with a focus on a new classical building in the form of a country house to replace the original focus of the site. The plan is divided into distinctive areas. The shape of the buildings in each area is controlled by a design code. Buildings relate to one another and the character of the area. Community facilities are accessible by the Old Town as well as Wilton Park. Sustainability has been at the heart of the project which offers a significant contribution to Beaconsfield’s housing needs, providing increased choice and a broader social mix. Grass areas where children can kick a ball or play games are complemented by foothpaths and cycle ways that connect Wilton Park to the open countryside beyond. Opposite, Indicative masterplan for three hundred and fifty houses and commercial space.
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