A LANDMARK historic house formerly used as a nightclub and hotel is set to be returned to use as a family home.
Plans have been submitted to Somerset Council to alter and extend the main house at the grade II-listed The Old Vicarage, in Sherborne Road, Milborne Port.
The property was formerly the Taps nightclub, as well as being a hotel, before being bought by the applicant, Warwick Melvin.
“Having recently purchased the property, our client would like to restore the dwelling to its original character, sympathetically reinstating some of the original form by reverting some of the harsh intrusions of the past and most importantly return this building to its original use, a single home with functions associated with the occupants work,” the application said.
“The large basement provides a perfect opportunity to allow our client to balance the beautiful house for their growing family while providing a set of spaces that can be used for entertainment better linked to their own work.
“Part of the alterations seek to expressly improve the link to the basement, in a sensitive manner, binding the two parts more usefully as one, and adapt the connection so that it is fit for this dual use with
entertainment and family life.”
The proposed south elevation at The Old Vicarage, in Milborne Port. Picture: ADAM Architecture/Somerset Council
An “unsympathetic” extension would be demolished under the plans, and replaced with a new structure.
“The extension will be constructed from traditional rubble stone, dressed in stone quoins to compliment the original character of the main house,” it went on.
“The proposed extension to the main house has been designed in a style, scale and character to match the existing house,” it added.
“The proposals reinstate The Old Vicarage as a family home while restoring some of its lost historical heritage that has been ruined by later unsympathetic intrusions, alterations and extensions.”
Elsewhere in the house, wall layouts would be changed on the ground and first floors, with a staircase replaced and an internal lift installed.
Minimal amendments are proposed to the second floor, the plan added.
Leave a Reply