Paul Archer Design

Bounty Cottage is a Grade II listed home situated along the High Street in Hastings Old Town, its fabric shaped by more than two and a half centuries of continual adaptation. First formed as two modest cottages with origins dating to around 1750 and evolving through the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries the building carries the layered character of a structure that has survived storms, settlement, and shifting patterns of life on the Sussex coast.

For long-time clients Hattie Ellis and Tim Neilson, this home marks the next chapter in a story they began together in their West London flat at Egerton Gardens, where our design revolved around Hattie’s work as a food writer and the family’s shared life around the table. In Hastings, the brief grew outward: to sensitively unite the cottages into a single, flowing retreat; to secure and repair the historic fabric.

Bounty Cottage evolved through three distinct phases, each reflected in the building’s fabric and the alterations made over the years as described in detail in the book ‘A Survivor of Storms Hastings Old Town’ by David & Barbara Martin. The cottage is situated on Hastings High Street with a whitewashed brick façade concealing an older timber structure, while the flank walls are clad in traditional red peg tiles. At lower level, a band of whitewashed masonry wraps around the cottage, and the rear elevation is finished in ship-lapped timber.

Every intervention was shaped by Grade II listing requirements. The gable end of the main cottage had been weakened by age and insect damage and was showing signs of decay. The peg tiles were carefully removed to allow the insertion of a discreet secondary green oak frame to strengthen the side of the cottage, allowing the original structure to remain in place.

A brick path runs alongside the cottage towards the garden, where sandstone steps lead to the upper level. Here is a rudimentary c1970s summer room, comprising brick retaining walls and a mill-finished aluminium patent-glazed roof, with a section of solid roof to the left (when viewed from the garden) clad in rolled lead. The addition of waterproofing and insulation allows the room to be used throughout the year. Weathered western red cedar clads the solid portions of the roof, chosen for its ability to silver, creating a contrast between with the blackened timber cladding of the old cottage.

A consequence of the gradual development of the cottage over the centuries had resulted in a cumbersome entrance way. The solution was to add a boot room to the side passage. So as not to disturb the historic fabric of the cottage, the structure was conceived as a completely independent structure, sitting just offset from the neighbouring wall and the cottage. The lead detailing at the junction of old and new manages rainwater and elegantly expresses where modern construction meets centuries-old fabric. Along the side passage through the boot room, more brick paving leads to a small courtyard, where the Clematis is framed. The room’s transparency preserves the sense of openness, despite its compact footprint.

Inside, the plan now flows naturally between the once-separate cottages while retaining their intimacy and scale. Subtle level changes and exposed structure reveal the incremental history of the building, from its 15th-century bay to its 17th-century rear range and 18th-century brick façade. Beyond the rear extension, the garden, Hattie’s pride and joy, continues the story outdoors. Largely edible, it brings fruit trees, herbs and vegetables into the rhythm of daily life. Shaped as both a productive landscape and a place to gather, it mirrors her working practice: food grown steps from the kitchen, ingredients held close at hand, and a home that supports the creativity of her writing and testing. A ledge above the glazed extension makes use of the compact footprint, creating a quiet perch overlooking the garden and the coast beyond.

Bounty Cottage remains, above all, a survivor, its phases still legible, its materials carefully repaired and strengthened, its new additions designed to settle into the life of the building rather than overwrite it. For Hattie and Tim, it is a retreat shaped by landscape, food and family; for us, the latest chapter in a long architectural story that continues to evolve with care and sensitivity.