Tarporley

All of Tarporley's nine developments are remarkably different in style, yet unmistakably belong to the village of Tarporley. An attempt has been made, with some success, to mimic the gradual accumulation of buildings over more than a century, in a relatively short space of time. The bespoke period style developments sit easily together because attention has been paid to their location as well as their detailing. For instance, the street fronted Victorian townhouses of Sir John Crewe Terrace contrast well with the less formal and more intimate Bellmeadow Court, tucked as it is off the High Street.

Attention and care has been carried through to car parking that employs many different treatments. There are twice as many parking spaces as dwellings: one in each garage, one to the side or in front of it. Even though there are so many, the garages are not over emphasised. The design quality invested in the character of the buildings has not been overturned by poor consideration of the impact of cars.

Most remarkable about Tarporley is the very high quality of traditional materials and finishes throughout the sites. Unable to source the desired quality it wanted, Bell Meadow Pulford Ltd set up its own joinery business to produce custom designed fenestration, fences and gates. Their success can be measured by the fact that they were also contracted by commercial clients in adjacent properties who wanted some of the attention to detail that they had brought to their own developments.

Care has been taken to fit into the local vernacular, as well as trying to reference earlier building styles. The kerb setts and pavement designs, for instance, and the lower courses of stone on some buildings, follow on naturally from Tarporley’s existing architecture.