Bordon Hill, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9RX

Five Bedrooms · 1.15 Acres · An Exceptional Design Home

Hidden House is not simply a large contemporary dwelling placed within a rural setting; the architecture, landscaping and existing woodland have been considered a single composition. The building is broken down into a series of low, carefully proportioned elements which sit remarkably comfortably within what is clearly a very sensitive site.
 
One of the strongest aspects of the design is the relationship between the house and the landscape. The woodland is not treated as something outside the building but is constantly brought into the experience of the house through large areas of glazing, internal courtyards, planted roofs and landscaped spaces running between the different elements - this is beautifully demonstrated by the use of walnut throughout the interiors paying homage to the magnificent walnut tree standing within the grounds.

The material palette is equally successful. The combination of timber shingles, gabion stonework, extensive glazing and naturalistic planting gives the house a contemporary character whilst still feeling entirely appropriate to its setting - the contrast between the heavy stone elements and the much lighter glazed connections is particularly effective.

Perhaps the greatest achievement is that, despite the considerable scale and complexity of the accommodation, the house never appears visually dominant: from the wider views, the individual elements disappear remarkably effectively into the surrounding trees and landscape. It is an excellent example of how ambitious contemporary architecture can work in a rural location when design, landscape and construction are considered together from the outset.

AN ARCHITECTURE ROOTED IN ITS OWN GROUND
Hidden House holds one of the rarest permissions in English planning: consent under Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework, reserved for homes of genuinely exceptional, innovative design. It is not permission lightly given. This design was tested three times before an independent review panel - refined, argued for, and finally judged to meet, in the panel's own words, “the high bar of exceptional design.”

The idea behind it came from the land itself. An archaeological survey found evidence of an Iron Age settlement on this hillside - the post-holes of roundhouses that stood here long before Stratford was a market town. BPN Architects took that discovery and built it into the house, abstracting those round forms into the roofline itself.

“A home whose roofline remembers what stood on this hill before it did.”

THE LIVING EXPERIENCE
You arrive along a private, tree-lined drive that gives no hint of the market town just beyond the hedge - this is the first and most lasting impression Hidden House makes, and it is one the whole design is built to protect. Internally, changes in level have been used positively rather than disguised: a full-height glazed entrance hall draws you in on light alone, opening to a formal living room where the ceiling rises to a vaulted roof light and a run of stepped seating leads down to a private, sheltered courtyard - a room built as much for a quiet morning as for entertaining on a summer evening, with warm timber finishes and framed views into the surrounding woodland throughout.

The kitchen and informal living space form the family's everyday centre of gravity, opening directly onto a garden terrace so that cooking, eating and being outdoors are never more than a few steps apart, with a separate utility keeping the practical side of family life out of view. A snug offers a second, quieter gathering space for film nights and rainy afternoons.

The principal bedroom suite sits at the far end of its own wing, with dressing room and bathroom, deliberately separated from the family's sleeping quarters for a genuine sense of retreat. Three further double bedrooms, each with its own en-suite, give growing children or regular guests real independence. A fifth bedroom - currently configured as a self-contained study with its own private entrance and shower room - is equally at home as a live-in guest suite, a base for extended family, or a proper working-from-home office that never feels like part of the house, and next to this is a further exceptionally spacious room presently set up as a gym which could also be incorporated as a bedroom or living space for this separate wing of the property.

A large plant room and two double garages and generous private parking complete a home that is as practical for a family's daily life as it is remarkable to look at. The garden continues the same thinking outdoors: a re-laid Warwickshire hedgerow of blackthorn, hazel and wild pear, a new orchard of Warwickshire Dropper plum, a wildflower meadow, and a woodland pond that quietly filters the garden's own rainwater on its way back to the ground. It is a landscape built to be discovered by children over the years, not admired once from a terrace.

BUILT TO COST LESS TO LIVE IN
Hidden House's sustainability is not a feature list bolted onto a conventional house - it is how the house is made. Screw-pile foundations replace a concrete substructure; the walls themselves are prefabricated straw-insulated wall panels and finished internally in breathable clay plaster; the roof and cladding are Scottish red cedar shingle, chosen for a lifespan measured in decades rather than years; ceiling and internal insulation is provided by a high performing material manufactured from recycled plastic bottles. Heat pump technology, underfloor heating throughout, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, solar panels with battery storage and a fast EV charge point complete a specification designed for a genuinely low-cost, low-carbon way of living - a home engineered to be as comfortable in a Warwickshire winter as it is efficient to run, without the compromises that usually come with either.

Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: Unclassified - new build
Local Authority: Stratford-upon-Avon
EPC: Rating A
Property Construction: Non-standard. Cedar shingle clad, pre-fabricated straw insulated wall panels (SIPs). Screw piled timber frame. Cedar shingle roof. Aluminium framed double-glazed windows.
Electricity Supply: Mains electricity and solar panels
Water Supply: Mains
Drainage and Sewerage: Private via a sewage treatment plant
Heating: Air source heating pump and underfloor heating
Broadband: Superfast full-fibre broadband connection available - we advise you to check with your provider.
Mobile Signal/Coverage: 4G/5G mobile signal is available in the area - we advise you to check with your provider.
Parking: Double garage and driveway parking for several vehicles. Electric vehicle charging point in the garage.
Total Internal Floor Area: 5513 sq ft
Additional Information: Accessibility: The house provides easy accessibility from the driveway to full living provision: kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, shower room, WC and office.
New home warranty with ABC+ Warranty.
Sigenergy 9kWh battery pack in the plant room.
CCTV or similar security system in operation.
Niko Smart home system.