What could be more romantic than a house on the river with its ever-shifting views of swans, rowing boats and stately barges? But with water comes the chance of flooding. Which is why Elizabeth Rose decided to take pre-emptive action when she rebuilt her house. Rose’s new home, set on an idyllic, willow-fringed stretch of the Thames, downstream from Marlow, has been flood- and future-proofed in ways that belie the simplicity of its architecture.
The single-storey house, designed by London architects Knox Bhavan, was loosely inspired by the Edwardian houseboats that once lined the riverbank, and has just won the prestigious Architects’ Journal House of the Year award. The building replaced Rose’s former home – a “difficult” 1920s property where she lived for 17 years. “We looked into renovating it, but for all the things we wanted to achieve – energy efficiency, climate-proofing – it turned out to be more effective to start again,” says the former dancer. Besides, plots like these are rarities because most are handed down from generation to generation.
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