GROVE HOUSE

Historic house and grounds redeveloped into a care village

First built as an Inn in the 1750s, Grove House is a Grade II* listed building, which became a home and workplace, before its later uses as school, hospital, orphanage, and convalescent home. Proposals have now been developed to convert the historic house and grounds into a residential care village.

The redevelopment project aspired to create a valuable community asset, for inter-generational care and co-operation, through which the proposals for the historic landscape would play a vital part.

Across the extensive grounds, different landscape areas were proposed. These included a safe and inviting dementia-friendly care garden, a formal lawn with decorative ornamental terraces, outdoor areas for primary school children with educationally rich hubs, and a village green lawn area with new pathway for flexible uses.

The hard landscape proposals created an environment which was accessible and suitable for all users, including young children, the elderly, and residents with dementia. The planting strategy proposed replacement trees, under-storey planting, ornamental herbaceous and grass species, and wetland planting around a biodiverse pond area.