Georgian country house transformed into luxury retirement apartments by Purcell

Old age never looked so appealing at this grand restoration of a Grade II Listed Georgian building into 23 luxury retirement properties. It’s dandy being a man about the house

A modern residential indoor swimming pool.
Wildernesse House has been transformed from stately home to retirement apartments for PegasusLife by architects Purcell.
(Image credit: Edmund Dabney)

Sevenoaks in Kent is about to welcome a new high-end development; the final touches to the transformation of the stately home of Wildernesse House into a series of grand apartments, have just been added by lead architects Purcell. Yet this is no ordinary residential scheme; Wildernesse House is developer PegasusLife's latest offering in the retirement market, making this one of the most luxurious properties in its field.

Purcell is behind the full restoration and renovation project, turning this Grade II Listed Georgian building (which can be traced back to the 13th and 14th-centuries) into 23 high-end retirement residences. The apartments are beautifully restored and richly kitted out with a mix of modern and heritage furniture, but this is not just about the residential interiors; the scheme has some top-notch amenities and common spaces to boot.

A photo of Wallpaper* September issue 2019.

Wildernesse House was featured in the Wallpaper* September issue 2019 (W*246) ‘Beau Selector’ fashion shoot photographed by Marili Andre and styled by Jérôme André. Thanks to PegasusLife (for more information contact: +44 1732 510 162)

(Image credit: TBC)

Services include spa facilities (comprising a swimming pool, therapy rooms and a gym) and communal, social spaces for the residents. The aim was to reflect the atmosphere of a traditional country estate. Original features, such as decorative plasterwork, fireplaces, joinery and ironmongery, were maintained and shown off throughout. 

‘We took great care to subdivide the building into apartments with the minimum possible intervention', says Purcell's Graham Epking-Crane. ‘The project is a testament to Purcell's ability to sympathetically adapt and transform a historic building for compatible modern use, ensuring its regeneration and survival for the future. Wildernesse House is now all set for the next chapter in its fascinating history'.

And while the main house, whose interiors have just been unveiled, offers a selection of one and two bedroom apartments of different layouts, the wider estate is set to also include eight brand new two-bedroom mews houses by Morris+Company, created in the location of a former stable block – the same architect who was also behind the new pavilion and restaurant on the grounds – so, watch this space...

Purcell Wilderness House spacious kitchen featuring a white/gold coloured island and brown wood cupboards.

(Image credit: TBC)

Purcell Wilderness House staircase.

(Image credit: TBC)

Purcell Wilderness House bathroom predominantly white in colour.

(Image credit: TBC)

INFORMATION

purcelluk.com

Thanks to PegasusLife
pegasuslife.co.uk/wildernessehouse
Tel: +44 1732 510 162

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).