The Development of Hydefield, Uley, Gloucestershire

Hydefield lay nestled on a hillside in one of the most beautiful valleys in the Cotswolds. There were only six houses in the valley, so as well as spectacular views there was privacy and space, but very near to the market town of Dursley. This autobiographical account is a photographic extravaganza of one man’s experience in building a family home.

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It was love at first sight. We drove up the long track, pulled into the yard, and wow! What a view.
I did the drawings myself, the maximum we were told (in those days) about what one could get away with in terms of planning permission. A local architect did the formal drawings and submitted them for planning permission.
I did not intend to do the work myself, it simply happened by circumstance. I put the groundwork out to tender to six contractors. Only one bothered to reply and the quotation was astronomic. The steelwork looked very complicated, but I went to the structural engineer’s office in Gloucester to chat about it. I asked: ‘It looks complicated, but could I do this myself?’ Peter Rowntree was very reassuring. ‘It looks complicated because you are looking at it in its entirety. Let me show you this corner here.’ And he then explained how the steels fitted together and how one wired them up. After a quarter of an hour, he summarised by saying ‘Yes, you could do it.’ And I did! Working only on Saturdays, and even then, not every Saturday, it took me seven years to complete it to a point where we could move into the extension. I was extremely sad to leave Hydefield and putting this book together has been cathartic. I was tremendously proud of what I managed to build and have wanted to produce this photo book to bring back the memories of every little achievement.