Edgar Wood Society members Andy Marshall and David Morris enjoyed a quick visit to Briarcourt, Huddersfield this morning (23rd March) to meet new owners Vicky House and Duncan Morgan. Last time Andy and David were there, Briarcourt was empty, at risk and the prey of architecutural thieves. Now, with their Arts & Crafts vision and enthusiasm, Vicky and Duncan are putting life back into the house. You can follow their progress at http://www.briarcourtrevisited.com/ and on their Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest feeds.
Historically, Briarcourt was an important design, much illustrated in its time. It has a certain angular and dynamic quality that is rare in Arts & Crafts buildings – a sophisticated vigour that is the antidote to rural simplicity for its own sake. Yet, it is built completely in a vernacular hand-crafted way using local stone for the walls and roofing flags. The architect, Edgar Wood, must have put in an enormous amount of thought and effort into the design.
Unfortunately, the weather was too dull to take the planned set-piece external photographs. Instead, Andy focused on the inside rooms and features and we will upload some when they are processed.