Vale Mill
This former mill and wartime observation post has been reimagined as a striking residence, its historic tower and quarry setting inspiring a scheme that weaves conservation with bold contemporary interventions.
- Category: residential, heritage, concept
First built as a timber mill in 1770 and later rebuilt in granite during the 1850s, the tower has borne witness to centuries of change. During the German occupation the flour windmill was dismantled, replaced with a reinforced concrete observation platform, while a bunker was carved into the basement with walls nearly three metres thick.
Long derelict, the tower stands on the edge of a dramatic quarry—its rugged setting central to the vision for its transformation. The design introduces new living and bedroom spaces at basement level, orientated to frame expansive views into the quarry face. Above, the historic tower is carefully adapted for domestic use, retaining its distinctive form while opening it up to light and habitation once more.
A sinuous timber walkway threads down the steep quarry face, connecting the house to a freshwater pool below. Here, the dialogue between building and landscape is most vivid: a historic industrial structure reimagined as a place for retreat, recreation, and renewal.