(^116) Hampshire Life: February 2019
D
own a quiet woodland
lane, I catch sight of
the curve of a zinc roof
glimmering through
the trees. A discreet entrance
announces Woodside and a
driveway meanders leisurely
through grounds of trees and
shrubs before turning towards
the front of the house. Or would
it be better described as the back?
From this angle the house, cedar
clad with deep overhanging
eaves, has the look of a cabin
sitting quietly in its wooded
setting. But that was the intention
of the house’s designer and owner
Steve Sherlock (of Michelmersh-
based Sherlock Architecture) and
his wife, renowned botanical
artist Siriol Sherlock.
The front door is reached,
tree house-style, by a footbridge
of wood and metal. What fun!
The architectural game-playing
continues inside. Steve has
taken a conceit from influential
architect Frank Lloyd Wright:
the front door opens onto an
enclosed hallway, creating impact
when you step, blinking, from
this relatively confined, darker
space into the main house, all
soaring height, light airiness.
This is not just about aesthetics;
it has a practical purpose. Close
7+(+286(,1
THE WOODS
Upside down and back to front, Woodside is not the typical
home – EMMA CAULTON was intrigued
ABOVE: The
choice of
materials in the
construction was
key to Woodside’s
design - with dry
stone walling
using Purbeck
stone on the
ground floor and a
curving zinc roof
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