Moxley

Location: Dorking, Surrey

Brick Manufacturers: Ketley Brick Company Ltd / UK Other

Brick Names: Class A Staffordshire Brown Brindle Bricks, Quarry Tiles, Creasing Tiles / Red Rubbers

Architect: Sanchez Benton Architects

Brickwork Contractor: Richard Coles Building

The project extends a 1920s English country house in the Surrey Hills, replacing a fire damaged 1960s extension, and adding a secondary entrance, boot room, dining and entertaining space, a reading and music room, a bathroom, and a combined plant and tool room. Each new space connects closely with the garden and landscape, continuing the architectural traditions of the Weald. The extension is built from Wealden clay bricks and tiles, a locally made green-oak frame, and bespoke oak joinery crafted by local makers, materials rooted in the region’s ecology and craft heritage.

Set on a south-facing hillside, the house overlooks woodland, and the new trabeated, recessed southern façade opens the rooms to the garden while providing shade and framing distant views. The volumes follow the slope, stepping with the terrain so each room opens directly outdoors. A sculpted brick stair links three levels, creating a continuous spatial thread and drawing the eye toward the hillside views.

Long-term sustainability guides the design. A fabric-first approach combines hygroscopic, high-mass materials with airtight detailing to create a well-insulated, breathable envelope. Deeply recessed south-facing windows provide passive solar shading, while oak and clay offer significant thermal mass. Green roofs and rainwater-harvesting tanks enhance biodiversity and resilience. Low-temperature heating paired with on-site renewables - air-source heat pumps and solar panels - serves both the extension and existing house.

In its materiality, craft and environmental ambition, the project brings together continuity and innovation, rooted in the Weald, informed by local skill, and shaped by a contemporary understanding of performance, place and landscape.

Ketley bricks and clay pavers are used for the walls and floors, throughout the interior and exterior of the project, demonstrating the durability and aesthetic qualities of these heritage building materials. Externally, Ketley creasing tiles form decorative detailing to the roof in four layered courses and are also used to articulate the nosings and treads of the external stair, lending precision and texture to these elements.

The project prioritised employing local craftspeople, particularly in the delivery of bespoke joinery, which features prominently throughout. In contrast to the poor-quality materials used for the original 1960s extension, the new design centres on natural, durable materials selected for longevity and future adaptability. Components, like the bricks and tiles used, have been detailed to allow for straightforward dismantling and reuse at the end of the building’s lifespan, helping to reduce embodied carbon.