Elspeth Beard specialises in creating or remodelling interesting and unusual buildings, both old and new. When working with old buildings, she likes to give them a new lease of life by mixing conservation with contemporary design; the clean lines and modern feel of new elements contrasting with the original features of the existing building. Much of her work involves the conversion of listed buildings such as water towers, lighthouses and barns into striking and unique family homes. She also creates all kinds of new houses, varying from traditional timber-framed constructions to modern buildings with rendered walls and large areas of floor-to-ceiling glass.
Elspeth's Grade II listed, hundred-year-old home, which took seven years to convert, completed in 1996. Read more
A Grade II listed Victorian barn, converted into a four-bedroom residence and featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs in March 2003 and on the cover of the first Grand Designs magazine. Read more
A Grade II* listed Edwardian cinema in Worthing, currently being refurbished, with the work due for completion in Autumn 2006. Read more
Elspeth Beard has won numerous awards, starting with the ones she received for her first solo project, the Munstead Water Tower which is currently her home. This hundred-year-old building had been derelict for decades when she took the huge gamble of buying it at auction without planning permission or listed building consent. Circumstances dictated that she had to move in when it was barely habitable, but after seven years' hard labour the quality of her work can be judged from the numerous magazine articles and TV programmes which have featured the tower, including Channel 4 TV's Grand Designs. To date, the Munstead Water Tower has won no less than five architectural awards including the prestigious RIBA Regional Award in 1994.
The main subject of the Channel 4 Grand Designs programme was the award-winning Threshing Barn. Other projects of note include the historic Worthing Dome cinema, a contemporary family home Chalk Hill, timber-framed houses Wishanger Lodge and Chalk Dell, a historic Philip Webb property West House, Chelsea, Burnham-on-Sea Lighthouse and Cawston Water Tower. Elspeth does not limit herself to any particular type of project or building - her only requirement is that they should fire the imagination.
Elspeth works on sites and buildings of all sizes, but whatever size they are, she likes them to be out of the ordinary. She can provide a comprehensive service from the initial design stage right through to the completion of works and is happy to give clients as much (or as little) involvement in the whole process as they desire.
"We would have no hesitation in recommending her to other self-builders. She keeps her promises, is great fun to work with and is a brilliant architect". Philip & Angela www.threshingbarn.co.uk
"Elspeth is what we call a 'WYSI WYG', What you see is what you get! We value her direct approach and have been very impressed with her imaginative schemes". Sue
Elspeth Beard has been registered as an architect with the ARB (Architects' Registration Board) since 1989 and is also a member of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). Read more
In the early 1980s, EB was the first British woman to circumnavigate the world by motorcycle and she has been round it several times since. Read more
