Raven Tower: Hesleyside Huts

Treehouse Holidays in Northumberland (hesleysidehuts.co.uk)

Drawings its inspiration from bastle houses, pele towers and tower houses of the Border Reivers’ area, our proposal is a considered design, to be built from materials carefully chosen for their environmental credentials that will weather and age well and have a synergy with their surroundings. It is designed place the visitor high up amongst the sur-rounding trees. Here visitors can stay in eco-friendly, sustainable tourist accommodation, providing a different experience to the current huts. The Tower will accommodate 2 adults and will further support the Estate’s desire to diversify and find ways to share in the beauty and history of the Estate.
The existing huts at Hesleyside have proved very successful, providing low impact alternative accommodation which sit well within the sur-rounding landscape. The new hut will be constructed from timber in keeping with the surrounding landscape. It will not be visible from the road or the Hall, it will be situated in a completely private area where no one will be able to see it. It will be placed amongst the trees of a planta-tion of larch and scots pine, not too close to damage the trees. Screw pile foundations will avoid damage to tree roots and try to avoid the use of concrete. Visitors will park where current visitors park and where there is ample existing parking. No additional signage is required and a single external low energy light which is dark skies compliant will be attached to the hut for safety reasons.

The proposal has been designed specifically for its context, amongst the trees it will evoke visions of romantic towers long ago lost in the trees or follies of large country estates. The building will be a timber structure, clad in darkened larch, shutters will allow the building user to ’batten down the hatches’ and to be closed up at night and when not in use. It will sit quietly, almost imperceptible, brooding in the woodland . The tower will have a 4m x 4m footprint . The tower will reach up into the trees and elevate the visitor into the canopy. The hut has been designed to touch the ground lightly with a foundation designed to minimise any impact on tree roots. It will probably be founded on screw piles mini-mising the need for concrete. The tower will contain a large bed, a small kitchen a woodburning stove and a table and chairs. There will be a small bathroom. A stone access stair will lead ‘bastle like’ up to a first floor access door. A sitting area is at first floor with a bedroom above and a kitchen area below. There will be a roof ter-race with a bath to enable visitor to lie elevated amongst the tree canopy.
When the useful life of the hut is over it will be possible to remove it without a trace being left.