Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) South Yorkshire
protecting the countryside - for the nation, for the future

HECTOR’S HOUSE A WINNER

A quirky wooden house deep in the heart of Sheffield’s Ecclesall Woods scooped a top prize at last night’s Countryside Awards.

Hector’s House was built by a furniture maker who hates straight lines. Bryan Frisby from local firm Hector & Cedric wanted to make the house like he makes furniture. It has a pegged oak frame, sycamore floor, larch roof shingles, cedar gable shingles, and wood and wool insulation. But the crowning glory is the roof, which the judges called a “gracefully sweeping hyperbolic parabola.”

“It is an eccentric and charming building,” said Christopher Pennell, the chair of the judging panel. “We were intrigued and charmed by the unique design.”

Hector’s House won the South Yorkshire Design Award. It is the centre-piece of the developing Ecclesall Woods Sawmill complex, and houses the “Working Woodlands Gallery” showcase for local artists and crafts people using sustainable and local wood products.

The Countryside Awards were hosted by CPRE South Yorkshire (3) in conjunction with its sister charity Friends of the Peak District.

“Hector’s House is a great example of well-thought out and innovative design in the ancient Ecclesall Woods right in the middle of the Sheffield Green Belt,” said Carol Robinson, Chief Executive of CPRE South Yorkshire. “We’re delighted to commend the project, and want to see more top designs for our South Yorkshire countryside.”