Widely regarded as one of the finest Grade II-listed barn conversions in the UK, Compass Barns in Ufford, Cambridgeshire, showcases Ellis-Miller + Partners’ exceptional skill in transforming historic rural buildings into breathtaking contemporary homes.

Working for private client Ken Blacklock, the practice converted a magnificent complex of 17th- and 18th-century Ketton-stone barns with Collyweston slate roofs into over 850 m² of dramatic, light-filled family living space. The project is distinguished by the extraordinarily positive relationship forged with Peterborough City Council Conservation Officers – described by the authority as one of the most constructive they had ever experienced – which enabled bold yet deeply respectful contemporary interventions rarely permitted in buildings of this importance.

Arrow-slit ventilation openings inspired elegant new vertical windows that flood the deep-plan interiors with daylight, while extensive rooflights and glazed gables animate the restored oak frames and stone walls with ever-changing natural light. In the principal nine-bay barn, a delicate full-length oak-and-bronze mezzanine gallery floats within the soaring volume, preserving the cathedral-like scale and creating a spectacular double-height living hall that remains one of the most memorable domestic spaces in modern British architecture.

Materials are uncompromising: reclaimed and new Ketton stone floors, exposed cruck frames, solid oak joinery and bespoke bronze ironmongery, all executed to the highest conservation and craftsmanship standards.

Compass Barns sits at the opposite end of the practice’s residential spectrum from its celebrated modernist Prickwillow houses (the RIBA-awarded Ellis-Miller House and Reyner Banham Studio), yet shares the same DNA: spatial generosity, obsessive control of natural light, material honesty and a calm, contemplative atmosphere. Where the Prickwillow pavilions imported crisp Californian Case Study modernism to the Fens, Compass Barns demonstrates equal mastery in breathing contemporary life into England’s vernacular heritage while winning the full trust of heritage authorities.

The result is a landmark project that has redefined what is possible in listed barn conversion, proving that rigorous conservation and confident modern design can coexist in perfect harmony.