Oakhill, previously known as Alison House, is a Grade II Listed building situated within the village of Cromford, Derbyshire. Located in both the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and the Cromford Conservation Area, Oakhill has a fascinating history intertwined with its neighbour, The Old Vicarage. The two buildings were built by Richard Arkwright in the mid-19th century as two large family dwellings, hence their shared architectural language and orientation facing each other across the valley.
Nowadays, Oakhill is a successful hotel, restaurant and wedding venue, having been sympathetically restored and refurbished by its new owners during 2021. In March 2022, we secured planning permission for a replacement venue building as an extension to Oakhill. The new venue looks to be of ‘its time’ without being in conflict or looking to replicate the existing house and associated curtilage buildings to the west. The proposed carefully considers analysis of the immediate and wider regional context associated with the Grade II Listed Oakhill as part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.