Stocks is a Grade II listed house located near Tring in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The property was built in 1773 in a formal Georgian manner, with a courtyard encircled by service wings to the north. This original house still forms the southern wing of the property. However, it has since been substantially altered and these changes have slowly eroded the elegant character of the building. Most recently, Stocks was converted for use as a hotel and was altered to accommodate commercial kitchens and service facilities. The property is now significantly larger, with an unsightly jumble of service buildings that detract from the architectural quality of the main house. It was also the home of Victor Lownes, head of the Playboy empire in Britain and was fitted with an enormous Jacuzzi.

The extensive repairs and alterations by Hugh Petter will restore the character of the property and return the house for use as a private family home. The oldest parts will remain largely unaltered whilst the modern wings will be removed, leaving the main body of the house orientated around a courtyard as originally intended. 20th century Pebbledash will be removed and replaced by a lime render. Internally, modern fire partitioning will be removed and the original features retained leaving spacious useable rooms of good proportions. The entrance, currently on the east façade is to be returned to its original position leading directly in to the stair hall, creating a more natural and legible plan.

In addition to the restoration, a new wing will be created, designed to mimic an existing 19th Century gardener’s lodge on the estate. A new stable court will also replace the existing modern outbuildings. These will be brick and timber-boarded to remain vernacular in appearance and subservient to the main house. Part of the adjacent golf course will be returned to parkland and the immediate gardens will be rejuvenated after years of neglect. These works will simplify this Georgian Manor House, reinstating its rational formality and character after years of unsympathetic changes.