Burley Grange, designed by Nigel Anderson of Robert Adam Architects, has just been presented with the Gold award for Best Luxury House at the National Daily Telegraph What House? Magazine Awards. Commonly regarded as ‘the Oscars’ of the house building industry, the awards were held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday 19th November and honoured the very best in home build, design, quality and innovation.

The property is located on a prominent site to the north west of Derby and replaces a dilapidated farm complex site with unsightly outbuildings. The design refers to examples of traditional building in the area, which range from Kedleston Estate buildings, to stone and red brick farmhouses and village houses, yet simultaneously offers luxurious accommodation highly suitable to modern living. The house is based on a 'butterfly' plan, commonly employed by Arts and Crafts architects circa 1870 to 1920, and its use at Burley Grange ensures light, open rooms of character and adaptability, often with triple or double aspects, that allow the building to harmonise with the landscape and to fully maximise countryside views. Externally, the plan follows the site contours and introduces different floor levels, creating variety in roofscape and silhouette.

This form also allows for the creation of a building that appears to have evolved and adapted over time. The design suggests a central stone tower, possibly a hunting box or viewpoint for the estate, to which further structures have been added. This acts as a central circulation core from which various spatial functions radiate. Within the 'arms' of the building are a number of outside rooms, closely associated with the internal spaces and which lead out into further garden areas and the open countryside beyond.