A Grade II listed building subject to significant neglect and vandalism over recent years has been given a smart eco-restoration. Wallfield Park sits in three acres of grounds on the outskirts of Reigate, Surrey. The developer, Richard Good-Stephenson, has mixed traditional techniques with various eco-devices, such as rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating and cellulose recycled insulation to create seven energy-efficient apartments within the restored main building and four new detached properties built in the grounds.

This is not Good-Stephenson's first restoration. Five years ago he and his wife inherited a castle in Co Cork, Ireland. It was badly damaged by fire in the 1920s, and since his boyhood he had dreamt of returning the castle to its old glory. He moved back to Cork and set up a company dedicated to the preservation of traditional crafts, Lochplace Building Conservation, and the castle became its first project; his family moved in last year.

When Good-Stephenson bought Wallfield Park it was in a similar state of disrepair. It was being used for parties by local teenagers, and no matter how much security he deployed, they still managed to break in. The final straw came when a group lit a huge fire in the main house; luckily the fire brigade extinguished it before the house burnt down.

“This meant a lot more work was needed on the restoration of the main property, and I was determined to make it as energy-efficient as possible,” Good-Stephenson says.

The eco-fit began with repairs to the walls completed with lime instead of cement. Lime production gives off 20 per cent less CO2 than cement, with the lime absorbing nearly its own weight in CO2 during the curing process.

While restoring the main house, the workmen came across the original underground rainwater tanks, still in working order. These were made from cast iron, so Good-Stephenson decided to replicate them for the new properties' rainwater collection, as they last more than 150 years compared with ten years for plastic alternatives. The rainwater is used for the washing machines, toilets and outside taps. All the properties have cellulose insulation, 250mm thick and made from recyclable products such as newspaper, treated to make it fire and rodent proof. Super-insulated, low-emission glass windows reflect heat back to its source and block harmful ultra-violet light.

To preserve the listed status, Good-Stephenson chose not to split any of the original rooms. “There were so many interesting features in the house that it would have been a shame to change the layout,” he explains. This meant the four flats in the main house vary in size but incorporate interesting individual features. In the 3,200 sq ft apartment at the front of the property the ballroom has been converted into a living area, which is encircled by an oval balcony topped off by an ornate glass roof.

The back apartment, of similar size, incorporates the library (now a kitchen) and billiard room (now the living area) with the original Portland stone cantilever staircase leading up to the en-suite bedrooms and roof terrace. Two smaller apartments act as bookends to complete the main house. The servants' quarters have been converted into a pair of two-bedroom flats. Here there is the odd quirky feature such as a working dumb waiter.

A further two one-bedroom flats have been built in the basement, which will initially be offered to people living in the main house - ideal, perhaps, for a nanny or granny.

Finally, Good-Stephenson has reinstated the formal south gardens. There is ample room for residents to take a leisurely stroll with several benches to sit and enjoy the surrounding views: green belt spreads as far as the eye can see.

He is proud of the care he took in restoring this property. “My business,” he said, “is to keep the heritage and history of a building alive.” And he has done it with gusto.

What you get:

The main building consists of seven one and two-bedroom flats.

Two of the new-build detached houses are four-bedroom and two five-bedroom. Prices will range from £350,000 to £1.7 million; sales start in June.

Contact Lochplace Building Conservation, 01737 245554, or Crow Watkin Estate Agents, 01737 245886.

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