August 5, 2026 / By rachel
When our client decided to swap London for a country home, friendship gave her a very good reason to Skenfrith.
The Old Shop had already caught her imagination, despite being virtually derelict and requiring considerably more work than a straightforward move might normally involve. She could see beyond its dilapidated condition and had fallen in love with the character of the cottage and its remarkable place within the village.
For Week 22 of our #40Projects40Weeks series, we are looking back at renovating a derelict cottage in Monmouthshire and the client whose wish to live closer to friends gave a much-loved old building a new future.
Our client was an older woman looking ahead to the next stage of her life and Skenfrith offered the opportunity to become part of a small village community while remaining close to good friends, making it a natural place to settle.
Finding The Old Shop turned that sensible plan into a rather more ambitious conservation project. The cottage had once played a part in village life as a shop, but years of disrepair had left it in an extremely poor condition. Restoring it would require patience, imagination and a considerable commitment from everyone involved, although the client’s immediate affection for the building meant that walking away was never really on the agenda.
Between a castle and a church
The Old Shop occupies an extraordinary position, sandwiched between two of Skenfrith’s most important historic landmarks, with Skenfrith Castle on one side and the Church of St Bridget on the other.
Skenfrith Castle is one of the Three Castles of Gwent, alongside Grosmont and White Castle. Although the site has earlier origins, much of the substantial stone fortress visible today dates from the early 13th century, when it was rebuilt by Hubert de Burgh beside the River Monnow.
On the opposite side of The Old Shop stands the Grade I listed Church of St Bridget, which was consecrated in 1207 and developed over the centuries that followed. Together, the castle, church and village form an exceptionally important historic group, with the cottage sitting right in the middle of it all.
It is a wonderful setting for a home, although perhaps not the easiest place to propose substantial changes. The project required planning permission and Listed Building Consent, together with consultation with Cadw, and RRA worked through a demanding consent process with Monmouthshire County Council. The proposals had to demonstrate clearly how the cottage could be rescued, extended and made suitable for modern life while protecting both the building and the character of its exceptional surroundings.
With a Scheduled Monument on one side and a Grade I listed church on the other, there was a lot of history to be respected in the setting and heritage that needed to be retained in the property.
Giving The Old Shop a useful future
Once the necessary consents had been secured, work could begin on transforming the failing cottage into a comfortable and practical home. The full architectural story, including the restoration, extension and reconfiguration of the building, can be found on The Old Shop project page.
Those changes created a home with generous living spaces and room for friends to visit and stay, while allowing The Old Shop to enjoy the details that made it distinctive. The former shopfront was carefully restored and the little shop behind it became a reading room and library, giving a surviving reminder of the building’s earlier life a particularly appropriate new purpose.
The result remained unmistakably The Old Shop, but with the space, comfort and security needed to begin a completely new chapter.
Twenty years as a home
Completed in 2006, The Old Shop is quietly marking its own 20th anniversary alongside RRA’s 40th. The property has since changed hands and is a private home, continuing to hold its place between the castle and church and giving a building that had slipped into disrepair, an enduring residential future.
Its continued use matters because the success of a renovation is measured over years, rather than simply by how it looks when the scaffolding comes down. Two decades later, The Old Shop remains a comfortable home and a familiar part of Skenfrith’s historic village.
For our client, the motivation behind the project was always very personal. She wanted to be near her friends, found a cottage she loved and had the confidence to believe that, with the right help, it could become the home she imagined – and it did.
This project is part of our #40Projects40Weeks series, celebrating 40 years of RRA Architects through some of the projects, people and stories that have shaped the practice. If you have missed any of the previous posts, you can catch up on our News page.
About RRA Architects
Currently celebrating its 40th year, RRA Architects is an award-winning architectural practice established in 1986, supporting clients across residential, commercial, retail, development, heritage, education, community and conservation projects.
We work nationally, but are mostly focused across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, the Cotswolds, Bristol and Avon, the West Midlands, South West and South Wales, helping clients create thoughtful, practical and well-designed buildings.