The new house at Knighton Down is on a remote rural site in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Oxfordshire Downs. It has been designed as a contemporary ‘cottage’ with deep sloping roof and rendered walls to reflect the surrounding limestone landscape. The spacious interior uses open plan and large areas of glazing to reflect a modern lifestyle. Natural vernacular materials - limestone walls, lime render, oak joinery – are specified for their permanence and their reference to the site and its context. The house is ‘off grid’ and uses a combination of wind power, wood burning stove and solar energy with water supplied from its own new bore hole. The passive performance of the building has been optimised with the use of thick walls and areas of good thermal capacity balanced with south facing glazing for solar gain and generous views of the surrounding landscape.