Built in 1916 as a home for the industrialist and civic reformer WJ Bassett-Lowke, 78 Derngate is the last realised architectural work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Working with local architect Alexander Ellis Anderson, Mackintosh radically reimagined a narrow early nineteenth-century townhouse close to the centre of Northampton, retaining its brick street facade while creating an interior of extraordinary spatial and artistic ambition.

Mackintosh’s final interior
Behind the largely unchanged frontage, Mackintosh replaced the conventional plan with a dramatic open hall entered directly from the street. A new centrally positioned staircase, framed by a white-painted grid of timber, reorganised the house vertically, while a bold rear extension with balconies opened views across the Nene Valley. The interiors were distinguished by innovative uses of colour, pattern and bespoke furnishings, culminating in the celebrated guest bedroom completed in 1919. After the departure of the Bassett-Lowkes, however, much of Mackintosh’s work was lost, and the house passed through a series of unsympathetic uses before being acquired by the local authority.

Conservation and access
A comprehensive conservation plan developed for the 78 Derngate Trust secured Heritage Lottery funding to restore the building and open it to the public. The acquisition of the neighbouring properties at 80 and 82 Derngate proved crucial, enabling visitor access and interpretation without compromising the historic fabric of number 78. Extensive repair works addressed structural decay, including renewal of the roof, brickwork and windows, before attention turned to the interiors.

Lost decorative schemes in the entrance hall and guest bedroom were recreated using archival research, with replica carpets, rugs and light fittings commissioned to reinstate Mackintosh’s original vision. Number 80 was rebuilt behind its retained façade to form a contemporary gallery, whose restrained palette of steel, timber and glass deliberately contrasts with Mackintosh’s richly expressive interiors. Number 82 provides education and exhibition spaces, completing a carefully balanced ensemble that safeguards an architectural masterpiece while making it accessible to the public.