Frog Castle is a grand period property in the heart of Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The brief was to remodel the ground floor living spaces and to create additional area in the form of a ‘glass box'. As well as this, the basement was to be converted to a games room, cinema room and utility spaces, and the upper floor bedrooms and en-suite accommodation was developed. A key element of the design was the connection of ground floor to basement floor, and the client’s desire for it not to feel like an underground / secondary floor. We achieved this by looking closely at the position and design of the stair. By positioning the stair off the kitchen, any family member usingthe basement must circulate past the living spaces, promoting interaction. The stair itself is wide, open and positioned under an expanse of glazing, making the sent and descent an inviting event.