Bauman Lyons were appointed by The Hepworth Wakefield for RIBA Stages 1-4 services to bring a disused curtilage Grade II Listed gatehouse back into use as a cafe.
The gatehouse is of historical and cultural significance being part of the Rutland Mills complex and set within the grounds of the prestigious Hepworth Wakefield gallery. We engaged the Conservation Officer early on and gained their support that an honest and considered approach to contemporary additions was the most appropriate way to modernise the Gatehouse rather than replicating historic elements.
We worked with the Client to develop and appraise different layout options to ensure an optimum balance of kitchen, storage and seating was achieved within the gatehouse’s compact footprint. The layout was also influenced by the need to introduce a new WC which was located to be easily managed and secure for the café operator. Security and appearance were important considerations for the Client and Conservation and in response we developed internal timber window shutters that would secure the café at night while avoiding a harsh ‘shut down’ appearance when the café was closed. New skylights were installed in the existing roof openings to softly illuminate the interior with natural light and existing internal openings were retained and re-purposed into serving areas. New contemporary windows including a generous picture window to the front elevation were introduced to frame views of the proposed garden project by Tom Stuart Smith Landscape Architects being delivered by the Client in parallel.