A 400-year-old country estate is being reimagined as a catalyst for rural regeneration with a hotel, co-working campus, farm shop and contemporary Model Farm.
Our masterplan reimagines the Estate as a local, national, and international centre for sustainable farming. A place where diverse people gather - farmers to foodies, ecologists to policy makers - to pioneer and celebrate a new agricultural revolution that puts the wellbeing of people and the planet first.
Central to our approach is the belief that the Estate should remain true to its history of industrious and productive farming. So instead of creating a gentrified rural theme park, we devised a more dynamic concept that keeps the Estate as the driving force of the local economy for generations to come.
Inspired by the Model Farm movement of the 1800s, we evolved the Estate's buildings to suit new roles relevant to contemporary life. From pioneering agri-robotics to make small holdings more productive to cooking up a feast of local food, we set out to give the Estate a new sense of purpose.
To do this, we considered the Estate as a whole. Our goal is a vibrant ecosystem where buildings, nature and people bring benefits to each other, every day. Key physical elements in our masterplan include the creation of a Home Farm Campus - a new rural coworking space that will encourage entrepreneurs, farmers, makers and locals to come together to generate enterprise and community spirit; a Home Farm Hotel to attract visitors from beyond the local area and entice people to extend their visit; a new role for the Market Building as a 'town square' for the whole estate where people gather to create not just consume; and a new Farm Shop that will give visitors a taste of the excitements (and delicacies) to come.
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