Arundel's Gem Reimagined

We produced proposals for the Angmering Park Estate Trust to sensitively convert the redundant Mill Farm Barn into a local co-working office space with an adjoining café. Our designs aim to secure a viable and sustainable use for the building, while retaining its distinctive character and setting. The proposals also enhance the appearance of the town and have also received glowing praise from the South Downs National Park Authority planning and conservation officers.

Constructed in the late 19th century, the barn has remained unused since the 1980s when it became unsuitable for modern farming techniques. It is an attractive traditional agricultural building, however despite active maintenance, monitoring, and security measures, the structure has suffered from vandalism, given its non-use and relatively isolated location.

The building forms part of one of the principal views of Arundel from the southeast and is also the first building on arrival to Arundel from the A27 roundabout. The proposal is to sensitively conserve the barn and transform it into an active local community asset as a co-working hub - the first of its kind in Arundel. With its strong infrastructure connections and picturesque setting, Mill Farm Barn offers a viable opportunity to rejuvenate this redundant building and give it new purpose and life that suits today’s flexible working culture. This transformation ensures an appropriate use that will save the long-term future of this important built asset through a considered and sympathetic approach and understanding of the significance of the building.

The designs propose the sensitive conversion of the existing Mill Farm Barn into a co-working office space and café that retains the existing building with minimal intervention, so the original building form and detailing is legible and accessible and appreciable to the public. The general appearance and all elevations of the barn would be retained, with replacement doors and windows being provided within existing openings – no new structural openings are proposed. Existing detailing to jambs, eaves, and verges will be retained and the buildings external fabric restored. The collapsed ‘pigsties’ structure would also be restored and repurposed. Internally, existing divisions will be largely preserved with minimal modifications. The volumes will be retained, and the exposed timber structures refurbished, preserving the open agricultural barn atmosphere. The central parlour space will remain a single volume, with the removal of internal later addition blockwork walls. The proposed café will cater to the serviced offices and passing walkers on the existing Green Infrastructure Network path along the river's edge.