Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
A former cattle shed has been transformed into a private library at Stanbridge Mill Farm, an 18th-century mill house in Dorset. Designed by Crawshaw Architects, the room is structured by a sequence of curved oak frames, positioned in reference to the cattle stalls that once occupied the building. Bookshelves run between them, while three rooflights bring daylight through the barrel-vaulted ceiling. The project won the RIBA South West & Wessex Regional Small Project of the Year award in 2022.
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
Photography: courtesy of Blue Book
The library sits among the outbuildings of Grade II-listed Stanbridge Mill Farm in Gussage All Saints, north of Bournemouth. The mill dates from the late 18th century, though the site was recorded in the Domesday Book as a Saxon crossing place.
The River Allen runs through the estate and beneath the house. Its gardens and water meadows were redesigned by landscape designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd during the ownership of James Fairfax, the former Fairfax newspaper group chairman.
The 12-bedroom estate also includes three cottages, a swimming pool and more than 1,000 yards of double-bank fishing along the chalk stream. Stanbridge Mill Farm is now listed for £4.5 million with Blue Book Agency.
