Manor Farm

Lichen Studio were commissioned by The Betts Family Partnership to undertake a landscape masterplan which sets a vision for this farm diversification project.

Working in partnership with PAD Studio, our the landscape vision sets out a placemaking strategy, including sculptural terraced earthworks, the establishment of a community orchard, a swimming lake & wildflower meadows. The landscape proposals were integral to securing tenants for the workspace and community planting days were used to engage local residents.

Manor Farm sits within Hampstead Norreys, a small village in Berkshire north of Newbury. The farm acts as the heart of the village both geographically and socially. Located at the centre of the village, the farm has been integral to village life for centuries and through the establishment of The Hamstead Norreys Community Shop & Cafe in 2011. The Betts family have established a thriving community hub on-site which won the “best rural shop” award in Britain in 2019.

The farm has several historic Grade II listed barns which the client is developing as part of a long-term diversification project. Phase 1 included the Community Shop & Cafe as well as on-site self-catered accommodation and a retail offering within the entrance courtyard.

Phase 2 looks to address the wider site and setting of the farmhouse and agricultural barns. The landscape masterplan creates a setting for the conversion of one barn into a co-working space; The Goodlife Hub.

Placemaking is at the core of the masterplan which aims to showcase the history of the site and enhance its qualities, while proposing subtle interventions which complement the existing character of the place.