The Emily Hobhouse Museum, Cornwall
This museum, located in Liskeard, Cornwall, commemorates the life of humanitarian and prominent anti-Boer-War campaigner Emily Hobhouse. From her birth in 1860 until the age of 34, Emily lived in the old rectory, which has since been restored to what it would have looked and felt like in 1875 when the whole Hobhouse family were in residence. Visitors can step back in time as they move from one room to the next, admiring the period furnishings, bold textures, and artefacts that illustrate a place steeped in historic and personal significance.
In partnership with Stonewood Design, we have helped to breathe new life into the site by creating a bright, airy café that receives the benefits of daylight and has an excellent view of the garden directly outside. It is the perfect place to stop and enjoy tea and coffee while reflecting on the compassionate work that Hobhouse carried out.
The Challenge
Cafés, especially at sites as fascinating as the Emily Hobhouse Museum, can sometimes feel like an added-extra that is all-too-easily overlooked by even the most diligent of visitor. It is, therefore, vital that we create something that (perhaps counter-intuitively) blends into the nature of its surroundings whilst also enticing visitors to take a moment, sit and enjoy refreshments.
Because the gardens – designed by LT Studio – are an integral part of the visitor’s experience (reflecting their importance at the end of the 19th century), the café would look out through the trees to the fruit, vegetable and herb plot beyond, illustrating the short distance that these ingredients have travelled.
The Vision
To achieve the required transparency and visibility, the café design would feature a large glass link - floor-to-ceiling vertical glazing crowned by horizontal roof glazing. By incorporating this feature and making it the centrepiece of the design, we remove any visual barriers almost entirely. The effect of doing so is to make the visitor feel like they are outside exploring the raised beds, rather than in a comfortable, centrally heated café (important for those arriving in one of Cornwall’s very wet winters).
In the main building, we also increased the amount of natural light flowing in by installing sloped skylights. With the additional illumination, textures and patterns are highlighted, and colours appear more vividly.
The Glass
Our glazing solutions supplier for this project was Sedak who provided us with the largest piece of glazing they have ever created - measuring 20 metres in length and three centimetres in thickness. To ensure safety and prevent injury, the glazing was laminated, meaning if there are any cracks or breakages, the glass remains stuck together, rather than splintering and smashing.
Like with all Herculean projects, we had to expect hiccups along the way. The first of which was that the glass broke at Sedak when they were packing it up. Once the second piece was manufactured, it made its way safely to the UK, but got stuck 20 minutes from the final destination on a roundabout because it was too long. After all, at the time of installation, this was the largest double glazed panel to ever be incorporated into a European design.
The Results
The Emily Hobhouse Museum is a very special place, reflecting the inspiring work she undertook to raise awareness of the appalling treatment by British soldiers during the Boer Wars. It is, therefore, important that any restoration or addition is handled with full consideration to the atmosphere of the place and the visitor’s overall experience. We believe that the project has been a success, substantially improving the café facilities on the site and showcasing the pottager gardens from a comfortable perspective.
If you are ever in Cornwall and want to learn more about this incredible Victorian figure or see the museum and café design for yourself, we would recommend a trip wholeheartedly.
