If you’ve visited Winterbourne, you will have passed through the refurbished shop. The bespoke new units are just the face of what was a major refurbishment, all made possible by a legacy left to us from a generous supporter.

It’s not very often that the commercial side of the business sees support from legacies, as most donations are earmarked for something specific, such as new planting, garden infrastructure, a new Glasshouse or conservation of a collection piece. Back in 2023 however we were informed of a generous legacy that had been left to us with no specific instruction as to where the funds should be allocated.

From Pig Sty to boutique

Those who have been visitors for some time will remember that the shop and reception once resided in the old Pig Sty where the shop is now (did you know it was originally the Pig Sty?), then moved to the house in around 2017 where visitors entered and exited through what is now Reception. The Pig Sty became the Second Hand Book Shop.

When COVID struck, we had to create a one-way system, so it was all change again, moving the Book Shop to the Coach House, and the shop back to the Pig Sty, where they both still reside. The whole team really pulled together, putting together IKEA units and painting them, to make it work on a shoestring. The result was better than we could have hoped, with the space giving us much more room for visitors to browse and removing the two-way congestion of those arriving and leaving in the same small space.

Challenges behind the scenes

However, hidden behind those IKEA units was flaking paint and damp walls. The roof of the building was damaged causing flooding and damage to goods. The lighting was old 1970s ‘office’ style ceiling panels, and the wonderful old cast iron radiators provided great warmth but guzzled energy with only two heat levels – on or off. In addition, the stock that was chosen had to fit in the small square boxes of those trusty IKEA units, limiting the creativity of our Retail Supervisors visual merchandising flair!

Designing for the future

The legacy donation enabled us to take the bull by the horns and address these issues. We worked with a fabulous company called ARJ CRE8 for the refit. They are professionals in the Heritage industry, working with English Heritage, National Trust, and The Tate just to name a few, designing and installing their retail fittings.

We mapped out the space and the flow for visitors to travel through it, creating greater capacity for display, hugely improved lighting and the chance to really plan out the merchandise, rather than having to ‘slot it in where it will fit’.

Before any of this could be installed, work had to be done on the actual building. In August 2024 the contractors arrived, and a myriad of trades began the transformation that would help preserve and improve the actual fabric. The floor was taken up and damp proofed. The old radiators were removed and replaced with an efficient storage heater and low energy Dimplex blowers that are set with a thermostat and timer. Walls were repainted and the ceiling replaced. Wiring, which had developed some interesting daisy chains, was replaced with adequate sockets and a bespoke lighting circuit for the cabinets. The roof gully, which had been causing the problem with water ingress, was fully repaired and supporting timbers that this had affected were replaced.

Preserving the past, supporting tomorrow

Finally, at the end of October 2024 the shop re-opened and feedback to its new look has been overwhelmingly positive ever since. It might not be as aesthetic a project as planting a border or conserving an object for display, but the legacy used for the shop refurbishment will keep on giving.

Not only has it conserved one of the original secular buildings of the site but it has enhanced the shop in ways that will improve income opportunities, which is then put back into the work that we do to preserve and develop Winterbourne for the future, whether that be bulbs for the garden, improving conditions for collections storage, buying a new mower or carrying out essential tree works, the list is endless.

So, a huge thank you to our donor for this opportunity…the pigs would certainly not recognise their old home today!