Opened in 1963 Stoke Bruerne is one of the UK’s first canal museums.  The museum is home to objects which tell the story of Britain’s waterways, from the perspective of the people that lived and worked on the canals.  The Canal and River Trust commissioned BWD and Cowper Griffiths Architects to undertake a full refurbishment of this listed building in Northamptonshire.

The museum occupies three customer-facing floors and a basement.  The project was a collaboration between the client team, Cowper Griffith Architects, based in Cambridge and main contractor FK Restoration, based in Bedford.  This former corn mill, on the Grand Union Canal, is home to many of the Trusts National collections and the project has been part-funded by the Friends of the Canal.  The building has been sensitively restored and the interiors have been reimaged to provide a comfortable space for enjoying the many historically significant artefacts on display.

BWD worked in collaboration with the architect to transform and modernise the building.  BWD designed and delivered the new cafe offer, which has been expanded over two floors, and the new retail offer.

We have designed all of the interpretation elements and have managed and coordinated inputs from the main contractor, sub-consultants and suppliers, as well as liaising with the project team and volunteer groups involved.