Big plans for former Hungerford saw mill

The project has been two years in the making and is the dream of Travers and Katie Nettleton, owners of Garden Art at Barr’s Yard at the gateway to the town.
The pair, who have already expanded the business to include a gallery showcasing the work of local artisans, have big plans for the former saw mill.
Mr Nettleton said: “The original article in the Newbury Weekly News generated a lot of interest. We’ve been contacted by a wide range of people expressing an interest, including a wheelwright, a London-based furniture restorer, an interior designer, an upholsterer and a blacksmith to name just a few.
“We’ve been working on this project for two years, thinking about the visual concept, then preliminary marketing and meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, the Town and Manor and the town council. The responses have been encouraging.”
The site, a distinctive landmark with an Alladin’s Cave treasure trove of artefacts, already attracts a diverse clientelle ranging from household gardeners to famous restaurateurs and celebrities.
Among the classical statues, pergolas and benches are more eccentric items: ceramic insulators from decommissioned electricity pylons become potential cascading water features and disused, wrought iron gates rescued from London’s Liverpool Street Station await a new lease of life.
Mr Nettleton said: “We hope that the collective will attract even more people to the town, with a knock-on effect for the antiques trade. We want to complement existing businesses, not compete with them. We want something truly creative that will benefit everyone.”
Mrs Nettleton said: “This is not going to be a retail park. We’ve carefully considered the surroundings and Garden Art will still be a major part of it. We want to retain the unique feel of the place.”
Project architect Chris Trickey said: “We’re keen it should be a Garden Art scheme and a home grown project. Travers and Katie have provided much of the architectural input.”
The project comprises the construction of three blocks of identical small workshop units designed to accommodate one or two artisans in each.
The concept for the development is a collection of studio workshops; structures of one-and-a-half storey height which can be let on an individual or combined basis with two or more units interconnected as required.
Comments can be posted on West Berkshire Council website’s planning section by visiting West Berkshire Council’s website at

then going to planning and entering the code 13/00773/COMIND