The design
The distillery was created by converting and enlarging the original old Abbey farm steading by Organic Architects. The glass-fronted stillroom looks directly out over the historic abbey grounds. The adjacent ruined abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Archaeology
Design work on the distillery started in 2015 with a detailed site study. Before work began, we undertook extensive archaeological digs around the Abbey ruins where a wall, several bits of Medieval pottery and a 12th Century lead plumb line were discovered.
Existing farm buildings
The existing farm buildings already had attractive traditional features such as pantile and slate triple ridged roofs. These were then raised and rebuilt in crisp modern versions of the same materials with the intention of maintaining the time honoured character of the old buildings, and to work with their curious geometry.
The Distillery today
The three sided steading is now organised into a Visitor Centre, shop, Refectory, production area and Legacy Bar. The production area was designed to be one of the most beautiful still rooms in the industry, with three bright copper pot stills overlooking the ruins of the abbey through frameless glazing.
The Cloister link leads from the Visitor Centre through to the stillroom and is fitted out to tell the story of the abbey. It has become an extraordinary function space capable of holding grand banquets for over 80 people. An arched roof is formed from new glulam columns which form a regular structure. The curve is finished externally with graphite curved zinc. The geometry of the arches is taken from Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Gallery – a three curve arch rather than a simple semi circle. The result is a space which echoes the existing Mother Church of Lindores Abbey at the Abbey of Thiron.
We have used local materials as much as possible for the build, wood from Denmylne and stone from nearby Clatchard Quarry.
