A historic 16th-century building in the small village of Beckington, Somerset, has been thoughtfully renovated by London-based Tuckey Design Studio, transforming the former wool trading hall and legendary recording studio into a contemporary family home. The Wool Hall, which gained fame in the 1980s as a recording venue for major artists including Tears for Fears, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, The Pretenders, Paul Weller, and The Smiths, now serves as both a residence and workspace while preserving its musical heritage.
Originally constructed in the 16th century as an exhibition and sales space for wool merchants, the building evolved over centuries into an eclectic collection of forms and materials. The structure gained protected status in the 1960s, recognizing its historical significance to the region's wool trading heritage. In the 2010s, guitarist and producer Luke Potashnik acquired the property and commissioned Tuckey Design Studio to transform the loosely connected structures into a cohesive whole.
The renovation carefully balances preservation with modernization, maintaining the historic character of the main facade while introducing contemporary living spaces. The building's distinctive semicircular archway over the ground floor entrance remains unchanged, alongside the curved masonry staircase that winds up to the first floor. Inside, a centrally located stairwell provides access to all three levels of the L-shaped main building, with an open living and dining area on the ground floor and bedrooms located on the first floor. An addition houses additional living and working spaces, while a recording studio continues to operate in the attic level.
To improve the building's thermal performance, the architects employed innovative sustainable materials, including a lime-cork mixture and cork-based spray applications that preserve the uneven texture of the original surfaces. Terrazzo floors strategically mark transitions between old and new elements, indicating where partition walls once stood. Painted steel beams in green and light yellow elements provide subtle color accents throughout the 265-square-meter residence, while windows received new double glazing and the heating system was upgraded with a boiler and underfloor heating.
The renovation reveals dramatically different characters on the street-facing and courtyard sides of the building. While the front maintains its appearance as a venerable stone structure, the rear showcases restored masonry alongside new red-stained timber cladding on the addition. The terracotta roof tiles from the 1980s were retained, and selective demolitions created a more open spatial arrangement. A separate structure, disconnected from the main ensemble, now houses a small yoga room among other spaces, demonstrating the project's sensitivity to both historical preservation and contemporary living needs.
