Goods sheds are to be found adjacent to most railway stations and formed the conduit through which wholesale and retail distribution flowed throughout the country. Canterbury West’s Goods Shed was built c.1860 and that original function had ceased by about 1960, meaning the Grade 2 Listed building was derelict for decades when the visionary owner asked Clague Architects to come up with a design and scheme of repairs to repurpose it as a farmers market & restaurant.

The scheme was achieved through minimal intervention into the fabric of the building and the retention of the single volume space that defines the character of the building. An open plan farmers’ market area occupies the majority of the space, whilst the restaurant is located along western edge of the building in the form of a raised zone aligned above the old rail line where the wagons once entered the goods shed. The original rhythm of six semi-circular metal casement lights at the top of tall blind brick arches, three to each side of central wide segmentally arched blind opening, was altered so that the six openings facing west towards the railway line had the glazing repaired and extended down to a new cill level allowing light to flood into the space transforming the feel of the restaurant area and the wider interior.