Gatehouse to historic mill complex could be turned into pop-up cafe

The gateway building to historic mills could be transformed into a cafe if plans are given the green light.

The Hepworth Wakefield hopes to turn the Grade II-Listed gatehouse at the Rutland Mills complex into a pop-up cafe. The conversion would be part of the transformation of the city’s waterfront.

The Hepworth has recently been granted permission to create a public garden on land between the gallery and mills, whilst the mill complex will be turned into a creative centre for music, television, film and media, with a hotel, restaurants and bars, a brewery, and education and events facilities.

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Kath Knight, The Hepworth’s director of business and operations, said: “Following a successful planning application to transform the land adjacent to The Hepworth Wakefield into a free public garden by leading designer Tom Stuart-Smith, we have now submitted a planning application to develop the small gatehouse that sits within the garden into a pop-up café.

“We hope this will be functioning by the end of the summer 2018 and will extend our offer during peak times, particularly for audiences attending our popular fairs and market events, and regular users of the playground.

“Bringing this building back into use will be another exciting step forward in the redevelopment of the waterfront.”

The gatehouse was previously used to manage visitor access and deliveries into Rutland Mill. An artist impression of the building is pictured courtesy of Bauman Lyons Architects.