Lime Kiln Café, Ham Hill

At the heart of the new visitor centre at Ham Hill Country Park in Somerset, the Lime Kiln Café has been conceived as a sensory extension of the landscape itself. Designed for Somerset Council, the project draws on the site’s ecology, geology and cultural heritage, creating an environment that encourages visitors to connect with both nature and their own place within it. 

The design narrative references Ham Hill’s wildflower meadows, Jurassic geology and the UK’s largest Iron Age hill fort. Natural, healthy and locally sourced materials were selected to support wellbeing and circularity, while creating a welcoming space for all users of the centre. Clayworks clay plaster became a key storytelling surface within the café. Dried flowers and foliage sustainably gathered from across Ham Hill Country Park alongside the park rangers were carefully imprinted into the clay plaster, connecting the café’s interiors to its place.