Bringing to life the context and real stories of the Anglo-Boer War

The Emily Hobhouse Museum Restoration and Expansion

Emily Hobhouse, who lived from 1860 to 1926, defied the British Empire to expose the horrors of the concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War, in present-day South Africa. She lived on this estate until she was 34 years old, making it the perfect site for a museum that sensitively explores this subject and her role in it.

Working alongside Stonewood Design on both existing and new facilities, we provided civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering services.

Clad in scalloped seam zinc in a muted green, the museum building is set into the landscape, with a basement and ground floor designed to provide an environment for storytelling. Visitors experience animations, film, and virtual reality installations that bring to life the context and real stories of the Anglo-Boer War.

Adjacent to the museum sits a new café, which overlooks a kitchen garden. Our team also supported the delivery of three new residential cottages, designed to seamlessly fit in with the historic setting. A standout feature of the project is the expansive glazed frontage of the café. Measuring 20 metres long and up to 3 metres high, it houses what is believed to be the largest single pane of glass in Europe. Valued at over £1.6 million, this installation demanded ultra-tight deflection tolerances from our structural engineers. A lightweight roof design and precision structural control along the glazed edge helped maintain clarity and stability.

The pane had to be craned over the building from the car park, pushing the limits of coordination and planning. Perhaps the most technically compelling aspect was actually below ground, as the museum’s partially submerged position required a smart geotechnical approach. Set against a high water table, we designed the basement structure with tension piles to resist uplift, pinning it to the ground. When flooding hit the site during construction, the structure held firm, completely watertight and unmoved.

Recently restored, the Grade II listed rectory tells the story of her early life, while a series of new buildings encourage visitors to learn more about the war in an immersive exhibition experience.