Our Story
The building of our eco-friendly shop
The building of Lodsworth Larder was achieved by the collaboration of architect Val Hinde, and woodsman and eco-builder Ben Law (as seen on Channel 4’s Grand Designs).
Our eco-friendly, not-for-profit shop was built using the traditional A-frame construction design. Unlike a conventional build, it was not a simple matter of placing an order with a timber merchant and waiting for standard size timbers to arrive on site. Each of Ben’s projects are constructed from locally sourced materials, and to a certain extent the build is grown and developed around the timbers and material Ben sources.
All the timber was sourced locally,
The walls are insulated with sheep’s wool and photovoltaic panels provide the shop with electricity. The shop has no conventional heating, but the heat produced by our fridges can be circulated by a heat recovery system to heat the shop in the winter. More information regarding the build can be found in Ben’s book, “Roundwood Timber Framing”. We have copies available for purchase in the shop.
It took just over two years from the first tentative committee meeting to the grand opening of the Larder in November 2009.
The Future
Work on the future strategy and vision for the larder continues, guided by the principles of: service to the community, everyday essentials and little luxuries, local produce, eco-friendly, and understanding our customers.