The Exchange #15 Community-Led Conservation

On Monday, October 20, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #15: Community-Led Conservation at The Hop Pole Inn, Limpley Stoke.

This time we were joined by James Sibson of FCB Studios, Rhys Brookes of Harrison Brookes Architects and Hannah Jones & Rob Stepto of Greengauage who guided us through the inspiring story of the community-led conservation of the Hop Pole Inn—the very building where we gathered.

This session kicked off with James Sibson who shared the inspiring story of how the community of Limpley Stoke came together to take ownership of this historic Inn, develop a shared vision, and restore the building collaboratively — a process that involved a huge amount of volunteer time and hard graft!

We then heard from Rhys Brookes who discussed the journey of conserving this historic asset, balancing competing priorities — respecting and maintaining the heritage of the Inn, ensuring the space complies with modern standards, and realising the community’s vision to repurpose it as a hub for modern village life!

If that wasn’t enough, we then heard from Hannah Jones and Rob Stepto who shared their approach to decarbonising this historic building. Their talk emphasised the importance of getting the ventilation strategy right first in heritage buildings and shared valuable insights to demystify heat pumps and their suitability for heating historic buildings.

It was an inspiring day of collaboration and learning — showing what’s possible when communities lead the way in shaping their built environment!

The agenda on the day was:

9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee

10.00 – 10.10 | Intros and NTB updates

10.10- 10.50 | The Story of Hope Pole Inn and Tour  | James Sibson

10.50 – 11.30 | Design Approach and Detailing Hop Pole Inn | Rhys Brookes

11.30 – 11.45|  | Tea Break

11.45 – 12.30 | Approach to decarbonising  the Hop Pole Inn | Hannah Jones

12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch and Networking

14:00 | Workshop End.