The Old Goods Shed has now been officially opened as Marketing Means' head office. The company has been growing steadily and Anna-Marie and Graham realised that they were in need of more space to house the company and that they wanted it to have a ‘home of its own’. However, they were reluctant to move away from Station Yard, the site of the old Ashburton Station, where they had been based for 7 years. It is a business area full of character and ideally situated. After looking around at other options for a number of months, the only logical conclusion was to buy the Old Goods Shed opposite their former office and convert it into the office that they needed. They obtained the building in July 2009 and got to work.
After employing Van Ellen + Sheryn architects, four months were taken drawing up plans for the renovations, taking into account that it was a Grade 2 listed building. Everyone involved shared a desire to maintain the building’s heritage as an industrial, railway building whilst giving the new offices a sense of innovation and 21st Century practicality for the type of work that was to be done there.
The 7 miles of the railway now known as the South Devon Railway originally ran from Ashburton to Totnes a distance of some 9 miles. It was engineered in 1872 by the builder of the Great Western Railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built to his Broad Gauge (7ft 0¼ inch) specification. This history is at the heart of the area's great character.
Work finally started on the Old Goods Shed in the Spring of 2010, with the company planning to be fully moved in by the end of May. Work was undertaken at a furious pace, with Richard Goulden the project manager at the helm. And unlike many building projects, the timetable slipped only slightly. Marketing Means were in the building by early June 2010 with the Old Goods Shed transformed.
When Marketing Means moved in, the Old Goods Shed started its new life as a 21st Century office. The renovations had brought state of the art electrics and built in information networks, and an under-floor heating system powered by an environmentally friendly air source heat pump, which also powers a low energy cooling system in the summer. A new staircase and glass walls divide the building up into distinct working areas.
Downstairs, the building houses a telephone interviewing unit that can accommodate 24 interviewers. Upstairs is the main office and meeting areas with 12 work stations, a lounge area with a great view over the hills of Ashburton and a formal meeting and training room.
The modern building is both a comfortable and pleasant environment to work in and practically designed for the functions of a modern business.
For nearly 140 years, the Old Goods Shed has stood at the heart of Ashburton’s industrial quarter. An understated but sturdy building that has seen the changing nature of the town’s economy, never losing its fundamental character, but always reflecting the times we live in.