The Story of Emily
by Stonewood Design
Client Private
Award RIBA South West and Wessex Award 2025 and RIBA South West and Wessex Building of the Year 2025 (sponsored by EH Smith)

The award winner tells us, "The Story of Emily museum celebrates the life of humanitarian Emily Hobhouse, who campaigned against the UK’s use of concentration camps in the Boer War.
Located in her birthplace, the east Cornish village of St Ive, the museum site encompasses the rectory where she grew up in addition to a collection of new-build and rebuilt elements. These are defined by two sharply different characters – a modern take on the traditional Cornish vernacular for the visitor amenities and staff facilities, and a contrasting, zinc-clad form for the exhibition on the war."
Extract from the RIBA Awards Jury citation, "The Story of Emily builds upon a growing legacy of architectural patronage, being by the same team as the 2023 RIBA Award-winning The Newt in Somerset. Displaying great attention to detail regarding the form, scale, space, light and materials used, the buildings show ambition as they strive for the conservation of some of the structures on site but also to preserve the culture and history behind them. Local stone has been used for the new staff housing and ancillary buildings, including the café, with contemporary details and features such as frameless windows incorporated."
Read the full citation from the RIBA Awards Jury on RIBA Journal
Contractor Stonewood Builders
Principle contractor, staff accommodation JE Stacey
Principle contractor, the Rectory Westcountry Stonemasons Limited
Structural engineer Hydrock
Civils Hydrock
Environmental/M&E engineer E3 Consulting Engineers
Quantity surveyor/cost consultant Synergy
Fire engineer Hydrock
Principal designer Hydrock
Landscape architect LT Studio
Geotechnical engineer Hydrock
Glazing consultant Glass Limited
Geo environmental consultant Hydrock
Transportation Pell Frischmann
Archeologists AC
Planning consultant AZ Urban Studios
Building control Oculus
Ecology Seasons Ecology
Arboriculture Bosky Trees
Exhibition designers KoosmannDejong
Consultant historian/ journalist and exhibition curator Elsabe Brits
Filming (intro video) Sibling and Rival
Filming (War Rooms) Public Agency Bind
Filming Director (War Rooms) Nicola Hanekom
Gross internal area 2,841m²













