London & South East

New riding school whipped into shape

Indoor Riding School, Berkshire

An indoor riding school at The Farley Hall Equestrian Centre is under construction and set for completion in March 2014.

The Berkshire based school is nestled in the picturesque village of Swallowfield and is surrounded by a plethora of Farley Estates other enterprises. Other aspects of the Farley estate enterprise include cottages, a medical practice, a shooting range, commercial units and several farms.

There is already an Equestrian Centre on the site which holds a riding stables and an outdoor riding school. Planning consent for an indoor riding school, additional stables, pavilion and locker room was obtained two years ago and Farley Farm Partnerships, part of Farley Estates, appointed Bryson-Richardson Ltd to act as the Project Managers.

Premier Construction caught up with the firms Managing Director, David Bryson-Richardson, to find out more about the project. He said:

“We became involved with Farley Farm Partnerships four years ago project managing various other building construction projects. There was not a single main contractor on this project; instead we used a number of specialist contractors to do various different parts of the work.

David Syrad Architects gained the planning permissions required for the project to go ahead and since then David Bryson-Richardson has been project managing the onsite works.

“Work on site started June 2013; when the client employed a groundwork contractor to clear the site and level it. A steel frame contractor was employed to implement the foundations, steel frame structure of the school cladding and roofing. This part of the project was planned to be completed before Christmas but has been delayed until mid-January.”

Lindum Construction are carrying out the internal fit out work including laying the floor slabs, internal walls, finishings, plumbing and the electrics.

There is still a fair amount of work to do including the finishings, second fix, the fitting of a steel staircases and balustrades, the installation of the kitchen and lockers, and the fitting of mirrors on two of the centres walls. The building covers a large area being 70 metres by 36 metres. Project Manager David said one of the big concerns for the Client was that the centre would dominate the scenery due to its size. Now that it has been erected it appears to fit into the scenery

The indoor riding centre will act as a practice area for riders, rather than a competition area, so there will not be seating for more than a few people. There will be a raised viewing gallery where visitors can stand and watch their friends or relatives ride if they wish.

Indoor Riding School, Berkshire

David added:

“We are delighted to continue the ongoing relationship with our established client, Farley Farm Partnerships and Farley Estate. We have worked with them on three previous occasions including converting a nineteenth century barn into air conditioned offices, building a new house together with a garage and small office for the Farm Manager, and refurbishing one of the estates houses.

“This scheme will be the fourth project we have been involved in and we are also talking with the client about other developments in the coming years.”

Alpha Windows are fitting all of the windows and doors within the indoor riding school and are currently still on site. The company, which was established in 1976, specialises in the creation and installation of windows, doors and conservatories. The firm have worked with The Farley Estate for five years and have played an integral role fitting windows all over the different sections of the business.

Allison Varney, a Partner in Alpha Windows, said:

“Farley Estates is a very important client for us and it is great to work with them again. The project has been especially interesting for us as the riding centre has been done in Irish Oak; it is not often that we get to fit in that colour. Ninety per cent of the time clients want white products; this project will therefore add something different to our portfolio.”

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