Manor Farm Barn, Southfleet, Kent, UK

Designer: Martin Godden at Shepherd Neame, 2002

Manor Farm Barn is proof that the craftsmanship required for barn building and thatching is not dead. Take a look inside the pub at the oak frame of the barn and examine close-up the skill involved in fitting together the beams with lapped dovetails, mortice, tusk and tennon joints and timber pegs. And what a magnificent long straw thatched roof it has – such a neat job with not a reed out of place.

Kent brewer Shepherd Neame bought the structure from a farmer and transformed it to an award-winning pub in 2002. Originally built in 1746, it was used as a threshing barn for generations and in its latter years for grain storage. But this is no twee barn conversion with cartwheels, hay bales and horse brasses. Manor Farm Barn is open, airey and light with west facing picture windows that frame the sunset. A trellis pattern slate floor and endless wonderful wood used for floorboards, chairs and tables, beams, and the bar greets customers. The pub has a contemporary rustic look more like someone's home, with rugs, standard lamps, leather sofas and armchairs, and a wood-burning fire. Customers are encouraged to take their time and relax, read the newspapers – no pressure to vacate their seats. Designer Martin Godden likes to create rooms within rooms each with a distinct personality. The lounge area by the fireplace for instance is intimate and good for hanging out or getting to know someone in. On the first floor there is a large restaurant with a close-up view of the barn's beautiful timber frame. Typically people are reluctant to go upstairs where they feel cut off from the pub atmosphere, so this was overcome by creating a mezzanine level between the lounge and the dining room. From here, one can appreciate the modern hand-blown pink glass with fibre optic chandelier commissioned from artist Anthony Critchlow, an eye-catching feature of the pub.

Photographer: Shepherd Neame