Ad Gefrin Anglo Saxon Museum and Distillery, Wooler, Northumberland

2025 RIBA North East Award 
2025 RIBA North East Building of the Year sponsored by EH Smith
2025 RIBA North East Client of the Year sponsored by Equitone
2025 RIBA North East Project Architect of the Year Richard Elphick 
2025 RIBA North East Sustainability Award sponsored by Autodesk

Ad Gefrin Anglo Saxon Museum and Distillery, Wooler, Northumberland
Elphick Associates for Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Distillery

Contract value: £10.2m
GIA: 2,958m²
Cost per m²: £3,452

Conceived as an initiative to bring investment, job opportunities and tourism to the rural village of Wooler in Northumberland, Ad Gefrin combines a whisky distillery and a museum of Anglo-Saxon history, along with cask storage, café/bistro and shop. Its site has been in the client’s family for over a hundred years, and the project is very much a family affair. The client wanted to deliver the very best for the area in a way that fosters pride for the local community, but is also welcoming, where everyone feels at ease immediately.

The museum brings together Northumbrian artefacts that were stored away from view in other national collections, and is overseen by the owner’s son (a curator by profession). The owners wanted to make a distillery that took advantage of locally grown barley and the water from the borehole on site. 

It was also important that the building be designed for a fully accessible visitor experience of the whole process from start to finish. This has been a guiding principle throughout. 

The building is clearly a labour of love. From the quality of the materials, construction and details, you can feel that every element has been crafted with care and precision. 

The high quality of the delivery is a testament to the skill of the architect and the relationship with the client. A palette of repurposed oak and stone, charred timber and traditional materials contrasts with the galvanised steel and utilitarian elements of the brewing process.

The building goes above and beyond to set a new benchmark for environmental sustainability. Notable measures include low embodied carbon, reused and local materials, photovoltaic panels, futureproofing through the ability to convert to green hydrogen in the longer term, sensitive Dark Skies lighting and a largely naturally ventilated series of spaces (crucial when dealing with the flammable vapours of the whisky).

It is rare to see a private philanthropic initiative of this scale and complexity – and rarer still for the result to be so successful. Ad Gefrin is delivering social sustainability through genuine benefits to the community, with the café becoming a local hub. 

Meaningful job opportunities and vocational training are making real change to people’s lives. This project offers a model for holistic, sustainable rural economic development that should be replicated around the country.

See the rest of the RIBA North East winners here. And all the RIBA UK Awards here.

To see the whole RIBA UK Awards process visit architecture.com.

RIBA UK Awards 2025 sponsored by Autodesk, EH Smith, Equitone and VELUX