Rainham Hall is a rare surviving early 18^th century Merchants house sited on the north bank of the Thames, some 13 miles east from the centre of London. Julian Harrap Architects was appointed by The National Trust to restore the five-storey Hall into a visitor attraction, café and education centre.

The architecture of the Hall is in the Queen Anne style and compares more closely to a London townhouse than a country manor. Ancillary buildings were also built including; the two-storey stable block and integral brew house, coach house as well as a now lost outbuilding to the north. The grade II* listed buildings had been largely unaltered since the three acre estate was inherited by the National Trust in 1949.

The restoration of the stable block to provide essential facilities, included a visitor café and community room, required sensitively designed interventions and additions. Amongst these were a new bespoke lift and staircase in the brew house to provide access to the hayloft. The ambition was for the modern insertions to reinforce the understanding of the buildings’ original use.