10/10/2022
Hockley Mill Stables is a beautiful 200-year-old period property recently refurbished as a well-being space.
Originally the stables that used to be part of the adjoining historic Hockley Mill over the River Itchen, this building has now been converted for office and therapy use, providing spacious rooms with charming exposed wooden beams, large windows, and skylights, arranged over two floors.
Hockley Mill Stables brings together the beauty of the English countryside in a historic building with character, with a highly modernised interior, to provide an exciting and contemporary office space for those seeking a tranquil yet highly connected high-end work setting.
When the treatment setting is just right, it is a pleasure for both the provider and the client
We have spoken to Richard Denning, founder and director of Hockley Mill Stables, who has answered our questions about this newly reconverted wellness hub: “Our vision for Hockley Mill Stables is a peaceful and tranquil, yet modern setting, providing a wide range of medical and complementary therapies for our clients”.
Currently they have a private GP and a therapist, and they are looking for other practitioners to join their team: “It is ideal for talking therapists, counsellors, nutritionists, dieticians, and physical therapists (osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists). It is just right for anyone who wants a quiet, well-connected office to work from or provide virtual consultations”.
What motivated you to set up a well-being treatment hub here?
“We have been running our clinic for some years just a few minutes from here, towards the Wi******er city centre. Although we had 2 rooms and a toilet, we needed more space, reliable internet, and a car parking area.
Our vision was to provide a peaceful and tranquil, yet modern setting, providing a wide range of medical and complementary therapies for our clients
When the treatment setting is just right, it is a pleasure for both the provider and the client. Many treatment centres that I worked from, in over a decade, did not meet my expectations. There was often nowhere to park upon arriving to work, no internet access, no phone extension in the room, and the decor was either bland and clinical or simply dated. Having endured so much upheaval in the past two years, we all deserve a better place to work, and our clients/ patients deserve a beautiful and healing environment. This has motivated me to set up the kind of treatment centre that I have always wanted to work in.
In March 2020, the Hockley Mill Stables came on the market – this wonderful, 200-year-old building, an oasis of tranquillity right next to the M3. We walked around it, the calming greenery along the river Itchen. It had been vacant for several years, but it was in good structural condition”.
How was organising the refurbishments and preparing the space for this purpose?
“A lot of work was needed on the property. The carpets had to be ripped out and modern wood-effect laminate flooring put in. The electrics and plumbing needed attention, all the heating needed to be replaced, and window frames and walls painted. The project was particularly difficult due to the lack of availability of materials and tradespeople in the aftermath of the pandemic. It took us 7 months before we could start using the property.
It is a such a wonderful place to be in now. Our clients and patients think the location is great
Now we have all the features we want – handwashing sinks and hot water in treatment rooms, eco-friendly heating, ambient lighting, monitored intruder and fire alarms, reliable high-speed internet, Wi-Fi; a modern phone system, intercoms, door phone, a welcoming reception and waiting area. And something that we could never have in our previous location - car parking spaces!
We have ten spaces available, which is something that you simply cannot get in the Wi******er area. We also have a large grass-covered hillock with a magnificent oak tree, from where you can see the river Itchen. We have put wooden seating there. It is perfect for movement therapies, and any holistic therapy that benefits from nature.
It was worth all the hard work. It is a such a wonderful place to be in now. Our clients and patients have all told us how great they think the new location is”.
