An early example of steel-frame construction, Provender Mill was a former grain mill, a stark but elegant structure built in the 1940s that had always seemed out of place in the historic Somerset market town. The 2001 conversion, overseen by sculptors Mark and Lucy Merer in collaboration with Mark’s father, Stanley Merer, exploited the mill’s dark, industrial good looks. It was designed with the town’s industrial history in mind, retaining a working studio component whilst adding a new apartment at second and third floor level.

The Modern House sold it to a renowned contemporary artist, who carried out further refurbishment in collaboration with the architect Paul Fineberg.

Photography: Matt Lincoln

Our From the Archive series takes excerpts and images from ‘The Modern House‘ by Jonathan Bell, Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill – a publication written and produced to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Produced in 2015, this book offers our own distinctive snapshot of what it means to live in a modern way in Britain.