The Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens to re-open in April 2026 following major redevelopment
Press release
The Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens will re-open on 1 April 2026 following a major redevelopment by leading architecture and urban design practice DSDHA.
The reimagined space, at the heart of Moore’s former home and workplace in Hertfordshire, reflects the artist’s lifelong passion for art education.
For the first time, the renovated gallery will feature a dedicated presentation covering the remarkable story of Henry Moore’s life and work, celebrating his status as one of Britain’s greatest sculptors and most internationally influential artists. The presentation will draw on the Foundation’s exceptional holding of work by Moore as well as its unrivalled archive which places the artist as a key figure of the 20th century. A changing exhibition programme will run alongside, launching with an important display of Moore’s world-renowned Shelter Drawings.
A new extension to the building provides state-of-the-art studios and learning facilities, supporting a dynamic programme of drop-in activities, creative events, talks, and tours for audiences of all ages. This transformation will enable the Henry Moore Foundation to further deliver on Moore’s ambition to inspire future generations of art lovers, in an engaging, accessible environment.
“The redevelopment of the Sheep Field Barn will enable us to comprehensively introduce the artist’s life and work as never before. Drawing on our unrivalled collections and archives, the new facility will reveal all aspects of Moore’s creative journey through exceptional and rarely seen examples of his work. This will greatly enhance our visitors’ experience of the artist’s house, his remarkable studios and the grounds amongst many of his monumental bronze sculptures.
“The new facility also frames Moore’s practice in his life-long commitment to the study of sculpture and his enthusiasm for others to learn about and engage with the subject. New dedicated learning spaces will enable visitors to enjoy a richer and more hands-on experience of a remarkable artist’s legacy in an inclusive and welcoming environment.”
Godfrey Worsdale OBE, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation
Architectural transformation
Originally a steel-frame farm building used for storage by Moore and later adapted by Hawkins\Brown in 1999, the barn has now been significantly transformed through a major extension designed by DSDHA and built by Rooff, doubling its footprint and reimagining its role as a space for creativity and learning.
The project introduces a wet and dry studio for making, filled with natural light through central roof lights, a lunchroom for schools and groups, a larger entrance and new mezzanine as well as upgraded exhibition spaces, accessible WCs and social areas. The lunchroom and two studios have direct outdoor access, connecting visitors to the surrounding landscape, with sheep trough sinks to aid outdoor making – just as Moore did.
Built entirely from a solid timber structure that sits lightly on steel screw piles and clad externally with reclaimed Silver Spruce Timber and internally by the building’s own repurposed panels, returned to their natural Douglas Fir finish, the extension combines sustainability with craft.
Sheep’s wool insulation, triple-glazed windows, and an airtight envelope enhance energy efficiency, while an innovative roof of integrated solar panels generates power for the spaces, supported by ground source heat pumps to regulate the conditions of the gallery’s exhibition spaces.
“We are extremely proud to have delivered the retrofit of Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, creating sustainable and energy-efficient galleries that, for the first time, can display the full range of Moore’s artistic processes and output on site.
“Highly flexible learning facilities uniquely engage with the surrounding landscape whilst spaces throughout the scheme pay homage to Moore’s approach to his own work and understanding of art in the wider world.
“Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is an inspiring cultural destination to work within, and we hope our remodelling of Sheep Field Barn will continue to support the Foundation’s aspirations to make the work and home of Henry Moore accessible and open to new audiences, whilst also demonstrating the potential of retrofit to push the limits of sustainable and low-carbon design and material circularity.”
Deborah Saunt, Founding Director at DSDHA
Gallery spaces
The Sheep Field Barn renovation will provide an improved suite of exhibition galleries, including a larger, double-height space on the ground floor, suitable for the display of medium- and large-scale works. This space will house the first ever dedicated permanent exhibition on the life and work of Henry Moore at the Studios & Gardens, celebrating his status as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
This permanent exhibition will tell the complete story of Moore’s life and career from 1922 to 1984 through sculptures from the Henry Moore Foundation Collection, including wood and stone carvings, bronzes and plasters, highlighting the evolution of his visual style, artistic themes and experimentations in height, scale and relationships of form. This selection will be accompanied by reproduced archive materials such as photographs, correspondence, diaries, videos and studio materials, bringing context to the artworks.
The presentation will explore Moore’s deep engagement with nature, organic forms, and international influences, as well as his global impact. Key works include early carvings such as Mother and Child c.1922-24 and Seated Figure 1924, recent acquisitions Chairback Reliefs c.1928 and Madonna and Child 1943; and maquettes and models for major international sculpture commissions including those for the Festival of Britain (1951), UNESCO Paris (1957–58), and the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (1976). Many of the works will be shown at Studios & Gardens for the first time, including Reclining Figure: Circle 1983, one of Moore’s final sculptures.
The upstairs gallery has also been renovated and will host a programme of changing displays exploring a specific aspect of Moore’s art and his long-lasting legacy.
The first exhibition will focus on Moore’s Shelter Drawings, some of his most powerful and celebrated works, created during the Second World War, commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee.
Showing Londoners sheltering in the London Underground during the Blitz (1940-41), these were among the first works that Moore made after he moved to Perry Green from the capital. The deeply moving scenes witnessed by Moore of people huddled together in cramped tunnels inspired a series of drawings that are both despairing and intensely human, combining vulnerability and resilience.
This will be the first exhibition devoted entirely to this landmark series of works since 1998 (Henry Moore: Shelter Drawings and Sculpture, Imperial War Museum, London).
Learning studios
The Henry Moore Foundation’s new purpose-built Learning Studios offer visitors the opportunity to learn, think, and make together. For the first time, working studio spaces will sit on the same site as Moore’s own, equipped with tools and resources to place making back at the heart of the site. These spaces aim to encourage creative experimentation and foster an exchange of skills and ideas among newcomers, enthusiasts, and experts. Regular activities will include family play sessions, sensory sculpting, education programmes, workshops for all ages, community events, residencies, co-creation projects, and expert talks linking new research on Moore to contemporary issues.
The two purpose-built studio spaces will replace the single classroom-style area previously available to education groups. Unlike the old space, the new studios include dedicated lunch areas and improved facilities for wet and messy activities, making them more practical and versatile for hands-on learning. With expansive windows, abundant natural light, and access to their own outside spaces, the studios will create a direct connection to the landscape and sculptures that inspired Henry Moore, enriching the creative experience for all who use them.
On arrival at the Sheep Field Barn, visitors will also encounter a smaller gallery before the main exhibition, designed as a reflective pause point featuring tactile objects, audiovisual experiences, sculptural play, and comfortable furnishings. Created in collaboration with designer and maker Charlotte Kidger, this inclusive and engaging space will be shaped through co-production with audiences, including adult and family visitors and teenage students from nearby Harlow (the UK’s only sculpture town).
The Sheep Field Barn is set within 70 acres of surrounding grounds at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, also home to a large selection of Moore’s renowned monumental sculptures situated in the landscape in which they were created, as a well as many of Moore’s studios, his family home Hoglands and the Henry Moore Archive, one of the largest single-artist archives in the world. The re-opening of the Sheep Field Barn will coincide with Henry Moore: Monumental Nature at Kew Gardens, the largest outdoor exhibition of Moore’s work ever presented.
For further information and images please contact:
Emily Dodgson, Head of Marketing & Enterprise
Henry Moore Foundation
emily.dodgson@henry-moore.org
Alicia Lethbridge
Sam Talbot
alicia@sam-talbot.com
Flora Guildford
Sam Talbot
flora@sam-talbot.com
Matthew Brown
Sam Talbot
matthew@sam-talbot.com
Notes to editors
About DSDHA
DSDHA is an architecture, urban design and spatial research studio, whose internationally acclaimed work spans from crafting beautiful and sustainable buildings, welcoming landscapes and whole new neighbourhoods. DSDHA aim to foster positive change in the built environment and to empower communities, creating social value through collaboration and meaningful engagement.
Recent projects include: National Youth Theatre, Exchange Square, Royal Albert Hall public realm, Edmund de Waal Studio and Gallery, and the refurbishment of London’s iconic Economist Plaza in St James.
About the Henry Moore Foundation
The Henry Moore Foundation was founded by the artist and his family in 1977 to encourage public appreciation of the visual arts.
Today we support innovative sculpture projects, devise an imaginative programme of exhibitions and research worldwide, and preserve the legacy of Moore himself: one of the great sculptors of the 20th century, who did so much to bring the art form to a wider audience.
We run two venues, in Leeds and Hertfordshire, showing a mix of Moore’s own work and other sculpture.
We also fund a variety of sculpture projects through our Henry Moore Grants and Research programmes and we have a world-class collection of artworks which regularly tour both nationally and internationally.
A registered charity, we award grants to arts organisations around the world, with a mission to bring great sculpture to as many people as possible.
About Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is the former home and work-place of sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986). From 1940 until his death in 1986, Moore lived and worked in rural Hertfordshire where he acquired over 60 acres of land and set up various studios, creating the ideal environment in which he could make and display his work and cater to an international demand for exhibitions.
Now open to the public, Henry Moore Studios & Gardens offers a unique insight into the artist’s working practice and showcases a large selection of Moore’s renowned monumental sculptures in the landscape in which they were created.
We also present annually changing exhibitions, which further illuminate the life and work of the sculptor, and are home to the Henry Moore Archive, one of the largest single-artist archives in the world.
Our visitor season runs from 5 April to 29 October 2023
We are open Wednesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays, 11:00–17:00