It is home to a popular amateur theatre company, with close historical links to the author Anna Sewell who wrote Black Beauty.

Originally the barn belonged to Clare House which was owned by Philip Sewell, a local benefactor, from 1864 to 1906. http://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/Norwich/anna_sewell.htm Anna Sewell, author of the children’s story "Black Beauty", was Philip’s sister and lived in the White House, Spixworth Road, Spixworth.

Clare House became an open air school for city children suffering from respiratory complaints and the barn became their washroom, restroom and handicraft centre.

It took several years for this building, with the help of Valerie Glauert - head of Blyth Jex School - to be turned into a fully functioning small theatre.

Their first public production The Norfolk Furies was written and directed by Henry Burke (the first Artistic Director), and staged at the barn.