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Oliver Caroe appointed Surveyor to St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral, London, has appointed Cambridge architect Oliver Caroe as the new Cathedral Surveyor. Caroe will take up the appointment in January 2012, following the retirement of Martin Stancliffe.

Caroe commented, “This is an unimaginable privilege. Due to the efforts of the Chapter and the previous surveyor, the Cathedral is now in the best condition since it was completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1711. My role will of course be to continue the expert care and stewardship of St Paul’s as well as working on new opportunities to share and enhance this inspiring and sacred place. There are extraordinary new projects which the Dean & Chapter have conceived with Martin Stancliffe which I will help to deliver. I know we will be busy.”

The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles said: "The Chapter is delighted to welcome Oliver Caroe as Surveyor to the Fabric of St Paul’s. He brings a wealth of talent and experience to the post. We look forward to sharing with him in the stewardship of this amazing and iconic building.”

Caroe will be supported by his team at Caroe Architecture Limited, the company he started in 2009 after 5 years at Purcell Miller Tritton and before that at the family practice, Caroe & Partners in London.

In addition to the St Paul’s Cathedral appointment, CAL is currently working on a variety of projects including the Grade 1 listed University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford delivering its ambitious HLF-funded programme, ‘Education, Heritage and Renewal for the 21 Century’; Scampston Hall Conservatory in Malton, Yorkshire for the creation of new education and interpretation facilities; Ripon Cathedral’s Narthex Porches, as well as Oliver Caroe’s appointment as Cathedral Architect to Ripon; the Landmark Trust’s restoration of the Warren House in Kimbolton and St John’s Archive Centre, Cambridge to convert the Grade I listed School of Pythagoras.

Caroe follows in the footsteps of three previous generations of conservation architects: his father, Marin, grandfather, Alban and his great grandfather WD Caröe, all prominent architects in their own right.

“I’ve been taken around great historic buildings by my father and grandfather from a very early age and have developed a love and respect for them. Working at St Paul’s and helping such an iconic monument is going to be a journey and an adventure: it is the living, breathing heart of the City of London - there has been continuous worship on this site for 1,400 years. My pulse is racing: my earliest task will simply be to get to know the building and the feel of its pulse. My grandfather told me that the best way to learn the mood of a Cathedral is to sleep a night in the building. I had better dig out my sleeping bag!”

 

University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford

Earlier in the year, the team from Caroe Architecture Ltd was appointed by this most prestigious of churches to deliver its ambitious HLF-funded programme "Education, Heritage and Renewal for the 21st Century".

St Mary's fine Grade I-listed buildings are in need of extensive conservation, protection and renewal, and there is a pressing need to improve their visitor experience and education by enhancing access to and understanding of their heritage.

Oliver Caroe commented:

"This appointment was a wonderful endorsement of the skills and capability that we have built up in this team."

The project is now out to tender and works are expected to commence on site in October 2011.

 

Scampston Hall Conservatory

Another successful bid for Caroe Architecture centres around the distinctive Scampston Hall Conservatory, situated in the grounds of the Grade II-listed Scampston Hall walled garden in Ryedale, Yorkshire. In need of restoration, the conservatory project has been given the go-ahead for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support.

We designed the restaurant and visitor centre for the wonderful walled garden which has been created by the Legard family (designed by Dutch Landscape Garden designer Piet Oudolf). It is a real privilege to be part of the next stage of the garden's restoration.

We are working with Cambridge Architectural Research physicist Alex Rice to address the inherent problems of converting south-facing greenhouses into usable accommodation.

 

Ripon Cathedral Narthex Porches

Oliver Caroe initiated the concept design for this scheme in 1999 and was delighted to be commissioned to execute the scheme when he was appointed architect to Ripon Cathedral in 2010.

The journey from concept to completion this year of this major work was thoroughly planned and executed.

Whilst the details were refined with the greatest care and dedication, Oliver has an equal pride in the successful delivery of this undoubtedly significant intervention into Ripon Cathedral.

 

© Caroe Architects 2011 I visualisations by Matthew Linton-Ford I website by nextnorth