We were delighted to receive this award and to bask in the warm citation of the judging panel. To be selected for this high honour from the Preservation Trust, from a competitive field of 16 shortlisted entries, was a real high point for us as a practice. The award should especially acknowledge the long, patient and diligent efforts of the client, who spent many years creating the impetus to make the HLF funded project happen.
The work for St Mary’s was a complex, phased programme of conservation and repair, coupled with an extensive campaign of enhancements throughout the building. Many of these were very subtle and modest; cumulatively throughout the Grade 1 listed buildings there has been a huge creative lift, which supports viability, vitality and use of this exceptionally significant historic place.
