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MARCH 2024Office Trip to Wadham College, OxfordWe would like to thank the Domestic Bursar Frances Lloyd at Wadham College for very kindly agreeing to give the Clews team a guided tour of the college and granting us access to so many of their varied buildings. It was fascinating to see how the college has developed over the centuries, each generation gradually adding new facilities. The most recent addition is the RIBA South Shortlisted Undergraduate Centre by Amanda Levete which is located within heart of the college and defines the two back courtyards. It was a privilege to visit and see how gracefully this strikingly modern building enhances the setting of the C15th Quadrangle. A particular highlight was also being able to access the Gillespie Kidd & Coia Library and Persian Studies collection which was the former Blackwells Music Shop on Holywell Street. This building was listed in 2000 which included the following listing description – "The building has wit and imagination in responding to a tight site of international historic importance. The result is a notable landmark to Holywell Street, with a compact and elegant terrace and courtyards to the rear, and a distinctive and unusual building from this remarkable practice. It fits in while having a real personality of its own." (Architects' Journal, 17 January 1973, p.151) |
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FEBRUARY 2024Stewart Village Hall – Extension and retrofit of Village HallWe are delighted to confirm that planning permission has been granted for the extension and complete refurbishment of the Stewart Village Hall in Brightwell Cum Sotwell, South Oxfordshire. The project combines the need to repair and upgrade the existing fabric of the former Victorian school building to ensure its long-term sustainable future along with a complete reorganisation of the internal layout to allow the community facility to function more flexibly and host concurrent activities. Additional community rooms will be provided within new first floor accommodation to the side and rear. |
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SEPTEMBER 2023Aiglon CollegeBrilliant to see the progress on site at Aiglon College in the Swiss Alps as the major development in the heart of the campus masterplan is built – a new assembly and performance building linked with a new dining hall facility. Read more on our project page >> |
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AUGUST 2023ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, KEW, HERBARIUM PROJECTAcanthus Clews Architects are very excited to be assisting Kew Gardens on the Herbarium Building to help safeguard this internationally significant collection. Learn more at kew.org >> |
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JULY 2023ALL SAINTS CHURCH, FLEETWe are hugely proud to share some completed photos of the recently rebuilt fire damaged All Saints Church at Fleet. See more on our project page >> |
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JULY 2023ALL SAINTS CHURCH, WOKINGHAMWe are delighted to have completed our church reordering project at All Saints Church, Wokingham. Find out more on our project page >> |
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JUNE 2023ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, KEW ORANGERYWe have completed our restoration of the Grade 1 listed Orangery at Kew. Find out more on our project page >> |
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JUNE 2023THAME YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE PLANNING APPROVALPlanning permission has been secured in Thame for a new Youth and Community Centre. Please see our project page for details >> |
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FEBRUARY 2023ENGLISH HERITAGE CARBON REDUCTION PROGRAMMEAcanthus Clews Architects are delighted to have been successfully appointed to advise English Heritage on their ambitious Carbon Reduction Programme across their estate. Read more at english-heritage.org (pdf) >> |
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JANUARY 2023CHIPPING CAMPDEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE COMPLETEDIt gives us great pleasure to see the Cidermill Theatre at Chipping Campden School now in use by staff and pupils. A fantastic programme of events is now planned and we look forward to seeing the arts thrive within the school and community benefitting from a local theatre and cinema space. Read more on our Project Page >> |
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JUNE 2022Royal Botanical Gardens, KewAcanthus Clews Architects are very proud to have been appointed to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Conservation Architecture Framework. And we are delighted to commence the first project on the framework to restore the fantastic Grade 1 listed Orangery designed by Sir William Chambers and built in 1761. |
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MAY 2022Extension and Internal Alterations to Stonehill Boarding House – Bloxham SchoolUnderpinned by our earlier masterplan work with the school, we are now on site with our first, major project for Bloxham School. Tucked behind the Grade II Listed Boarding House, our extension is located in a small courtyard that once housed the original Coach House and ancillary buildings, serving Stonehill itself. The proposals include the reinstatement of the Coach House building, linking this to the existing house and new extension by several, single storey, glazed links. The 2 storey, timber clad extension itself, will house additional boarding accommodation and provide a link to the upper grounds of the adjacent school buildings, linking the two sites. Poor ground conditions have meant that construction is almost entirely lightweight, SFS framing and timber cladding, with a steel supporting structure behind. The design has developed following close consultation with the planning and conservation officers of the local council, developing a modern, subservient building against the historic context. |
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MAY 2022WORCESTER UNDERCROFT LEARNING CENTRE WINS MULTIPLE RIBA AWARDSWe are delighted to announce that Worcester Cathedral Undercroft Learning Centre has received multiple RIBA Regional Awards. As well as the RIBA Regional Award we were delighted to receive the Building of the Year award along with a Conservation Award and the Client of the Year prize. Once again we would like to thank everyone involved in the project, it was a truly collaborative effort! The RIBA judges had the following to say;
“Through an exercise in exquisite detailing and light-touch intervention, Acanthus Clews have managed to breathe life into the damp vaults of Worcester Cathedral, causing a stir to passers-by who frequently peer through the crafted windows. The conversion of the former monastic storage rooms into the new Undercroft Learning Centre, truly provides an innovative and versatile venue to learn and discover for the whole community.” Read more at www.architecture.com >>
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MAY 2022Marble Hill House RevivedOriginally built in the 1720’s for the remarkable Herietta Howard as a retreat from court life, Marble Hill has been restored to its 18th century glory for a new generation of visitors to enjoy. A transformational grant from the National Lottery Parks for People programme has secured Marble Hill for future generations, protecting against issues of damp, improving the lighting, installing a lift and providing investment in the landscape as well as the café. Acanthus Clews Architects are very proud to be involved in this complex conservation project. Read more at www.theguardian.com >> |
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MAY 2022Exeter Cathedral awarded a £4.3 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage FundWe are thrilled to confirm that the grant will support the Cathedral’s 2020s Development Appeal, funding an ambitious project designed to bring significant improvements for visitors, engage a wider audience and help secure long-term sustainability.
Highlights for the project include:
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APRIL 2022CIVIC TRUST AABC CONSERVATION AWARDSACA are really pleased to confirm that Worcester Cathedral Undercroft Learning Centre received a Civic Trust AABC Conservation Award. Only two projects nationally received this level of award, ‘winners in the Civic Trust AABC Conservation Awards demonstrate the highest standards of historic building conservation’. To receive an award projects have to ‘demonstrate the highest standards of historic building conservation, and make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment’.
Judges comments: “A challenging and well resolved scheme. The project addressed complicated access to the vault, allowing it to be opened up and appreciated by a wide audience. Technical challenges associated with archaeology, environmental conditions in the space and ensuring the former monastic refectory cellar maintained its integrity was a colossal task and one that has been expertly executed.” Read more at www.civictrustawards.org.uk >> |
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AUGUST 2021PLANNING AND LISTED BUILDING CONSENT FOR THE BRANCH COMMUNITY CENTRE CHIPPING NORTONWe are delighted that The Branch Community project in Chipping Norton has successfully received planning and listed building consent from West Oxfordshire District Council. The proposals are to radically but sensitively repurpose the Grade II* listed former Natwest bank building in the heart of Chipping Norton into a new flexible multipurpose community space to serve the most vulnerable sectors of the local community. We are very proud to be working with such a fantastic client at St.Mary’s Church on such an important and rewarding project.
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MARCH 2021EXETER CATHEDRAL NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND SUCCESSWe are delighted that Exeter Cathedral is to receive support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the first phase of a major project, ‘The 2020s Vision, Investing in our Welcome’. The project aims to increase visitor access and appreciation of the cathedral so that some of the untold glories of the building and hidden treasures can be highlighted and explored for the first time. The Cathedral is the focal point of Exeter City and has many splendours which are unique examples of our heritage – not found anywhere else in the world. Development funding has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help the Cathedral to progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant once critical investigations have been completed. The plan will address the failing fabric in the East End and the adjoining Chapter House, interpret these parts of the building afresh, and improve the visitor experience. The new cloister gallery is an opportunity to improve access for all to disparate parts of the building, and enable the treasures to be displayed so new people can discover and enjoy their heritage. Commenting on the award The Dean of Exeter, the Very Reverend Jonathan Greener said, ‘We are thrilled to have this support. Exeter Cathedral is in great need of investment to help us welcome and engage with many more people from across Devon. The Cathedral is one of Europe’s great medieval cathedrals; the most significant building in Devon. The development funding will help us to ensure that it is fit for all our purposes in the 21st century. We long to reach out to new people, especially those who think this cathedral is not for them, and let them experience its mystery, its wellbeing and its beauty’. This project will enable all, from the casual visitor to the in-depth researcher, to increase the effectiveness and enjoyment of their visit, and will embed new learning opportunities, adding to the cultural heritage of the South West. The project has the potential to add great value to the UNESCO City of Literature. |
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FEBRUARY 2021BARROWDEN COMMUNITY HUB GRANTED PLANNING APPROVALOn behalf of the Barrowden Village Hall Committee we are delighted to confirm that planning approval has been granted for their much needed new Community Hub. The project aims to bring together three separate community assets, the village hall, the doctors surgery and the village community shop into one dedicated and all-inclusive community facility. By combining the community elements into one unified building the aim is to encourage social interaction between different cohorts of this rural village society. The new combined building benefits from the increased efficiency of shared functions and maximises the potential of the site in terms of outdoor garden space and car parking.
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FEBRUARY 2021WORCESTER CATHEDRAL UNDERCROFT LEARNING CENTRE WINS AJ RETROFIT AWARDAmazing news, Worcester Cathedral Undercroft Learning Centre has won the AJ Retrofit Award for listed buildings under £10m. Although it was a shame that we couldn’t celebrate the awards as normal and in person we are honoured and delighted that this special project has been recognized by the judges at the Architects Journal. The judges praised the project’s clever simplicity and the way that changes made hadn’t affected the building’s character. ‘Although it appears that very little has been done, a lot has also been done, but carefully.’
More info can be found at www.architectsjournal.co.uk >> |
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NOVEMBER 2020UK CHURCH ARCHITECTURE AWARDS SUCCESSEASA & National Churches Trust – ACA are delighted to have two former award winning church projects shortlisted for the 2020 UK Church Architecture Awards – A Celebration of Excellence. Due to Covid-19 the annual awards could not proceed and so were replaced by an online conference entitled A Celebration of Excellence - The best church architecture 2010 - 2019. The event involved a review of all the 2010 - 2019 winners of The King of Prussia Gold Medal for conservation architecture and The Presidents' Award for new church buildings and church re-ordering, alterations or extensions. Two ACA former winning projects made it into the final four shortlisted schemes to be presented by the judges. Warwick Hall Community Centre was presented by Bob Allies OBE, Partner at Allies and Morrison Architects and Mucknell Abbey was presented by Anna Joynt, Vice President of EASA. The evening culminated in an online vote which saw the excellent Stanbrook Abbey, by Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios crowned the winner.
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JULY 2020CLASSROOM BLOCK OPENS FOR SEPTEMBER TERMIt’s been great to see this classroom block completed, through a tight budget, high aspirations and of course a pandemic.
Chenderit school is one of our long standing clients. Since 2003 we have completed several schemes with them that have transformed their site – hopefully for the better! |
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SEPTEMBER 2019KING OF PRUSSIA GOLD MEDAL SHORTLISTING – ST.MARY’S CHURCH, LONG CRENDONWe are very pleased that our church repair and reordering project at S. Mary’s Long Crendon has been shortlisted in the 2019 King of Prussia Gold Medal awards for innovative, high quality church conservation or repair work projects. The awards are run by the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and the National Churches Trust.
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MARCH 2019CHIPPING CAMPDEN SCHOOLWe are delighted that our proposals for a new Performing Arts Building at Chipping Campden School have finally received planning approval. Our proposals formed part of a larger application to develop an area of the school site for Keyworker and Private Housing, which in turn would help fund the new facility. We are currently on site at the school with a new extension to their Sixth Form Facilities and hope to get started on the construction drawings for the Arts Building as soon as possible!
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December 2018RIBA JOURNAL PROFILE OF CAMILLA FINLAYWe are very proud that the RIBA Journal visited Camilla to discuss her work at Exeter and Worcester Cathedrals and subsequently wrote a very thoughtful and kind article on the excellent work being undertaken by the ACA on these hugely important buildings.
RIBA Journal Article link www.ribaj.com/culture >> |
