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Conservation
architecture planning urban design conservation
Introduction
Nash Partnership is a practice of Architects and
Planners working across the South region. Some of
our work is new build on Greenfield sites, however
we have most often associated with buildings of
significance and sites in the historic environment. We
have particular skills in reconciling the requirements of
clients with local and regional development agendas,
using the historic environment as a resource drawing
people and business to an area.
Work Experience
Our work has covered a very broad spectrum, from We have worked for a wide range of clients, many with
detailed conservation repairs for modest cottages through extensive historic building estates from museums such as
to long term project management plans for commercial, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and The American
educational and charitable organisations with listed Museum in Britain, to schools and developers.
building stock.
We are experienced Masterplanners and have produced
Listed building legislation often presents barriers to 10 year Conservation Management Plans with the view
owners and developers. The concepts of conservation to staging major projects which may be dictated by
do not preclude change. Conservation organisations funding and revenue availability and developing long term
accept that there are requirements to fit modern facilities masterplans for maintenance and project management to
into the historic environment allow evolution and to avoid bring increased returns from redundant and underutilised
redundancy which usually leads ultimately to loss. Nash assets.
Partnership is used to developing and implementing
management and design strategies that allow for Nash Partnership is experienced as an ‘enabler‘ finding
adaptation, re-use or re-development. creative approaches to resolve the many diverse
requirements found in the historic environment before re-
We are experienced in advising and overseeing the repair use or development is permitted. We are able to reconcile
and maintenance, refurbishment and alteration of a great heritage and community concerns with development and
variety of buildings, structures and landscapes, ranging securing uses for redundant historically sensitive sites.
from domestic, business and ecclesiastical buildings to
scheduled ancient monuments through to re-using and Our new buildings are usually on historically and socially
redeveloping redundant mill buildings. sensitive sites, such as the American Museum. We pride
ourselves in integrating our new work with the existing
environment through our knowledge or traditional
materials and our skills in detailing.
Services and Expertise
The staff at Nash Partnership have over 100 years combined Additional Services
experience in historic building work from assorted • We have acted as expert witnesses at appeals and
backgrounds; including former Conservation Officers, hearings relating to a range of historic sites throughout
English Heritage advisors and Historic Researchers as the country.
well as trained conservation staff. The services we offer
include: • We can assist in applying for certificates of immunity
for listing.
Planning Services
• Historic town/village character assessments • We advise on the procedure for getting buildings listed
• Conservation Area guidance and de-listed.
• Development, Appraisal and Feasibility Reports
• Justification Statements & Impact Assessments • We are confident masterplanners with experience in
• Planning Consultations and Negotiations developing long-term Management Plans.
Building Services • We offer expertise in planning, urban design,
• Condition Surveys architecture and construction on both small and
• Historic Building Surveys and Recording large-scale projects.
• Archive Research and Historic Architectural Analysis
• Conservation Management Plans
• Technical advice, guidance and maintenance
programmes
• Advice on fire protection and compliance with the DDA
• Sustainability and conservation reports
Planning Policy
The key National Policies with respect to the Historic A key issue facing owners of historic sites and buildings
Environment are: is how to reconcile their requirements with those of the
planning authorities. This places increasing demands
PPG 15 (Planning and the Historic Environment) for high standards of information, research, appropriate
design and justification.
Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas)
Act 1990
Our experience with World Heritage sites, Conservation
PPG 16 (Archaeology and Planning)
Areas and archaeological sites means that we are used to
undertaking the high standards of information, research,
The relative status of guidance affecting both heritage
evaluation and appropriate design now required to justify
(PPG15) and Sustainability (PPS1) have changed since
works in the historic environment and submitting the
the publication of ‘PPS1 Climate Change Supplement’ in
findings as part of Listed Building, Conservation Area
December 2007.
Consent and Planning Applications.
The conservation and protection of the historic built
The concepts of conservation required to sustain place
environment an increasing priority of Local Planning
embrace the need to preserve and enhance, but do not
Authorities with Local Plan Policies with respect to the
preclude change. Conservation organisations accept that
historic environment reflecting conservation Best Practice.
there are requirements to fit modern facilities, to buildings
We judge every proposal against the criteria set out
to evolve to avoid redundancy.
‘Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance for the
Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment’
(English Heritage 2008) which reflects the key international
policies.
Sustainability
The agendas for conservation and sustainability have
many common principles. The built environment created
and inhabited by human society has itself evolved – and
that evolution has much to teach us. It is often made up of
buildings constructed from local materials, surviving long
term in conditions in which modern buildings struggle.
The tradition that produced these buildings and their
settlement patterns were generally the product of more
holistic, sustainable economic models of life that kept
their global impacts in balance, what we call ‘Vernacular
Economics’.
Habitats in Britain are usually the result of land
management practices and can often be reinstated by
correct maintenance and/or management regimes that
can recover previously lost heritage value.
Weight is increasingly being given to sustainable forms of
development, including the upgrading of existing building
fabric. This can pose a significant challenge not only to
the historic environment but also in terms of cost. Our Projects
sustainability approach is founded on practicality and we
are experienced in integrating renewable technologies Our portfolio of projects includes a diverse range of historic environment work The following examples show the range of projects
within historic buildings. Nash Partnership has undertaken and the skills that have been employed to achieve them so successfully.
Ironbridge Gorge By keeping the design and built forms extremely simple
we were able to afford good quality materials and details
World Heritage Site such as cast iron kerbs and bespoke, public realm design.
The completed scheme has been widely praised and funds
We have been engaged since 1997 on regeneration work from its sale have helped the Trust to create a new setting
within the World Heritage Site acting for the Ironbridge for this Museum to extend their historical interpretation of
Gorge Museum Trust. The Trust manages the nine the area and provide a range of community facilities.
Museums of the Gorge and its wealth of heritage industrial
land and buildings. We were appointed to design a £13 Million Regional
Tourism Gateway visitors centre and Victorian Street at
The Local Planning Authority and IGMT were keen to Blists Hill, the largest of the 9 industrial heritage museums
use the opportunity the derelict riverside Reynolds Wharf managed by the Trust. The visitors’ centre will inform
site represented to raise the viability of Coalport as a visitors about all West Midlands tourism attractions but,
settlement, remove dereliction, improve the setting of in particular, act as an introduction to the heritage of the
the Museum, and create funds for ongoing conservation Gorge. Blists Hill was first established some 45 years ago
management work. as a working museum featuring actors living out the daily
life of the inhabitants of a Victorian town constructed from
The proposals had attracted very considerable hostility in salvaged Victorian buildings and set among some of the
the community, so we began by undertaking a full survey industrial monuments of the Gorge.
of the existing housing stock, reviewing this against
demographic trends. This showed how, by focusing new The project also included the design and installation of
housing on the needs of young and old, a much more a new steam railway, a funicular railway, an underground
balanced community could result. The scheme was mine museum, a whole new street of Victorian buildings, a
granted planning permission in 1990 and was completed new visitors centre, new car parking and access facilities
by a local developer, Shropshire Homes, with the practice and all associated external works. The project is funded
retained as quality control managers under the Contract by both regional and European Government and is due for
of Purchase. completion in 2009.
American Museum in Britain
Claverton, Bath | Listed Grade I
The American Museum in Britain occupies Claverton Manor, We have recently completed the construction of a new
a Grade I listed Palladian house by Geoffrey Wyattville. Its Orangery restaurant. Extending a Grade I building in a
128 acre estates of formal parkland and woodland are also sensitive setting had many challenges. The extension
on English Heritage’s register of historic parks and gardens was constructed using an oak frame and coursed rubble
in the South Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty stone, designed to compliment the existing building and
and Green Belt. We have advised the Trustees since 1996 limit intervention, whilst allowing the existing restaurant to
in devising a 10 year Masterplan we identified a number remain in operation throughout.
of key projects to address the changing requirements of
the museum’s business, providing new gallery spaces and We are particularly proud that the Heritage Lottery Fund,
parking, meeting changing legislative requirements as well who funded these projects, considered these schemes to
as providing planning expertise for the charity. represent such exemplar work to a historic building that
they held their annual conference at the Museum after the
In 2005 Nash Partnership started a programme of phased first contact.
refurbishment to update the basement exhibition facilities,
modernising existing services, addressing serious damp/ We have recently completed a design for re-using the
decay issues and bring access in line with the requirements existing coach house and semi-circular stables as The
of the Disability Discrimination Act. National Centre for American Studies. This can be done
only by extending a structure of unusual simplicity of form
We worked with the scheme’s exhibition designers to fit but we have been able to make a strong case for what
out many tight spaces well and create strong legibility in a the centre will do for the social and cultural value of this
part of the Manor previously found confusing by visitors. Museum and its economic health.
Nash Partnership offered full architectural services for this
project .
Kingston Mills, Bradford on Avon
Townscape Regeneration
A large prominent site within a historic market town in Working closely with community groups and using a
Wiltshire, covered by Conservation Area status, alongside creative, constantly reviewed design approach based on
the town bridge ceased its longstanding industrial activity physical models, we evolved a scheme of high density
in 1992. It had once been a major factor in the economy development acceptable within the heart of such a historic
and character of the town and with its demise community town. We introduced commercial expertise to bring to
expectations were expectant that its redevelopment fruition a land use model that could try to satisfy some of
should bring a diversity of new uses to contribute to the the high community aspirations for the site and allow for
vitality of the town centre. increasing commercial confidence.
Kingston Mills occupies some five and a half acres in Through a very careful process of risk development
the very centre of the historic town of Bradford-on-Avon management we have now developed a high-density
running upstream of the historic bridge. As a contaminated scheme which delivers affordable housing and a high
flood plain site with many historic buildings in need of proportion of non-residential floor space.
urgent repair, within the setting of further listed buildings,
poor access and boundary constraints, creating viable A key role for us was in optimising social, cultural and
redevelopment was difficult to achieve. These developers financial value whilst controlling risk, as it is only by doing
and their design teams had all failed to secure planning this that high aspirations can be satisfied. Here, we used
permission for new use scenarios. a very large 1:200 scale model of the site and environs as
our key design and public consultation tool, an important
process taking into consideration the 75 community
organizations who were involved in the town.
Whiteladies Medical Centre, Bristol
Conversion of Grade II* listed building
This late 19th century, grade II* listed former theological to avoid spoiling the interiors. Much ingenuity had to be
college, ideally located in a prominent position and set in exercised to incorporate services in stone lined and oak
generous grounds was developed for re-use as a doctors panelled rooms.
surgery
The Whiteladies Family Practice already ran an effective
Our challenge was in progressing permission for conversion and popular Patients Social Club before the move but
when English Heritage was in the process of changing the they have found relocation to such a prominent Bristol
listed status of the building from Grade II* to Grade I. From landmark has added extra identity to their role in the
the outset we treated the building as grade I listed and Community. The historic building has a large forecourt
ensured many of the building’s features remained intact. garden whose management has itself become a real
The kitchens and service rooms were selected to provide focus for the Patients Club as well as a benefit to the wider
consulting rooms. The more ornate assembly hall, library Cotham Community.
and teaching rooms lent themselves well to waiting rooms
and clinics.
Time was of the greatest importance as the doctors had
exchanged contracts before consents were all in place.
We devised a design and planning strategy to obtain
key approvals by stages, enabling works of restoration,
extension and alteration to get under way. The resulting
economical scheme represented real value for money
for the Family Practitioners Association. Technically the
scheme required a carefully considered fire engineering
Pantglas Hall, Llanfynydd Cheltenham College
Repairs and Conservation Management plan Masterplan
Near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire the tall Italianate tower We were appointed in 2005/06 to prepare a ten year
of Pantglas is almost all that remains from the substantial Development Masterplan for the campus of fine historic
house built here in the 1850’s by wealthy banker, David buildings that comprise Cheltenham College, many of
Jones. Although the great house was demolished in the which are experiencing a degree of under-utilisation which
1970’s following a serious fire, several elements of the is affecting the School’s ability to budget for its future
historic estate do remain; the lakes, arboretum, ornamental development and facilities needs.
bridge and stable building.
Our task was to show the College how they can set up
Our recent work here has included specifying the repair a series of controls and analytical tools to help them
works to the tower and its management as a listed ruin. manage their facilities better, introduce commercial use
At the same time we have been working with the owners where feasible, plan regular maintenance, and prepare
of the holiday village on the estate to explore a long-term their substantial building stock for the consequences of
conservation management plan that can provide for the climate change.
restoration and upkeep of all the surviving elements of the
estate on a self-financing and self-managing basis. We showed them how their facilities can be achieved with
the minimum of new building, and how existing structures
can be put to new uses to raise their profile in the daily
life of the college. We then secured support for English
Heritage and the Local Planning Authority for the major
works of alternation and new building the programme will
incur, to a value of £30m.
Leybourne Grange Westley Richards
Historic Evaluation and Master planning Repair and Conversion
We were instructed by various Health Authorities to The relocation of the famous sporting gun manufacturers,
undertake historical evaluations and listing status reviews Westley Richards, to a new site within the Birmingham
for a number of redundant hospitals, principally in the gun quarter; resulted from the compulsory purchase of
south-east of England. The most significant of these has their existing historic building for a new road scheme.
been our work on a large 1930’s mental hospital built
within the grounds and parkland of Leybourne Grange, By combining a new build factory with restored and
an 1850’s Italianate mansion with stables and parkland converted 19th century brick warehouses, we have
extending to some 80 acres. created a working and visitor environment appropriate for
a firm whose work depends wholly on highly skilled and
Our project began with the historical and fabric evaluation visually refined craft-workmanship for a global market.
of the grounds and site and the preparation of guidelines
to instruct the evolution of the site’s redevelopment after
the demolition of much of the 1930’s development as the
centre of a new, predominantly residential community.
This led to the preparation of master plan principles,
the securing of listed building and planning consents
for the reuse of the historic buildings and the successful
determination of these planning applications by the
Secretary of State under a called in Appeal.
St Martins Hospital, Bath Ralph Allen Yard
Repair and Conversion Grade II Heritage Interpretation Centre
The World Heritage City of Bath has a deep seated history of
The disposal and re-use of St Martin’s hospital in Bath is
stone mining and production. There is evidence of quarrying
typical of the conservation planning work that we undertake
on Combe Down specifically since the Roman era when it is
as a practice. The hospital began life as a workhouse in the
thought that this was the Imperial Estate centre of the Roman
1840’s and became a hospital in 1948. The Health Service
occupation.
wished to retain a hospital presence on the site but only
require 30% of it – in order to sell the remainder competitively
Although Ralph Allen Yard is not listed, a number of Grade II
we were required to secure detailed planning permission
listed buildings surround the site and it also falls within Bath’s
and listed building consents for conversion to residential
city-wide Conservation Area and World Heritage site. The site
use, working with planning consultants G.L.Hearn.
has been recently occupied as a centre for works to stabilise
the mines beneath under a £155m programme funded by
At the centre of a modern hospital complex, the Kempthorne
HCA (formerly English Partnerships), who have instructed
Workhouse is a Grade II listed neoclassical structure housing
Nash in this commission.
medical and administrative operations. The practice was
employed to provide proposals for the disposal of the whole
The adopted scheme will sink a 5 storey structure into the
site including the workhouse buildings and obtained planning
quarry to connect visitors directly with the earliest mine
permission for a mixed development including residential.
workings passing from the entrance through an exhibition
of the extensive archeology of Bath’s stone mines. Above
Proposals therefore required extensive planning to create
ground the new structure will be a Community Centre and
commercially viable space to modern construction
family history resource.
standards whilst sympathetically dealing with the historic
environment.
In line with current sustainability targets the new build element
will seek to achieve high levels of the code for sustainable
The project, in which we provided full services, completed
homes and the interpretation centre BREEAM - excellent.
in 2009.
Sutcliffe House Longfords Mill
Grade II Grade II
Sutcliffe House was first built in the early 18th century as Longfords Mill was closed for woollen manufacturing
a workhouse with a range of narrow three storey buildings in 1990. Nestling in a wooded valley adjoining a large
packed tightly around a confined courtyard. For the lake, it comprises some 19 acres of land and 38 listed
second half of the 20th century the building was used as buildings, former mills and stone dwellings, criss crossed
a furnishing store with its courtyard totally in-filled. When by watercourses, ponds and marshes.
originally in-use, the setting of Sutcliffe House was quite
different from today as buildings that once hid it from Despite its obvious attractions, finding new uses to fund
public view have since been demolished and their land the repair of the buildings had been thwarted by several
given over to unattractive surface car parking. technical problems including poor access, risks of flooding,
its proximity to a historic dam and wildlife issues.
Now a listed building, the scheme creates 14 new
residential apartments, 12 within the listed building Over a period of eight years we project managed the
and two others within a new building one of which also research into all these areas with a team of ten specialist
houses new showroom facilities for the family furnishing consultants, working towards reducing the cost of dealing
business that has been based here for the last 50 years. with such issues to known and manageable proportions.
In total the project has provided 15,000ft2 of residential Working closely with English Heritage a scheme of re-use
and 4,000ft 2 of showroom and office space. This will be with some enabling development has been promoted.
the first substantial reinvestment in the run-down London This includes work space in the largest buildings.
Road area of Bath and hopefully lead the way for further
regeneration. Construction of several phases of the scheme is now
complete and Longfords Mill is proving to be an extremely
In February 2007 the conversion of Sutcliffe House was popular place to live.
awarded a Highly Commended certificate by Bath and
North East Somerset Council Building Control in the
category of works to a Listed Building
10 Beauford Square Herschel Place
Grade II listed
New Build in a Georgian Context
Number 10, Beauford Square is owned by St John’s Hospital,
Bathwick Street in Bath forms part of the city’s eastern
a charitable organization for housing the elderly. It is a rare
inner main thoroughfares and contains several large scale
un-modernised example of a lower class town house/shop
terraces. The closure of a filling station site created the
and is the last property within Beauford Square to require
opportunity to extend an unfinished terrace with a new
refurbishment. The building was last in residential use until
building of Bath stone comprising 14 apartments.
it became un-lettable. Planning inspectors commented that
it was worthy of a higher grade of listing.
Here our first task was to justify residential use over
employment andretail floor space; then, using models
Whilst empty it became derelict and structurally unsafe. The
and drawings, we showed how the extension of the
refurbishment, limits alterations to the minimum necessary
terrace would be good for the street. With the principle of
to secure the structural integrity and restore the building to
redevelopment secured, obtaining additional, residential
its original use, necessary to secure its long term future. The
floor space over garaging in a rear courtyard added to the
floors and staircase to the rear are supported by a unique
value of the site.
‘plank and muntin’ wall that had completely decayed and
started to collapse. Conserving this in place, whilst carrying
The client recognised at an early stage that the success
out the repairs required to the adjacent stonework has been
of the scheme would hinge on the accurate delivery and
a considerable challenge. Traditional repair techniques
execution of Georgian detail and so threw emphasis on
have had to be married with temporary steel structures.
the careful selection of local materials craftsman.
This will re-create the retail unit, adding to the vitality of
the area, with a new entry-level unit of accommodation in
The project was highly commended by the Georgian Group
a sustainable urban location. Obtaining retail use for the
for an award in the category of new building in a Georgian
original shop unit was vital to securing the building’s future,
context and received a building quality award from BANES
making the restoration financially viable.
Building Control in the category of new homes.
Nash Partnership
23a Sydney Buildings
Bath, BA2 6BZ
www.nashpartnership.com
mail@nashpartnership.com
T (01225) 442424
F (01225) 442484
architecture planning urban design conservation
