Architects rewarded for renovation project

A firm of architects that led the refurbishment of an 18th Century house in Newark have been recognised with a Newark Civic Trust award.

CBP Architects, which refurbished Brunswick House, at 76 Victoria Street, earned the award following a six-year project.

The award is given jointly by Newark Civic Trust and the town council to a project on a historic building in the town.

Mr Kevin Winter, vice-chairman of Newark Civic Trust, and the Mayor of Newark, Mrs Rita Crowe, presented a plaque to Mr Chris Perkins, of CBP Architects.

The two-storey house dates back to around 1790 and is Grade II listed, which means it is nationally important and has extra protection from alterations.

It was once known as Miss Haversham’s house and has always been used as a residential dwelling.

The house became empty around the start of the decade and fell into disrepair, with cracks in the walls and structural damage at the back.

Vandals stripped copper piping from the walls upstairs and that caused significant water damage.

CBP Architects were enlisted to refurbish the house and bring it up to modern standards without losing the historic look.

Modern heating and lighting was fitted throughout, and the original flooring, ceilings, doors and walls have largely been retained.

Ornate fireplaces throughout the building have been retained and restored.

'Bringing a listed building back into use'

Mr Perkins, of Newark, said one of the biggest issues was the structural damage to the back of the house, which needed underpinning and repairing.

“The owners wanted to bring it up to a good standard,” he said.

“The main challenges were trying to retain as much historic fabric as possible, stabilising the building, installing heating and lighting and making it an attractive residential dwelling, which could be used by a family.

“It is nice to be able to contribute towards bringing a listed building back into use.”

Mr Perkins said the house was now fully refurbished and was ready to move into.

Mr Winter praised the project.

He said: “What stood out for us was the quality of the refurbishment that has been done, taking a building from the 1790s to the state that it is in now.

“It stood out against other projects that have taken place in the last year so it was a fairly easy decision.”

A plaque was due to be mounted on the front of the building on Monday.

Mr Perkins will be giving a talk on the Brunswick House project at Newark Library on January 25 at 7.30pm.