Work to transform an historic grade II listed building in a £6.5m project has received a prestigious award.
Bonsers Restoration, based in Kirklington in Nottinghamshire, scooped the award along with architects Lewis & Hickey for their work on the historic Westfield Folkhouse on Westfield Lane in Mansfield.
The project secured a commendation from the Stone Federation in the New Build Traditional category at the Natural Stone Awards held at Lord’s cricket ground.
Richard Hill, director at Bonsers Restoration, said: “We are delighted to win such a prestigious award. The work we carried out included restoration, conservation and an extension to the building.
“The high quality of the work completed is testament to the skills, expertise and craftsmanship of the team we have working for us.
“We are passionate about the historic buildings we are privileged to work on. Our commitment and dedication is there for all to be seen and we are truly proud to have been part of such a successful project.”
Westfield Folkhouse is an important historic building which for the last 60 years has provided services for young people.
It offers clubs and projects seven days a week including facilities for young people with disabilities and vocational training programmes for teenagers.
Adrian Hollis, director of architecture at Lewis & Hickey, said: “We are delighted to have won this Stone Federation Award alongside Bonsers Restoration. The award means a great deal to Lewis & Hickey because they mark the success of a hugely successful project – not only in terms of its design, but because of the importance the Westfield Folkhouse has for young people in the local community.
“It was a pleasure to work with Bonsers and they did a great job – I think the quality of their craftsmanship was key to the success of this award-winning building. I look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Prior to the scheme, Westfield Folkhouse was in significant need of refurbishment and regeneration to provide better services for young people.
Bonsers was responsible for the external repair and restoration of the historic building and a new 1,000 square metre extension over two floors, replacing a smaller 1960s addition to the original building. The new extension houses activity areas, café bars and offices.
For the repairs, salvaged Mansfield White Stone was used in line with the original building and Stanton Moor Stone was the best available stone for the extension – chosen because its colour was the closest match to the original building.
Funding for the £6.5m project was provided by the Government’s Myplace fund which contributed £5m, with the remaining £1.5m coming from Nottinghamshire County Council.
The Natural Stone Awards celebrates the use of stone in construction and in particular emphasises the importance of architects and stone contractors working together.
The Westfield Folkhouse project has also won other awards including Civic Trust National – Community Recognition, LABC (Local Authority Building Control) Regional – Best Community Development, East Midlands Property Regional – Regeneration Project of the Year, SCALA (Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities) – Civic Building of the Year and LABC National – Best Community Building.
The project has been highly commended in the following RICS Regional – Building Conservation, RICS Regional – Community Benefit, CIAT National – Open Award for Technical Excellence.
