Wythenshawe Hall wins RIBA Awards

We are delighted that our restoration of Wythenshawe Hall has been awarded a RIBA North West Award and a RIBA North West Conservation Award.

Grade II* listed Wythenshawe Hall dates from the 1540s and was originally home to the Tattons, one of Cheshire’s noble families. In 2016, the hall was victim to an arson attack and was extensively damaged in the ensuing fire, with significant loss of fabric in some of the oldest parts of the building.

Delivered for Manchester City Council, throughout the three-year restoration programme, our approach was underpinned by a bespoke conservation philosophy, tailored to the building and its historic significance, while responding to the fingerprint left by the fire.

Wherever possible, surviving historic features were retained and repaired with bespoke remedial solutions used to strengthen at-risk features. Where no structural integration remained, the decision was made to introduce new structures, with a purposeful choice in material ensuring that new can clearly be read against the original.

Each stage of the restoration was informed by extensive research and analysis commissioned and managed by the practice, including plaster surveys, paint analysis, stained glass analysis, mortar analysis, plaster make-up analysis and dry-rot surveys and monitoring.

Commenting on the award win, Director Neal Charlton, said: "This was an incredibly complex project that involved a huge amount of careful research, analysis and management. We are delighted that we have been able to rescue the building and give it a new lease of life, and it is a honour to receive such coveted recognition for our work."