NEW AWARDS
This year the Society expanded the range of awards, to recognise and celebrate local contributions to civic life, by people making this a better place to live and work. These are in four new categories of inaugural awards:
Award for Contribution to ARTS AND CULTURE – made to ‘b-side’, which has been the outstanding local arts company for several years and is expanding its work and inclusivity. The biennial festival has been augmented by a series of exciting events which have been communicated in an engaging and lively style which has brought contemporary arts into the lives of many.
Award for Contribution to the NATURAL ENVIRONMENT – made to Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project in recognition of their work protecting the marine environment from the detrimental impact of litter and other human generated rubbish.
Award for Contribution to HERITAGE – made to Context One Heritage & Archaeology in recognition of their work investigating the archaeology of Weymouth at North Quay and St. Nicholas Street, engaging volunteers and the public during both digs through public engagement events to collect and to disseminate knowledge of the street.
Award for IMPROVING LIFESTYLE – made to Tumbledown Farm in recognition of their ground-breaking approach to supporting people through community-led growing, learning and well-being, now and for the future.
THE TRADITIONAL AWARDS
Fifteen projects were awarded under the Society’s traditional awards scheme for the Best Contributions to the Built Environment. These were as follows:
76 -78 Chiswell, Portland (The Annual Award and Plaque)
The Annual Award this year has been won for a pair of properties on Portland, numbers 76-78 Chiswell. We were very impressed with the way the new house, number 78, fills what was an unattractive gap, successfully linking a tall parapeted house to its right with the lower cottages to the left. It has been so carefully designed and built in the traditional local style, that it fits unobtrusively into the street scene. Altogether this sensitive redevelopment has greatly enhanced the area.
CERTIFICATES OF MERIT
98C Wyke Road (Certificate of Merit for Ecological Measures). This new house, situated to the north of Wyke Road, is unusual in Weymouth, having been designed and built to high ecological standards. This is a self-build house, and we took special note of its imaginative design and eco-friendly construction, with emphasis on energy efficiency, and the impressive use of innovative materials and construction methods – a fine example of a modern domestic property.
New Gates to Grove Farm Estate (Certificate of Merit). This large and magnificent pair of metal gates forms an impressive entrance to the grounds of Grove Farm Estate on Portland. The innovative design, with figures of traditional farm animals across the upper part of the gates, provides a most attractive and unusual element. The grounds of the Estate have been cleared and greatly improved.
COMMENDATIONS
The Grove, Dorchester Road, Broadwey – Five New Houses. This small group of five new houses is on the west side of Dorchester Road opposite Lorton Lane. It has been imaginatively designed to fit in with the semi-rural surroundings. The use of natural stone and slate for the new terrace of cottages is appropriate to the area, and the group appears unobtrusive in its setting.
35 Crescent Street – Restoration and Conversion. The Commendation is awarded for the great improvement to the appearance of this property in the Park District. It has been renovated throughout, with the old and unsuitable shopfront completely removed, successfully restoring the domestic character of this traditional house. In this part of the Conservation Area, where there are a number of dilapidated properties, it provides a welcome enhancement to the street scene.
59 Park Street – Restoration and Conversion. Number 59 Park Street is at the north end of the road, adjacent to bus station property. Great improvements have been made to this traditional bow-windowed house, by its renovation and conversion from a hot food takeaway, back to its former residential use. The building was in a run-down condition, and its appearance had been spoiled by an inappropriate shopfront. Now, the refurbishment work and the removal of the shopfront have restored the original character of the house.
Custom House Quay. A Commendation is awarded in recognition of the major alterations to Custom House Quay carried out by Dorset Council. By opening up the space, with the removal of parked cars and the creation of wider walkways, the project has provided a more attractive ambience for the public to enjoy. It has also created a more open setting for the historic harbourside buildings. The provision of sturdy seating in timber and Portland stone has contributed to the whole improved experience.
Sunnybank House, Wyke Road. This Grade II listed Regency house has been renovated and converted from a care home to apartments, resulting in an improvement to a tired building. The new use has given a fresh lease of life to Sunnybank House, which is an important part of the historic fabric of this area of Weymouth.
Weymouth Heritage Pavement Slabs (Special Commendation). We heartily applaud the project of providing eighteen heritage plaques, set into the pavement in various Weymouth locations. These individually created ceramic paving slabs are attractively illustrated, with concise but detailed information on each of the historic buildings and sites where they are placed.
LETTERS OF APPRECIATION
Holy Trinity Church – North Window. The Letter of Appreciation is for the commendable restoration of the great North Window of this historic Church, as part of a major renovation project of the building. This has been achieved through the meticulous work of skilled craftspeople, including removal and full repairs to the leaded glass window panels and work to the stone tracery.
22 Hope Street. A full and very sympathetic refurbishment has been carried out to this attractive Grade II listed historic house on the south side of the harbour in the area around the Cove. We are pleased that these sensitive improvements will ensure that it continues in good condition for the future, contributing to the special character of this delightful corner of the harbourside.
2 Franchise Street. This is a tall and prominent house on the high ground above the south side of the Harbour. Major improvements have been carried out to the structure and appearance of the house, with the parking area also strengthened and enhanced. A new garage has been built, with care taken to retain the original Portland stone walls and construct new walls in stone to match.
Chesil View, Mandeville Road. The new housing development at the end of Mandeville Road replaces the old industrial buildings which became Normans Supermarket, and later Value House Stores. This redevelopment of a ‘brownfield’ site now provides a pleasant small estate of 37 houses with generous open space laid out around the perimeter. They are built in a range of materials, with those looking out towards the coastline faced in stone. With one-third of the properties providing affordable housing, this can also contribute to the accommodation needs of the local population.
Bumpers Lane Development, Portland. This new estate of 71 homes has been created on former quarry works to the east of Wakeham on Portland. The project involved the restoration of the land, and has provided a new use for what was a redundant and scarred ‘brownfield’ site. The houses are finished in natural Portland stone and render, and are set out in a pleasant layout, with open grassed spaces, and accesses to footpaths in the surrounding landscape.
Wall at St. Ann’s Church, Radipole. The Letter of Appreciation is in recognition of the commendable community project of re-constructing the roadside boundary wall to the graveyard of St Ann’s Church. We congratulate the volunteers on their painstaking work of dismantling and rebuilding the old and deteriorating wall.
