7th February 2018 | News
John Perkins Construction’s restoration of the Old Bridewell Police HQ Building for YMCA Bristol has been honoured with a nomination for Heritage Project of the Year at the 2018 National Federation of Builders (NFB) Awards.
The Grade-II-listed former police CID building dates back to 1928 and is situated on Bristol’s Bridewell Street. John Perkins Construction’s year-long, £1.8m restoration and refurbishment of the building was completed in December 2017. The newly revitalised building will soon open as a YMCA hostel with accommodation for backpackers and dedicated beds for homeless/vulnerable residents.
The project represented a unique heritage challenge. It wasn’t just the historical features of the building, including an original 1920s lift car and cage, which needed to be preserved. The scheme also set out to celebrate (rather than conceal) the building’s colourful history, preserving elements such as graffiti from its period as a base for the Invisible Circus theatre troupe, and the gun room door from its police HQ days.
Being shortlisted for the NFB Heritage Project of the Year is another feather in the cap for John Perkins Construction, a company that prides itself on sensitive restoration of historical, listed, and otherwise extraordinary buildings. Other recent examples of heritage project triumphs include the award-winning restoration of Bristol Harbourside’s Underfall Yard and the on-going heating and lighting refurbishment at Clifton Cathedral.
Rob Yeandle, Managing Director of John Perkins Construction, comments: “We’re delighted that such a special project has been nominated for NFB Heritage Project of the Year. For us, the YMCA restoration was an unmissable opportunity to bring one of Bristol’s iconic buildings back to life. Balancing both heritage considerations and building regulations demands on this project was extremely challenging, but that makes the fantastic end result even more rewarding.”
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