Buxton Campus Commended
25 October 2006
The Devonshire restoration impressed RICS judges.
To see the Devonshire’s stunning roofline pictured on the wide screen at the Ceremony, in the company of other award-winning buildings, was a tremendous delight.
”Jennifer Fry, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Services)
The University of Derby’s Devonshire Campus in Buxton has received a top Commendation from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at a glittering international awards luncheon in London.
Alongside 13 other projects in the Building Conservation category, the Devonshire gained one of two Commendations. The other went to the restoration of the neo-classical Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford University.
The joint winners in the Building Conservation category were the Old National Bank Building in Dunedin, New Zealand, and Wilbury Park in Wiltshire – the earliest existing example of a Palladian revival house in Great Britain. The RICS Project Of The Year 2006 was awarded to Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower.
Debbie Dance, a RICS Judge for the Building Conservation category, said: “The Devonshire is an iconic building for Buxton. The University should be applauded for having made excellent use of the dramatic space. What’s more, by opening it up to students and staff, the University has offered local people the unique opportunity to connect with their heritage and their past.”
Just six months ago the former Devonshire Royal Hospital, now the Devonshire Campus of the University of Derby Buxton, scooped two regional RICS awards as East Midlands Project Of The Year 2006 and in the Building Conservation category.
Following a five-year, £23m renovation and refit, this unique site once again serves the people of Buxton in the High Peak and the surrounding region as a vibrant further and higher education campus. Last Saturday it celebrated its first Awards Ceremony with two formal processions through Buxton presenting degrees to 60 graduates.
The University of Derby’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Jennifer Fry oversaw the Devonshire’s renovation with the University’s Estates Department. She attended the awards ceremony at The Banqueting House in London on Friday October 20 to receive the Commendation.
Mrs Fry said: “It is a great honour to have been commended by the RICS at their Annual Awards Ceremony. To see the Devonshire’s stunning roofline pictured on the wide screen at the Ceremony, in the company of other award-winning buildings, was a tremendous delight.”
The RICS is the world’s largest organisation for professionals in property, land, construction and related environmental issues worldwide. Its Annual Awards are a celebration of “world-class” built and natural environment projects that demonstrate excellence in the various categories and a commitment to value for money and sustainability.
When the RICS regional awards for the East Midlands were announced in May, the University’s Devonshire Campus was praised by the judges as having “all the elements of a first class conservation scheme alongside significant community benefits and a regeneration factor affecting the whole of Buxton.”
They went on to say: “The results of the restoration project are stunning, which is why it is our Project of the Year 2006.”
The Devonshire was also recognised in the Building Conservation category. “All the major architectural features have been retained and its re-use as the Buxton Campus of the University of Derby is impressively complementary to the original design of the buildings”, the judges said.
“There is enthusiastic support from the local community who have full access to the buildings and facilities,” the citation continues.
“We were impressed by the way in which modern facilities management requirements were incorporated without detriment to the original character and appearance of the building.”
At the Devonshire’s official opening in February this year, HRH Prince Charles said: “The Devonshire is a remarkable building. I was anxious that a really viable and new use could be found for this special place.”
He concluded his two-hour visit to the University of Derby’s new campus by saying: “Projects which aim to bring buildings back to life present a big challenge – but by God, it's worthwhile in the end.”
Work to restore the former Royal Devonshire Hospital was supported by £6 million in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a further £2.6 million from the Learning Skills Council, £1.5 million from HEFCE and £1 million from the Single Regeneration Budget Programme of the East Midlands’ Development Agency (EMDA).
English Heritage contributed £160,000 and was consulted closely to ensure that all restoration work was completed to a high standard with sensitivity to original styles, materials and building methods. With this essential support the University was able to save the Grade II* listed building from the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ register.
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For further media information please contact the University of Derby Buxton’s Press and PR Officer, Simon Butt, on 07748 920023 or 01332 591891, or via email at s.butt@derby.ac.uk.
