Berkeley Homes has carried out some complex and painstaking conversions in its regeneration of the complex of military buildings that makes up the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, south east London. Building 49 was one of the finest but more fragile of the buildings on the site, being the eastern wing of the central courtyard of The Grand Store complex, which was constructed in the early nineteenth century.
The grade two listed two storey warehouse had been built to last, with solid outer brick walls, large timber beams and roof trusses, a slate roof with Portland stone parapets and a stone plinth. But when the Ordnance factory closed in the late 1960s, the building was already in an advanced state of decay. Berkeley mounted a rescue operation, underpinning the foundations, reconstructing the building’s timber frame, renewing floors, windows and roof and repairing the external brickwork.
Working with architect A&Q Partnership, Berkeley has created 35 duplex apartments in the building, supplementing the two storeys of the building with mezzanine floors. The resulting apartments are true originals, boasting a wealth of original features. In the central entrance lobby the jigger from a hydraulic crane remains intact. Original wooden access doors for goods have been replaced with glazed screens. The original brickwork and timber give a warmth and honesty to the interiors. No wonder our judges praised the project as a sympathetic and classy refurbishment.
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