THI Updates for 2016
In addition to completing as many properties
as possible and making a number of grant offers to other
properties, a number of Learning, Education and Training
opportunities have also been offered.
16.02.16 1-4 St Paul's Square wins 'John Gedge Prize for
Conservation'
Aldwyck Housing Group, VE Parrotts Construction and Bedford
Borough Council were jointly awarded the John Gedge prize for
Conservation for works undertaken to save the buildings at 1-4 St
Paul’s Square and bring them back into use as much needed town
centre affordable housing.
22.04.16 1-4 St Paul’s Square LABC regional
prize
The project works at 1-4 St Paul’s Square
again received recognition as the winner of the regional Local
Authority Building Control awards for ‘Best Affordable New Housing
Development’. The project has now been put forward to the shortlist
for a national LABC award.
28.04.16 Bedford's Architectural History: Lost and
Saved
David Fowler, local historian and Town Guide,
delivered a fascinating talk to a packed crowd in the Corn
Exchange’s Howard Room, that explored Bedford’s architectural
history to identify what has now been lost and what has been saved.
The talk covered a number of the THI historic ‘saved’
properties.
22.05.16 THI Project Update for Friends of the
Higgins
The THI team delivered a lunchtime talk and
walk on the projects delivered so far as part of the THI’s High
Street scheme, with particular detail on the works and history of
the buildings at 1-4 St Paul’s Square.
4.06.16 Bedford’s Big High Street Showcase is a
Big success!
The fourth High Street Showcase was held at
the beginning of June and was a huge success for traders,
businesses and was very well attended by the public. The Lady
K stage offered a stunning array of local music and dance acts, the
owls were in attendance and activities such as canoeing, rock
climbing, golf and table tennis offered plenty of chances to try
out something new and find out more about activities in the local
area. And what’s more, this year, it didn’t rain!
THI Updates for 2015
13.10.16 and 21.10.16 Heritage
Introduction talks for Bedford College
The THI team delivered talks to learners on
Bedford College’s Construction trade and technical professional
courses regarding the THI project and the methods, techniques and
approaches to appropriate repair and conservation of historic
buildings, using THI properties as specific case studies.
17.11.15 Archives Treasure Hunt
for local schools
Learners from Hastingsbury and Sharnbrook
schools attended Bedfordshire Archives for an exciting archive
treasure hunt, to find out where the treasure was once located at
1-4 St Paul’s Square. The event enabled the young people to learn
about the stories of the people who lived and worked in the
buildings by investigating original source materials and trying
their hand at reading flowery, archaic script!
17.11.15 Archives Treasure Hunt
for residents of 1-4 St Paul’s Square
The residents of 1-4 St Paul’s Square were
invited to come and have a go at the archive treasure hunt
described above to find out more about the buildings that they now
live in and how their uses and occupants changed over 555 years of
history.
10.09.15 Archives Treasure
Hunt event and THI Outreach
As part of this year’s Heritage Open Day
celebrations, BLARS ran a paper based treasure hunt, focusing on
the histories of the buildings 1-4 St Paul’s Square and the people
who have lived in them. The event traced 555 years of Bedford’s
history and was well attended. The THI also exhibited a series of
before and after images showing the work involved in bringing 1-4
St Paul’s Square back into use as affordable housing.
01.09.15 8th
Edition of the THI Newsletter
The latest edition of the THI project’s
Newsletter is now available to download here.
30.06.15 1-4 St Paul’s
Square building re-use tours
Aldwyck Housing Group hosted a celebration
event and retrofit tours for all those involved in the delivery of
the restoration work at 1-4 St Paul’s Square. The event included a
short talk on the history of the buildings, followed by tours of
the finished properties. The focus was on showing how properties
that had been all but written off could be converted to high
quality affordable homes.
13.06.15 Bedford’s Big
High Street Showcase
Bedford’s Big High Street Showcase blazed into
town again on 13 June, with many local businesses and organisations
taking part and the Lady K stage putting on a fabulous array of
dance and music acts. The weather didn’t exactly cooperate, but it
was a great day out nonetheless, with good levels of footfall for
such a drizzly day.
12.01.15 Technical +
Professional Construction College Learner Work
Experience
4 Bedford College learners were given 10 weeks
of work experience by VE Parrotts Construction, working on site 2
days per week at the THI funded 1-4 St Paul’s Square refurbishment
project and at another new build site.
