St Ann Square, Salisbury

Four houses have been added to the garden south of the Grade II* listed 82 St Ann Street, an area previously used for car parking for a doctors’ surgery. There were potential noise issues from proximity to the ring road, but no overall reason why a well conceived and executed development should not work. The judges were delighted to find that such a development had indeed been carried out, to a standard which is not often encountered in south Wiltshire. For once, an aspiration to pick up on themes typical of historic architecture in the city conservation area had actually been carried through. Prominent gables conveyed the message, with no attempt to incorporate ‘period’ window styles, and the use of simple contemporary glazing working very well. The execution mostly in red brick was always going to depend to a large degree on which one was chosen, and the hand-made brick used was a key feature of the development, with the incorporation of swift boxes an added bonus. The addition of textured and coloured areas of brickwork had been promising when the plans first went in, and their being seen through with conviction was a major reason for the award. Skilled bricklaying had clearly been needed to achieve the full effect. High insulation values and triple glazing responded to the noise issue, and along with air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels contributed to energy efficiency in excess of that currently required. The houses were seen as a very successful response to the question of how to achieve a small-scale development in a historic context, with features, not least the design of the brickwork, which other developers could usefully take as a guide to how to fit new housing into the old city.

Designers:      Purcell Architecture (original concept)

Rita Pope (revisions and technical details)

Photo: Jamie Armstrong