Member Article

BTP Architects gets vote for landmark historical project

Heaton Mersey-based BTP Architects has been appointed to restore the landmark Pankhurst Centre in Manchester. Subject to successful fundraising, the £2.6m project will see a complete refurbishment of the Nelson Street site which is the former home of suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst.

Following a design competition, BTP Architects was selected by the Pankhurst Trust to restore the site and support its Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

The house at 60-62 Nelson Street in the city is the birthplace of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the site from which it led the campaign for Votes for Women in the early 1900s. Currently, the Grade II/II* listed building is home to a heritage centre but following limited investment since the 1980s is in need of extensive repair and renovation.

With a brief to reinvigorate the centre ahead of 2018 - the centenary of when women fist won the right to vote - BTP Architects developed a design proposal that balances sensitive restoration, with modern functionality and building performance. Features of the design will include a fully working museum telling the story of the Pankhursts, a flexible events space, community facilities and commercial offices for rent.

Commenting on the design proposal, Vicky Saunders, Director at BTP and Lead Architect on the project, said: “The Pankhurst Centre is a challenging scheme, with the proposed site needing to be multi-use but also capture the essence of the Pankhursts’ plight. What’s more, there’s much work to be done to reinstate the site’s historical, original features which have been lost over time.

“When complete, the Pankhurst Centre will meet this unique brief, creating an inspiring and life-changing space for its visitors and users.”

Since its appointment, BTP Architects has worked with the Pankhurst Trust to submit a Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Fund grant application that is needed to subsidise the restoration. The results of the Stage 1 application are expected later this month. Alongside its Heritage Lottery Fund bid, the Pankhurst Trust needs to raise an additional £20,000 over the next 12 months.

Concluding, Gail Heath of the Pankhurst Trust (incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid) added: “BTP worked with us to understand exactly what we wanted and needed for the centre and put forward an inspirational, thoughtful design. They’ve also been extremely supportive with our Heritage Lottery bid, which, if successful, will mean we can celebrate and continue the Pankhursts’ work with a new generation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BTP Architects .