WEYMOUTH CIVIC SOCIETY -

ANNUAL AWARDS 2023 – DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS

 

THE ANNUAL AWARD

76 -78 Chiswell, Portland  (The Annual Award and Plaque)

The Annual Award this year is for a pair of properties on Portland, numbers 76-78 Chiswell.  We were impressed with the way the new house, number 78, fills an unattractive gap, successfully linking a tall parapeted house to its right with the lower cottages to the left.  It has been carefully designed and built in the traditional local style, and fits unobtrusively into the street scene.  Altogether this sensitive redevelopment has greatly enhanced the area.       

 

CERTIFICATES OF MERIT

 

98C Wyke Road   (Certificate of Merit for Ecological Measures).    This new house, situated to the north of Wyke Road, is unusual in Weymouth, having been designed and built to high ecological standards.  This is a self-build house, and we took special note of its imaginative design and eco-friendly construction, with emphasis on energy efficiency, and the impressive use of innovative materials and construction methods -  a fine example of a modern domestic property.

 

New Gates to Grove Farm Estate  (Certificate of Merit).   This large and magnificent pair of metal gates forms an impressive entrance to the grounds of Grove Farm Estate on Portland.  The innovative design, with figures of traditional farm animals across the upper part of the gates, provides a most attractive and unusual element.   The grounds of the Estate have been cleared and greatly improved. 

 

COMMENDATIONS

 

The Grove, Dorchester Road, Broadwey – Five New Houses.     This small group of five new houses is on the west side of Dorchester Road opposite Lorton Lane.  It has been imaginatively designed to fit in with the semi-rural surroundings. The use of natural stone and slate for the new terrace of cottages is appropriate to the area, and the group appears unobtrusive in its setting. 

 

35 Crescent Street – Restoration and Conversion.     The Commendation is made for the great improvement to the appearance of this property in the Park District, which has been restored from a poor condition, and converted to provide two flats and a maisonette.  The removal of the shopfront has successfully restored the domestic character of this traditional house.  In this part of the Conservation Area, where there are a number of dilapidated properties, it provides a welcome enhancement to the street scene.

 

59 Park Street – Restoration and Conversion.   Number 59 Park Street is at the north end of the road, adjacent to bus station property.  Great improvements have been made to this traditional bow-windowed house, by its renovation and conversion from a hot food takeaway, back to its original residential use.  The building was in a run-down condition, and its appearance had been spoiled by an inappropriate shopfront.  Now, the refurbishment work and the removal of the shopfront have restored the original character of the house.

 

Custom House Quay.   This Commendation is awarded in recognition of the major alterations to Custom House Quay carried out by Dorset Council.  By opening up the space, with the removal of parked cars and the creation of wider walkways, this project has provided a more attractive ambience for the public to enjoy.  It has also created a more open setting for the historic

harbourside buildings.  The provision of sturdy seating in timber and Portland stone has

contributed to the whole improved experience.

 

Sunnybank House, Wyke Road.    This Grade II listed Regency house has been renovated and converted from a care home to apartments, resulting in an improvement to a tired building.  The new use has given a fresh lease of life to Sunnybank House, which is an important part of the historic fabric of this area of Weymouth.

 

Weymouth Heritage Pavement Slabs  (Special Commendation).   We heartily applaud this project of providing eighteen heritage plaques, set into the pavement in various Weymouth locations.  These individually created ceramic paving slabs are attractively illustrated, with concise but detailed information on each of the historic buildings and sites where they are placed. 

 

LETTERS OF APPRECIATION

 

Holy Trinity Church – North Window.   This Letter of Appreciation is for the commendable restoration of the great North Window of this historic Church, as part of a major renovation project of the building.  This has been achieved through the meticulous work of skilled craftspeople, including removal and full repairs to the leaded glass window panels and work to the stone tracery.  

 

22 Hope Street.   This attractive Grade II listed historic house is on the south side of the harbour in the area around the Cove.  A full and very sympathetic refurbishment has been carried out.  We are pleased that these sensitive improvements will ensure that it continues in good condition for the future, contributing to the special character of this delightful corner of the harbourside.

 

2 Franchise Street.   This is a tall and prominent house on the high ground above the south side of the Harbour.  Major improvements have been carried out to the structure and appearance of the house, with the parking area also strengthened and enhanced.   A new garage has been built, with care taken to retain the original Portland stone walls and construct new walls in stone to match.

 

Chesil View, Mandeville Road.   This new housing development replaces the old industrial buildings which became Normans Supermarket, and later Value House Stores.  This redevelopment of a ‘brownfield’ site now provides a pleasant small estate of 37 houses with generous open space laid out around the perimeter.  They are built in a range of materials, with those looking out towards the coastline faced in stone.  With one-third of the properties providing affordable housing, this can also contribute to the accommodation needs of the local population.

 

Bumpers Lane Development, Portland.     This new estate of 71 homes has been created on former quarry works to the east of Wakeham on Portland.  The project involved the restoration of the land, and has provided a new use for what was a redundant and scarred ‘brownfield’ site.  The houses are finished in natural Portland stone and render, and are set out in a pleasant layout, with open grassed spaces, and accesses to footpaths in the surrounding landscape.

 

Wall at St. Ann’s Church.  This Letter of Appreciation is in recognition of the commendable community project of re-constructing the roadside boundary wall to the graveyard of St Ann’s Church.  We congratulate the volunteers on their painstaking work of dismantling and rebuilding the old and deteriorating wall.