On the 7th of July, we celebrated the official opening of the new 78 Derngate Visitors Centre with our clients, contractors, consultants, the Derngate staff, Friends of 78 Derngate, local councillors, and many important individuals who’ve contributed to the success of this project. Over 50 people watched the cutting of the yellow ribbon by the CEO of the Arts Council England, Darren Henley, on a beautiful sunny Friday morning.
Eleven planning and listed building applications, two building control applications, two tenders processes, and 4 ½ years after its inception, the centre has finally been built. Who would have thought, at the time of that first 3D image, how many struggles along the way we would have come across including COVID.
But drawings and models aside, locality has been one of the key drivers of this project. As much as we’ve tried to source the original materials for this project to retain the visual character, it wasn’t very economic (nor environmentally friendly) to re-open a German quarry for sourcing the stone for the finishing touches. Instead, we’ve approached Haddonstone, who’ve worked with us on the design and manufacture of the now beautifully finished terrace. They even added a small and sympathetic sculpture to the garden on the day of the opening!
As we’ve always said and keep proving, we don’t do ordinary but take on these unusual and challenging projects.
Make sure to visit this ‘hidden gem’ along with the new gardens if you’re in the area, visiting the Mackintosh House or The Dining Room (reviewed by over 150 happy foodies!).
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