Southampton landmark museum Tudor House, recently refurbished and made more accessible, has walked away with the top design award for the region from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Entered in the building conservation category for its refurbishment, Tudor House won its category which showcases outstanding work in the conservation of a single building or a group of buildings or structures and covers renovation or conservation to a new or original use.
Tudor House was also named best overall project. This means the museum will go forward to the national finals later this year.
The timber framed house facing St Michael’s Square was built at the end of the 15th Century. The Norman house facing Western Esplanade dates back to the 12th Century.
The Tudor House project, led by the council with major support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and generous local donations, took two phases of work. Phase One received £1.63 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and an additional £590,000 from Southampton City Council. Phase Two received a grant of £3.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £1.8 million from the council and over £50,000 in other donations.
Cllr John Hannides, Cabinet member for resources, leisure and culture, welcomed the award. He said: “Tudor House is a jewel in the centre of Southampton and since reopening in July last year more than 22,000 visitors have visited the museum.
“These awards give a fantastic thumbs-up to the restoration project, and an acknowledgement that we carried out the improvements sensitively, with consideration given to the unique status of the building and the mobility needs of visitors.”
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