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Case Study - Derby College, The Roundhouse
Heritage Grants
Derby College
£4,200,000
Nov 2007 - Sept 2009
Summary
The distinctive Roundhouse has become an iconic landmark building in Derby. It was acquired, with its associated buildings, by Derby College in order to provide a central, easily accessible campus with large buildings suitable for workshops, particularly in engineering.
The Roundhouse complex is of national importance as the most substantial survival of first generation railway workshops in the Midlands. The site, in central Derby, was disused and all the buildings, which are Grade II * except for one, were at risk.
The site has been converted to college use, and a new link building added. The Roundhouse is freely accessible for all, with full interpretation. The site has been landscaped and footpaths and cycle routes link it to the city centre.
The aims of the project
- To acquire a site for outlying college campuses in one easily accessible location
- To acquire large buildings for workshops and flexible state-of-the-art teaching accommodation for mainly vocational students
- To give college education a high profile in Derby and in the region
- To give the Roundhouse complex a sustainable use for the community and to contribute to the regeneration of the town
Benefits for heritage
- A site of national importance has been conserved
- A building of international significance, the Roundhouse, has been preserved with much of its internal machinery in tact, and with reversible internal additions which still allow the scale and detail of the building to be appreciated
- A sustainable use has been found for buildings previously at risk
- The Roundhouse complex is accessible, and is interpreted for the general public
- Oral history recordings were made of ex railway employees
Benefits for people
- Access has been provided to buildings previously closed to the public
- 2,500 students have a centrally located campus.
- Volunteering opportunities are available for staff and students, who receive training
- Building and construction students did projects on brickwork conservation during restoration, and two have become apprentices with brickwork specialists
- Tourism students can become involved in live issues and in the research and production of a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions
- Workshops for children and adults are run by the Midland Railway Study Centre
Lessons learnt
- Doing the preparatory work thoroughly is worth it – Derby needed to act quickly once major funding was agreed, and could do so because all groundwork was in place
Long term benefits
- An eyesore central city site has become a busy heritage asset. The distinctive Roundhouse has become a landmark in the city, and contributes to the city’s identity
- Students and staff (over 2,500), and visitors bring business to shops in the town
- A continual stream of young people will realise, through daily use, that a heritage building can as functional and stylish as a new one
The budget
|
Main Project Costs
|
£
|
Funding
|
£
|
|
Repairs and restorations
|
6,177,679
|
Cash from organisation |
2,916,239 |
| Interpretation |
50,000
|
Other grants / cash |
2,063,066
|
| |
|
HLF grant (46%)
|
4,200,000 |
| |
|
Total costs |
9,179,305 |
The restored interior of the Roundhouse
Sector
Industry, Maritime and Transport
Activity
Conservation