It once lay in tatters, destroyed and ravaged by fire - but now Sudbury’s historic Goldsmiths Mansion has been repaired to such a high standard that it has won a top architectural award.
Goldsmiths Mansion, a Grade II listed building situated on the junction of Market Hill and Friars Street, was devastated by the blaze in September 2015.
The building, which dates back to 1776 and was also known as Mattingly’s, completely collapsed in the early hours of the morning in the Sudbury town centre inferno, which destroyed four or five other buildings surrounding it.
The fire was caused by an electrical fault and resulted in the destruction of the historic building, left 20 people homeless and the charity Oxfam and other businesses bereft of trading premises.
After extensive renovation works courtesy of architects Wincer Kievenaar and Rose Builders construction company, Goldsmiths Mansion has now been awarded the Alan Phillips Architectural Awards for outstanding contributions to the built
environment in Sudbury.
MORE: New restaurant could replace M&Co store in high street
Owners Roger Mattingley and Christina Manning were determined that the re-build should be in keeping with its setting and retain original characteristics. The result achieved, they said, “is more than we could have hoped for”.
Philip Branton, director of Wincer Kievenaar, said: “Goldsmiths Mansion has been a fantastically rewarding project to work on, the attention to detail and careful choice of traditional materials has resulted in a building the whole team can be proud of.”
Steven Rose, managing director of Rose Builders, said: “We are delighted that Goldsmiths Mansion has been recognised with this award.
“The project delivery involved total teamwork from architect to builder, tradesman to supplier and we are very proud that the building will endure as a significant landmark within the Sudbury town centre street scene.”
St Leonards, the former hospital which closed in the same year as the fire, has also been recognised for the high-quality refurbishment by Hartog Hutton, which managed to retain most of the original features of the Victorian building.
MORE: Why is this magical village one of the most photographed on Instagram?
Malcolm Payne, director at Hartog Hutton, said: “We were keen as a company from the outset to keep and restore as much of the old Victorian building as possible, and fortunate we had a solid canvas to work on.
“We put in a lot of work with our design team and it’s an honour to share the award with Goldsmiths Mansion which I think is really outstanding and deserving of recognition.”
Chairman of The Sudbury Society, Ian Liddell, said: “We are very fortunate to have had two such outstanding submissions for the Alan Phillips Architectural Awards this year.
“The judging panel agreed that both projects demonstrated the highest standards of restoration and conservation, deploying traditional skills whilst creating a new modern life for these buildings.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here