Celebrating Regeneration Through Heritage and Culture in Wakefield
It was a privilege to join a fantastic line-up of speakers at the Civic Voice Spring Convention, hosted this year at CAPA College in Wakefield. The theme of the day, “Regeneration through Heritage and Culture,” resonates deeply with the work we have been passionately committed to across Yorkshire for nearly 40 years.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to share our approach—a belief that to create progressive and meaningful places, we must first have a deep understanding of their history. This philosophy, which looks to create environments that stand the test of time for communities to enjoy, has been shaped by longstanding and trusted partnerships with civic societies, whose insight we value enormously.
This approach is woven into the fabric of our work, from the revival of landmark buildings like the First White Cloth Hall and Leeds Corn Exchange in Leeds, to the meticulous restoration of St Leonard’s Place in York and the reimagining of the original Dewhurst’s Cotton Mill in Skipton .
The conversation felt particularly timely, with our work now underway to create a new community of sensitively designed homes within Wakefield’s cultural civic quarter at Wood Street. Alongside the exciting redevelopment of Bretton Hall for The Groucho Club at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the convention was a thrilling and informative day. It reinforced our conviction that heritage, art, and culture are the essential foundations for creating wonderful, life-enhancing places for us all.
Photography by KRA:FT Media Services and used with permission of Wakefield Civic Society.
