North West buildings bestowed with heritage accolade

Four buildings in the North West have today been recognised amongst the 20 best heritage-led development schemes by Government body English Heritage.

Blencowe Hall, in Cumbria, Manchester's Gorton Monastery, The Bluecoat, Liverpool, and Midland Hotel in Lancashire, were awarded the accolade in a new English Heritage book, Constructive Conservation in Practice.

The book examines schemes demonstrating construction conservation and new ways of rescuing heritage within regeneration plans.

The Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool, built in 1717, underwent a major £12.5m conservation programme last year and re-opened as part of the city's European Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations. Dutch architects Biq, executive architects Austin-Smith:Lord, conservation architects Donald Insall Associates, and Liverpool City Council collaborated with English Heritage to solve a sensitive problem of integrating the new parts with the 18th Century building, which included a new wing.