Margaret Stancomb
Assisted Living Home
Selwood Housing Group
2020
Trowbridge, Wiltshire
21 units, including 1 & 2 bed flats, and 2 & 3 bed houses
Integrating heritage and new housing to deliver a balanced, high-quality scheme.
The above brief changed with the rent cap in 2015 compelling Alliance
The Challenge
The project required the redevelopment of the former Margaret Stancomb Memorial Infants’ School within a sensitive conservation area, incorporating a non-designated heritage asset alongside new residential provision. The retained building played a defining role in the character of the site and needed to remain a central feature within the overall scheme. The challenge was to balance the preservation and enhancement of this historic structure with the delivery of new homes, whilst responding to the surrounding residential context, existing landscape features and access constraints. Achieving a cohesive and well-integrated development required careful consideration of scale, layout and the relationship between old and new.
MoreOur Solution
We developed a considered and context-led design through ongoing collaboration with the local authority and stakeholders. The retained school building was sensitively restored and converted, forming a focal point around which the wider development is organised. The layout prioritises a clear sense of place, with a pedestrian-focused environment and careful attention to the relationship between buildings, open space and surrounding properties. The scale and form of the new dwellings respond to the existing context, ensuring a balanced and cohesive streetscape. Architectural detailing remained deliberately restrained, allowing the historic building to retain its prominence whilst complementary materials and forms unify the scheme. Existing features have been preserved and integrated, reinforcing the site’s identity and continuity. The development also incorporates ecological enhancements and a mix of housing types and tenures, ensuring the scheme meets a broad range of needs whilst maintaining long-term viability.
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““This project demonstrates how a careful and respectful approach to heritage can unlock development opportunities, delivering a cohesive and sustainable residential scheme that honours its past while supporting future communities.” Richard Fellows”
