52-53 Whitefriargate, Hull
We have completed the design and supervision of the renovation and restoration of 52 & 53 Whitefriargate and 15 Parliament St in Hull for our client The Shires Estates Investments. The project is supported by a Grant from Historic England and Hull City Council as an extension of the Humber High Street Challenge Fund for which we designed a pop up exhibition in 2018.
Humber High Street Challenge Fund Exhibition
The project follows on from the delivery of the Shopfront Design Guide, prepared for Hull City Council to inform the restoration of Whitefriargate as the premium historic High St in Hull and adopted as the Supplementary Design Guide for the Conservation Area and Heritage Action Zone (HAZ).
Whitefriargate Shopfront Design Guide
The Grade 2 Listed Building dates from the late 18th century and, like many of its neighbours, has gone through many changes and alterations in over 200 years. Originally it was built as a town house and then, in the 19th Century, it was converted into a shop at ground floor level. At upper levels, it was a public library till early 20th Century. In the 1960s, a fire destroyed the second floor overlooking Whitefriargate and has never been replaced. With the decline of comparison retail in historic centres at the end of the C20th, exacerbated by on line sales in the C21st, the unit has fallen into disrepair. The new owner has ensured that the shop units have remained occupied through a difficult year and the restoration will support the tenants with the conversion of upper levels to support future uses for restaurant and cafe uses and the flat roof to be converted into a roof terrace. Following receipt of Listed Building Consent, procurement of the works and apporval of the Grant, building work commenced in January 2022 and completed in May 2022.
