Winner of the Venue of the Year at the Event Awards 2012. The spectacular £48 million refurbishment of the world’s oldest railway Roundhouse officially opened for business in September 2009 and has since hosted a wide range of events from weddings and gala balls to national conferences. The BBC Question Time and BBC Antiques Roadshow have both been broadcast from the venue.
- Location:
- Derby
- Services:
- Budget:
- £48m
- Client:
- Derby College
- Sector:
- Conservation
Retrofit & Recladding
The Roundhouse holds up to 2,500 people and has proven a versatile and popular venue for theatre, dinners, cabaret, product launches, conferences and concerts. The maber team developed solutions for access, catering, power, ventilation and acoustics without comprising the important historic setting.
The heart of the new development is the refurbished Grade II Listed Roundhouse itself – built in 1839 and returned to its former glory with original features restored and complemented by a host of unique interpretation artwork designed by maber which brings to life the rich industrial and railway heritage of the site.
The adjacent spaces include the Carriage Shop, often used to host receptions and the Carriage Shop Theatre conference and performance space which seats up to 300 but works equally well for smaller seminars.
Our support and enthusiasm for the reuse of the Roundhouse complex is recognised by its inclusion in our publication Constructive Conservation in Practice, which celebrates exemplary conservation-led projects. The standards of craftsmanship exhibited in the restored fabric of the Grade II* Listed structure are high and it is tremendous to see this structure, which came perilously close to being lost, flourish again.
Simon Thurley
Chief Executive English Heritage
