Isle of Wight buildings get IW Society and RIBA design awards

While the awards have been presented jointly for the last 13 years, the Isle of Wight Society was also celebrating the 50th anniversary of their Conservation Awards.

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IW Lord Lieutenant, Susie Sheldon, presented the awards and spoke of how much valuable effort had been made by the owners, architects, designers and craftspeople who had carried out the work.

All the entries, whether they were winners or not, contributed to enhancing the character of the Island, the organisers said.

The winners at the awards ceremony (Image: Contributed)

The overall winner of the RIBA IW Design Award was Wacklands Farmhouse, where comprehensive restoration of the farmhouse and a delightful sequence of spaces form a new link between the house and the walled garden.

The major Isle of Wight Society Conservation Award was presented for the work achieved at The Old Tin Hut, Rookley. Here, a derelict tin tabernacle - a Boulton and Paul “flat pack” chapel of 1882 - has been carefully rebuilt incorporating the original designs.

The Old Tin Hut, Rookley (Image: Contributed)

It now provides a two bedroomed house with A rating energy efficiency, and having salvaged and reused as much as possible of the old materials.

The RIBA Design runner up was Headon Reach, Totland, where a range of seven custom-built detached houses has created surprisingly different results.

RIBA presented their Chris Butterworth Small Project Award, and the Isle of Wight Society presented a Certificate of Merit to the same property, Buccaneers, of Fairy Road, Seaview. Both organisations were impressed with the imaginative and immaculately detailed features of the extension.

The Garden Cottage, Hulverstone, received the RIBA Commendation in their Small Project category, where an Island stone cottage has been carefully adapted for wheelchair use.

An Isle of Wight Society certificate, and the RIBA Martin Pearce Innovation Award, were presented to Rowlands Farmhouse. The judges were pleased to see the restoration work and garden room, and the innovation shown by the farm pond being turned into a swim-pond.

Three more Isle of Wight Society Certificates of Merit were also presented.

The Goose bookshop at St Helens received a Certificate for restoring the shop front and improving the internal layout.

At 84-86 Trinity Road, Ventnor, all the Island stonework has been repaired and repointed, conserving the building.

A landmark building, the Old Cowes Police Station, has been restored, extended and given a new lease of life.

The final IW Society award was the Sybil Bodycomb Small Project Award, presented to Sandown Town Council. Volunteers have painstakingly restored what may be the last of the Sandown Pier benches, which was rescued from a skip.