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If Robert Stephenson, who built the Roundhouse in Derby in 1839, could see the building today, he might be struck by how it manages to be so true to the original, yet so different in purpose.
Once used for the repair of locomotives, this remarkable structure – a 16-sided polygon, 40m in diameter – is today part of Derby College’s vocational training campus, along with its surrounding buildings. The locomotives are long gone, and now the campus is home to 2,500 students learning trades from construction to hairdressing.
The philosophy of this restoration was ‘honest repair’. Inappropriate work has been carefully peeled away, and where buildings had been amended for a new purpose, those changes were made part of the story. New insertions, where required, matched the spirit of the original engineers and were not disguised.
The students were part of the process, undertaking work experience in construction, engineering and restoration. It was a living classroom, and the completed project has been recognised as a national exemplar by English Heritage for its creative re-use of a Grade II listed building.
"An excellent combination of old and new."