New cricket pavilion opened by England Captain Mike Gatting

FORMER England and Middlesex captain Mike Gatting was on hand to cut the ribbon on Chipping Campden’s new pavilion designed by Robothams Architects. The new facilities replace the clubhouse constructed in 1971 and was part of a wider development which included 3 new family homes. Our projects sections has more information.

Above, photo of the completed pavilion building.

Above, CGI of the pavilion building prepared for planning.

St Philips in Dorridge dedicated by the Bishop of Birmingham

Robothams Architects joined with members of the community to celebrate the dedication of the new church for St Philips in Dorridge.  The building was formally opened by The Right Reverend David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham in an event attended by over 400 members of the congregation.

The vicar of Dorridge and Bentley Heath, Rev Canon Duncan Hill-Brown said: “It’s taken years of planning, fund-raising and hard work to reach this opening ceremony.

“I’m thrilled at all that’s been achieved, with a magnificent church and community facility in the heart of Dorridge and Bentley Heath. We welcome local residents to come and see for themselves all that’s going on and join with us in worship and community life.”

More 2,500 people attended a specially arranged open day on Saturday, September 4 to view the new church.

More project details can be found in the projects section of our website.

St Philips Church, Dorridge on site update

St Philips church in Dorridge is progressing well on site with Kier beginning to reveal the scale and design of the worship space created by the Glulam structure. Project lead from Robothams, Jon Moore has taken photos throughout the construction phase including these photos from the 9th April 2021.

Above, photo of the front elevation with the multi purpose community hall in the foreground.

Above, photo of the worship space and curved Glulam structure.

Above, photo of the apex of the Glulam structure under the spire of the church.

For more detail see the project section.

St Philips Church, Dorridge begins on site

Work is now progressing on the new church and community facilities for St Philips and St James in Dorridge. Having worked on the project with Kier and the church for a number of years the whole team are delighted to see construction finally beginning on site.

Jon Moore, leading the project from Robothams said, “this is brilliant news, the start on site has been a real team effort and the new building will make a big difference to the life of the church and the wider community”.

Above, recent image of steel frame being erected.

Above, 3D image of the finished project.

An event was held on site to mark the ground breaking and covered by the Solihull Observer, link here. Delegates included the Bishop of Birmingham, David Urquhart and West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street.

More details on the scheme can be found in our project section.

Latest images from RDA Lowlands

Works are progressing on site at RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) Lowlands Equestrian Centre on their new spectators area for the indoor menage, training accommodation and new offices. Due for completion in 2019, Greswolde Construction are completing the project in phases, the first of which is before Christmas.

Above, outdoor viewing area

Above, indoor viewing area for 150 people

Above, exterior of new training and office building

For images of the completed project see our post from February 2017.

Registration Services moved to Stratford Library

Robothams are working with Warwickshire County Council to relocate Stratford’s Registration team into the town’s library. The project will co-locate the facilities to improve services for the public as well as locating the ceremony room in the building’s historic heart.

3235-Existing-Image

Warwickshire County Council’s press release said;

“Stratford-upon-Avon Library is to start a new chapter in 2017 with the opening of a new ceremony room for weddings.

The historic library building, next door to Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street, will accommodate Stratford’s Registration Office from the end of the year with marriage ceremonies being offered from February 2017.

The move comes as the Registration Office’s lease at Winton House on Church Street expires. Although the county council was able to secure a temporary lease at Winton House for an additional 12 months, a long-term solution needed to be found so that people could continue to use registration services in the centre of town.

The co-location of library and registration services will help the council to deliver better value for money by accommodating both services in one building.

Diane Lampard, Superintendent Registrar for Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are very excited by the move which will offer couples wanting to get married in Stratford a landmark location next door to Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

“The history, prominence and desirability of this location, will improve our registration offer to local and overseas customers.”

The plans include the creation of two self-contained offices for the registration of births and deaths, in addition to a ceremony space called The Henley Room on the ground floor.

The Henley Room, which will have a separate entrance to the Public Library, will be used for marriages for up to 35 guests and special library activities such as author events. The room will also unlock a historic and fascinating part of the building – the former entrance to Stratford’s Technical School – which dates back to the late 1800s.

Tracey Baker, Customer Services Manager for Warwickshire Libraries, explained that the plans have been drawn up to capitalise on existing space and that officers were given “a very strict brief” not to lose library shelving or computer facilities.

She said: “It is vitally important that any move is in the interest of all our customers and we are working hard to minimise disruption to library users.”

From mid-September work will start on the ground floor of the library and from late October a smaller pop up library will be available within the building. The town will be briefly without access to the library for a short period in early December for final works, before the building becomes fully operational in mid-December.”

3235-Stratford Library ViewAbove, concept image of the library space.

Sponsorship for junior rugby at Stratford RFC

Robothams have continued their support for the local community by agreeing to sponsor the Under 11 team at Stratford-upon-Avon Rugby Club.  The practice have contributed to the cost of the kit for the team with co-sponsor financial services company EY, both businesses sponsoring the team until Spring 2017.

Team Picture 2015-10-18 - 03The shirt backs printed with the Robohams logo.

Team Picture 2015-10-18 - 04The team and coaches for the 2015-2016 season.

Planning consent granted for St Philips church, Dorridge proposals

Permission has been granted to build a replacement church for the congregation at St Philips in Dorridge. Solihull MBC granted consent at the end of July after discussions about the future of the church over a number of years. The proposals include community facilities and the retention of many of the historical features of the original building.

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St Philips 02 (2865)Above, images of the proposed church and community facilities.

More details are available in the project section of our website.

Democratic Centre for Coventry City Council

Coventry City Council have appointed Robothams to design the Democratic Centre, a refurbishment of spaces within the grade 2 listed Council House. The scheme is focused on making elected members more accessible to the public by providing committee rooms and meeting spaces adjacent to the council chamber, creating a hub for engagement with the public. The project is due for completion in 2016.

3231-Council House ExteriorExternal image of the Council House building in the city centre.

3231-Interior02Internal image of wood work in the debating chamber.

Robothams are providing multi-disciplinary design services, with team members Cundall, Couch Consulting and Jonathan Richard Associates.

Appointment on EBN2 Free School

Robothams have been commissioned to work with Thomas Vale Construction and the East Birmingham Network on a proposal to provide an Alternative Provision school in the Erdington area of Birmingham. The scheme is currently the subject of a public consultation exercise being held in local schools and community centres to engage with local people, with an aspiration to open the school in 2015.

3165-Aerial View-LowresExisting site image

3165-SW A - LowresConcept image of proposal