The City of Rochester Society (CoRS) has presented a Conservation Award to the team behind the restoration of a Grade II* listed Georgian mansion.
The society annually recognises people or organisations that have made the biggest contribution to conservation in Rochester in that year.
The Conservation Awards have been running since 1977, created as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Society.
This year, the decision was made to present two awards.The first was presented to Rochester Bridge Trust on 10 July for their excellent and sensitive restoration of the Bridge Chapel and Chamber on Rochester Esplanade. The second award was presented on 22 August to Sheila Featherstone and the team behind the restoration of the façade of Chatham House, the iconic Georgian former brewery mansion building that sits at the heart of the Chatham Intra area on the eastern end of Rochester High Street.
Much-loved building
Rob Flood, Chairman of CoRS said: “The decision to make two awards this year was an easy one given the high standard of conservation and restoration work we can see in both these projects. Chatham House is a much-loved building in Chatham Intra and we are delighted that Historic England, Medway Council and the Featherstone family have been able to work together to preserve this important site. We hope that the attention received by Chatham House will be a catalyst to other building owners in the area to make similar investments in their properties.”
The award was presented by Rob Flood to Sheila Featherstone and Peter Moorcraft.
Chatham House is standing proud once again
Sheila said: “I’m delighted to receive this award on behalf of Featherstones’ Limited. Restoring Chatham House has been a long-desired project and I’d like to thank Historic England and the HSHAZ funding that enabled us to make it a reality. I’d also like to thank Medway Council, KLM Construction and Anthony Swaine Architecture, as well as Peter Moorcraft, Chris Griffin (Sharky) and our team of local heritage craftsmen. It’s wonderful to see Chatham House standing proud once again in Intra, 118 years after my great grandfather JT Featherstone first came to this High Street.”
Breathing new life and unlocking potential in this unique area
Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Vince Maple, said: "We are delighted that Chatham House has been given a City of Rochester Society Conservation Award. We have been working closely with Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme and Featherstones' to restore this magnificent Grade II* listed mansion. The programme is breathing new life and unlocking potential in the Star Hill to Sun Pier Conservation Area, which covers parts of Chatham and Rochester high streets but has its own unique features. I look forward to seeing the work progress even further."