Civic Trust Awards 2024: Manchester Museum and Oxburgh Hall named Regional Finalists

Established in 1959, the annual awards recognise outstanding architecture, planning, and design in the built environment, with emphasis on offering a positive civic contribution.  

The Manchester Museum has garnered nationwide press for its recently completed ‘Hello Future’ project: championing inclusivity and diversity, the project sought to celebrate the city’s diverse population – namely the South Asian diaspora – and their narratives.  

Our new two-story extension houses the pioneering South Asia Gallery, including performance and exhibition spaces, offering a permanent platform for the city’s South Asian narratives and voices. Our brief also required accesibility and circulation movements, which was achieved by introducing a new main entrance to Oxford Road, as well as the installation of Changing Places facilities. 

At Oxburgh Hall, which has been named a finalist in the prestigious AABC Conservation Award Category, Purcell were appointed Lead Designer and Architect/Designer for the ambitious ‘Raise the Roof’ project, launched following the collapse of one of the Grade I-listed country manor’s dormer windows in 2016.  

The ambitious, £6m project has seen Oxburgh Hall’s roof, windows, chimneys, and medieval gatehouse façade rejuvenated and repaired, using traditional materials and craft techniques, all whilst remaining open to the public.