The sky’s the limit for Bath’s historic Newark Works after the property regeneration company transforming it into a new creative hub for the city found its 170-year-old roof timbers rotten beyond repair.
Rather than view this as a setback, TCN UK, which has invested more than £9m in the project so far, has been inspired to instal a number of mammoth skylights to complement the soon-to-be office spaces, pictured.
The 40,000 sq ft Stothert & Pitt building – which was once at the heart of Bath’s riverside industry – is being converted by TCN into much-needed creative workspace aimed at the city’s fast-growing media and tech businesses.
It forms part of the ambitious and long-awaited Bath Quays South scheme, which will also include a separate 45,000 sq ft office building.
Construction work on the Newark Works building, which is in front of the newly installed superstructure bridge over the Avon linking Bath Quays to the city centre, started last October after TCN appointed main contractor BAM.
The 19th century brick work has already been jet blasted to give a modern and industrial vibe, while keeping the history of the building alive.
TCN UK chief executive Richard Pearce said few changes have had to be made to the workspace layout to make it Covid-secure.
“We always believed in producing loose-fit, inspiring space, drawing on the history and heritage of our buildings,” he said.
“Our main changes have been around sustainability and pushing as hard as we can on this, something always close to our hearts, but no doubt even further to the fore in these profoundly changing times.”
Work is due to finish at the end of this year and the firm hopes to have the building filled by next spring.
Newark Works formed part of the original Stothert & Pitt buidings, where the internationally renowned dockside and offshore crane engineering business was founded in 1785.
It designed and built its first steam crane in 1851 and its first electric version in 1892-3 and its cranes helped build The Titanic.
A number of cranes produced by the company survive around the world, several of which are listed.
TCN has refurbished 400,000 sq ft of workspace since it was formed in Brixton, London, in 2006.
It specialises in regenerating unloved buildings into vibrant communities through creativity, long term ownership and intensive management.
It has completed three schemes in Bristol as well as projects in London, Birmingham, Norwich, Bridgwater and Reading, where it is now based.
