12/12/2025
I’m a sucker for an original marble fireplace and here is one carefully retained at our Old Bank project in Holyhead. This became the starting point for the colour palette in this part of the building. Where original features could be preserved, they were treated with restraint — guiding proportion, tone, and material choices rather than being treated purely as just ‘decor’.
As with many historic buildings, not all original elements could be retained. Some were lost over time, and others beyond repair or required removal as part of the building’s change of use. In response, we’ve reinstated interior architectural details that reference the Victorian context of this building in a contemporary, considered way.
Coving has been reintroduced by reworking the original style, carefully adjusting proportions to suit new room sizes and ceiling heights, with skirting boards and architraves selected to sit comfortably with the age and scale of the building. To the frontage, both sash windows and front doors have been remade like-for-like to preserve the original proportions and character. Sadly, we have to wave goodbye to the original floor tiles. Instead, they’ve informed the development of a new flooring finish — one that continues the story of the building in a different way, which we’ll share more in a little further down the line.
For us, good heritage design isn’t about replication. It’s about continuity: understanding what matters, retaining it where possible, and making informed decisions where it isn’t, so historic buildings can function for modern use without losing their identity.
