St Peter's Receives York Conservation Award

St Peter's is very pleased to share that our conservation efforts were recognised in the York Design Awards this summer, being awarded the John Shannon Conservation Award! One of the first things guests remark upon when visiting our school is the brilliant stonework and fine details on the front of our historic building. Our staff and pupils are proud to reside within its walls, which St Peter’s has worked tirelessly in recent years to preserve.

The restoration of the front of school was no small undertaking. The project included carefully dismantling and rebuilding all 6 towers with the original stone, and hand carving new stones where the old stones were beyond repair.  All stone, including gargoyles and grotesques, were painstakingly cleaned with water before being repaired and protected. The work was completed in three phases over a total of two and a half years, with the finished building being unveiled in April 2024.  

The judges at York Design Awards stated that this award “goes to a project where measures taken for the repair and conservation of historic building fabric have resulted in highlighting the building’s architecture, enlivening its appearance within the conservation area.”. They also commend the client for their “commitment to the highly skilled project team”, in allowing thorough investigation to precede remedial work, and for taking a flexible approach to ensure the long-term health of the building. St Peter’s would like to thank Historic buildings architect Andrew Boyce (of Donald Insall and associates), as well as Matthias Garn and Will Hague (of Matthias Garn and Partner) and their team of talented stonemasons and artisans. 

The work would not have been possible without the coordination of Estates Manager Dave Nice who managed the project on behalf of the school, and Director of Operations Giles Roberts, as well as the rest of the supportive staff, pupils and families at St Peter’s for their patience and understanding during the restoration process. It is a pleasure to have the sparking front of the school reflect the optimistic and vibrant lifestyle which is experienced daily within the school walls, ready to last for years to come.