We are delighted to announce that the repair of St Andrew's Chapel has won the Conservation and Historic (up to £20 million) category at the Architects’ Journal Retrofit Awards 2026.
The award recognises our seven-year, conservation-led retrofit of the Grade II* listed 15th-century chapel. The project combined the careful repair of historic fabric with traditional building crafts and sensitive environmental upgrades. Alongside rescuing the building, our unique working-practices provided hands-on training for around 100 conservation professionals, architects, surveyors and craftspeople.
The recognition is particularly timely as the construction sector grapples with how to adapt Britain’s historic building stock while maintaining the specialist skills needed to care for it. This month, a new heritage and traditional-build skills plan backed by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) identified workforce development, specialist training and environmental consideration among the priorities facing the sector.
The Architect's Journal announcement highlights many of SPAB's aims and philosophy as crucial to the win. The judges commented that it was a 'real exemplar of different techniques that can be employed to bring a building back to life'.
Matthew Slocombe, SPAB Chief Executive, says, ‘We're delighted that St Andrew's Chapel has been recognised by the Architects' Journal Retrofit Awards. The project shows that the skills used to care for our oldest buildings are not skills of the past. They are essential to their future.
‘By repairing rather than replacing, St Andrew’s demonstrates a practical approach that we hope will have an impact far beyond this chapel. As SPAB approaches its 150th anniversary, the principle William Morris championed in 1877 feels more relevant than ever: take care of what we already have and give it a future.’
We're proud to share the award with everyone who made the project possible, from major contractors to volunteer experts, participants, and our many supporters.
Project architect: Malcolm Fryer Architects
Main contractor: Owlsworth Conservation
Structural engineer: The Morton Partnership
Services engineer: PCS Consulting Services
