Frank Marshall Award shared between Bat & Ball Station and Sevenoaks School

The restoration of Bat & Ball Station in Sevenoaks has been given plenty of praise since the former booking office was reopened to the public as a community space along with a new Café, and it has now received another accolade in the shape of the Frank Marshall Award from The Sevenoaks Society which made the announcement during the organisation’s recent AGM.

Sevenoaks Town Council Clerk Linda Larter (centre) and Mayor Nicholas Busvine (right) receive the Frank Marshall Award from members of The Sevenoaks Society at their recent Annual General Meeting

There were five nominations for this year’s award, but the judges had such a hard time choosing between them they eventually decided it should be shared between Bat & Ball Station and Sevenoaks School’s new science and technology centre.

The aim of the Award is to recognise and celebrate excellence in design quality and construction quality and buildings and projects which make a positive contribution to Sevenoaks.

It is for buildings and projects within the Sevenoaks Town Council area which have to have been completed in the previous two years. As well as new buildings the Award scheme covers other built environment projects such as refurbishments, heritage conservation, improvements to streetscape, parks, etc.

The judging panel also gave a commendation to 4A Vine Court Road, Sevenoaks to acknowledge a project where they felt a special care and effort had been taken to produce a scheme of quality which enhanced the area.

Here are details of the five nominations for the Frank Marshall Award:

Bat and Ball station Sevenoaks – restoration

Bat and Ball Station is a Grade II listed building built in 1862. It is one of the few listed Victorian buildings in Northern Sevenoaks. The building served as the main station building for around 130 years until its closure in 1991. The building remained vacant for 25 years and had fallen into a state of disrepair. There were concerns that it could continue to deteriorate and become beyond repair if no action was taken, and the heritage asset would be lost.

PHOTOS: Theis + Khan Architects

This project by Theis + Khan Architects for the Sevenoaks Town Council, aimed to restore this building bringing it back into productive use as a community hub to serve the local resident population and providing new facilities for commuters and others using the station including community rooms, a café and toilets. It has won the Architects Journal Retrofit Award for Hotel, Retail, Leisure under £5 million.

Sevenoaks School – new science and technology centre

The Science and Technology Centre and Global Study Centre form two blocks framing a new courtyard. The Science and Technology Centre provides 30 glass‐fronted laboratories and workshops arranged around a toplit atrium, with all activities visible from within this atrium. The building also contains social, study and educational space for the school’s sixth form, plus an extensive multi‐purpose space. The spaces within the building are also central to the school’s outreach programme.

The project was designed by Tim Ronalds Architects for Sevenoaks School. It has won an RIBA South East Award 2019, RIBA South East Client of the Year Award 2019 and RIBA National Award 2019

4A Vine Court Road, Sevenoaks – replacement house in established conservation area

The house which this building replaced was out of keeping with the street and contributed little to the conservation area.

The site area was severely constrained in allowing space for a building of similar form and scale to its neighbours.

The project was designed by Andrew Boakes Associates for a private client.

1 The Vine, Sevenoaks – replacement of single house with block of six flats on key site

Replacement of a single dwelling house, which again contributed little to the conservation area, this time The Vine Conservation Area, with a block of six apartments on an important prominent site opposite The Vine. The project was designed by Open Architecture for a private client.

Epicurus House, Akehurst Lane, Sevenoaks – refurbishment of office block and conversion to six apartments

This project by Ronald Fender Designs for a private client involved external works to existing 1986 office block in Sevenoaks Conservation Area to convert the building to six apartments. These included the removal of the existing pitched roof and replacement with new mansard roof, formation of stepped terraces, enhanced elevational treatment to improve internal daylighting and improve appearance; and single storey extensions to ground floor.

www.sevenoakssociety.co.uk