Pembroke renovation project ‘Highly Commended’ at Oxford Preservation Trust Awards

We are delighted to share that last night we received a ‘Highly Commended’ award at the 2025 Oxford Preservation Trust Awards for our recent retrofit and refurbishment of Staircases 13-15 in North Quad. At a beautiful ceremony held at St John’s College, attended by our new Estates Director Russell Torrance, we received recognition in the ‘Adaptive Re-use’ category. 

The OPT Awards are an annual celebration of the best in conservation and new design in Oxford, recognising projects which enrich the city’s character, streets, green spaces and communities. We were honoured to be shortlisted for an award last month alongside so many innovative and creative projects. 

Our Pembroke Street houses, Staircases 13-15 in North Quad, seen daily by residents and visitors of Oxford as they pass by, recently underwent an extensive renovation and major retrofit, completed last year. The four grade II listed cottages have been called home by generations of Pembrokians, and we wanted to ensure that they remain in good condition for many more generations to come. 

As part of our renovation plans, extensive fabric improvements were made to the buildings’ facades facing Pembroke Street. Heritage features which were lost during a refurbishment in the 1960s, including fireplaces, have now been restored, enhancing the original character and charm of the buildings. Whilst we wanted to remain sensitive to the buildings’ heritage, it was also important to us to think of the future. We were pleased to be able to install a low carbon enabled heating system in readiness for future renewable energy initiatives. 

This project would not have been possible without the wonderful team at Ridge and Partners, who have worked with us over many years and who have done an excellent job. This was a real collaborative effort between the College, the design team, and our principal contractor, Benfield and Loxley. We are incredibly thankful for the support, patience and commitment of everyone involved, including our Estates and Operations teams. 

You can read more about the project here.