Queen’s Hall Renovation – Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire

Burley Parish Council

Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire

Won via a design competition, Bowman Riley designed, project managed and provided health and safety advice on the full renovation of the Queen’s Hall, a grand Victorian building situated in the village of Burley-in-Wharfedale near Ilkley.

Dating back to 1868, the building has had several uses over the years from a cinema to a lecture hall. Most recently the Queen’s Hall was owned and operated by Bradford Metropolitan District Council until it was transferred to Burley Parish Council.  At this stage, the building needed a programme of refurbishment from roof repairs to window replacement and internally the spaces were inefficient and decoration dated.

Burley Parish Council’s ambition was to develop the building into a vibrant community hub with different sized multi-purpose spaces for regular and occasional hire by local groups and clubs with catering facilities and bar.

Initially, we explored how each space could be used for various functions to maximise the efficiency of the building whilst meeting the needs of the various user groups with differing requirements.  We produced a 3D model and animation of the design concept for public viewing for the local community to review the designs to gauge feedback to enable the project to progress.

In addition to the refurbishment of the existing property, we designed a single storey linear extension to the rear of the building providing a large multi-functional space.

We specified the works and managed a competitive tender process to procure the works.  Our role involved providing project management, contract administration and principal designer duties throughout the project.

Holding regular meetings with stakeholders, we managed the flow of information and brought the project to successful completion on time and budget.

Now reopened, the Queen’s Hall is a modern flexible building that acts as a hub for village life and is a real asset for the local community.

Take a look at our community experience here.