Richmond Brewery Stores

Client: Banda Properties

 

Richmond Brewery Stores is a mixed-use development featuring seven luxury duplex apartments above two floors of commercial office space, combining contemporary design with heritage architecture.

Built in the late 19th Century as the bottling factory for the nearby Lansdown Brewery, it has served as a poppy factory for the British Legion and a toy factory for a supplier to Marks & Spencer during its lifetime. The two-storey brick building features typical Victorian detailing to animate the rhythmically-proportioned front façade, including recessed brickwork bays and brick arches. The distinctive blue and white mosaic sign and the building’s position on a key thoroughfare in Richmond make this a memorable and recognisable element of the town’s architectural heritage, as confirmed by its status as a Building of Township Merit.

The intention of the architectural proposal was to enhance the original building with a contemporary upwards extension. The solid, sturdy nature of the original building lends itself well to forming a plinth, while the glass-fronted two-storey extension above is intentionally lightweight and set back from the parapet edge so that it is complementary rather than overbearing.

The development retains the commercial use of the original building, with flexible office spaces on the Ground and First Floor levels, while the new two-storey extension comprises seven two- and three-bedroom duplex apartments. Slender concrete floors were installed to accommodate the servicing requirements of the offices within the original internal levels, while access to the units was retained through an existing, though not original, entrance from Petersham Road.

Images courtesy of Banda Properties.