Wavensmere Homes’ £175m Nightingale Quarter development in Derby city centre was the double winner in the conservation category at the Civic Society’s annual ‘A Brighter City of Derby’ Awards.
The awards were presented in recognition of the painstaking restoration to two pepperpot buildings along London Road – abandoned relics from the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI), which opened in 1894 and closed 15 years ago.
After laying derelict for a decade, Wavensmere Homes purchased the vacant 18.5-acre site in 2019. While the vast majority of the Florence Nightingale-designed Victorian hospital had been bulldozed, the Birmingham-headquartered firm pledged to save and restore the imposing pepperpots, despite one of the buildings being previously consented for demolition.
Pepperpot South opened as the marketing suite for the 925 houses and apartments in 2021. With 95% of the homes now sold, the building is being re-purposed as a gym for residents’ use.
The second (North) Pepperpot opened on 14th February as The Fulton Partnership’s sixth hospitality venue in the Midlands. Styled by the interior designer for Gleneagles hotel – to introduce a new concept in luxury dining to the city of Derby – no expense has been spared on the Art Deco-inspired furnishings and refined heritage colour pallet.
Ashley Waterhouse, Chairman of Derby Civic Society, said: “What has been achieved by Wavensmere Homes and The Fulton Partnership at Nightingale Quarter is remarkable. Being the former DRI, this is a very emotive site for so many local people.
“With the surviving hospital buildings not nationally listed by Historic England, their fate was in the hands of the developers. The end result has surpassed all our expectations. The quality of the restoration works across both pepperpot buildings is immaculate inside and out, creating a highly impressive approach to the city centre from London Road.”
James Dickens, Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “When we acquired this vacant site five years ago, we set out to design a landmark scheme that embraced the DE1 location and didn’t turn its back on the city centre.
“We are proud that the 925 apartments and houses have transformed the city living market, acting as the catalyst for thousands more homes to be delivered within central Derby.
“By installing new footpaths, cycle routes and roads – and making a restaurant Nightingale Quarter’s new focal point – we wanted to actively encourage people from across the city and beyond to visit.
“The process of selecting the finest operator for what would become ‘The Pepperpot’ took 12 months. Thanks to the vision, significant investment and sheer talent of Graeme Fulton and his incredible team, it has become the heart and soul of this vibrant new neighbourhood.
“We are thrilled that Derby Civic Society has recognised the quality of our restoration work, concluding that these historic buildings now serve as assets to the community living at Nightingale Quarter and the city of Derby as a whole.”
Wavensmere Homes commenced remediation and construction work at The Nightingale Quarter in late 2019. The complex site is one of the UK’s most significant city centre regeneration projects.
Construction work is ongoing for the final phases. A community garden is also being delivered on site, in partnership with Community Interest Company Down to Earth Derby.
