The reorientation of a Grade I listed National Trust Park and new Visitor Centre Building in the West Midlands

Stace has been appointed by the National Trust to deliver the reorientation of the entrance of Shugborough Estate and a new Visitor Reception Building.

The new visitor centre will feature a high-quality building with a new café, reception area, restrooms, dog washing facilities, and dedicated office space for staff.

Works on the scheme will showcase the historic landmarks and structures across Shugborough by reorientating the site entrance back to the original route of entrance via the Litchfield Lodges and Gate and under a Grade II Listed Railway Bridge. The developments will allow safer entrance to the site as well as improved car parking facilities. The redevelopment at Shugborough Estate is set to increase annual visitor numbers by approximately 200,000.

The visitor centre is set to incorporate a sustainable design, merging modern construction technology with traditional materials and techniques such as pargeting to form a new style building for the National Trust that requires minimal operational energy.

In addition the development will incorporate a selection of renewable and locally sourced materials. The visitor centre will be constructed as a hybrid building: A timber structure with straw bale infill for the main structure as well as circular straw bales procured from a local farmer for the columns. The straw components are durable enough to last for many decades.

Heating from the building will be drawn from ground source heat pumps, and electricity provided from localised upgrade of the substation and new PV roof panels on a nearby WWII building.

The works also involve reinstatement of parkland where the existing car park is, extensive planting, landscaping, and accessibility improvements around the VRB and the Grade II listed Walled Garden along the western boundary of the site.

Image credit Citizens Design Bureau and Secchi Smith