Scheme to transform Bodmin Jail into hotel and museum attraction wins green light
Twelve Architects’ proposals to redevelop Bodmin Jail into a new hotel, visitor attraction and teaching facility have been granted planning consent following a unanimous decision by Cornwall Council.
The Grade II listed jail currently operates as an attraction and venue on Britain’s Cornish coast, but many of the buildings are in a ruinous state.
Twelve Architects scheme will see the complete refurbishment of the two wings of derelict cell blocks to house 63 hotel rooms. Working with the existing structure, each ensuite bedroom will be formed from three cells and interiors will feature colours and textures inspired by the aged, weathered stone.
A glazed rooflight running the length of both wings will create the hotel’s central atrium “and will enable the magical, naturally lit quality of the ruin to be retained.” An external lift and core, both clad in charred timber, will be added to improve circulation.
The existing Governor’s Hall will remain as the main venue and restaurant space, but will be refurbished and upgraded.
The renovation work will be complemented by a new 1,200sq m building housing an attraction called ‘Dark Walk’. Formed of a sequence of themed rooms containing scenic sets, films and projections, this is designed to immerse visitors in the history of the area and experience the life of the jail’s 18th and 19th century inmates.
According to the architects, the new structure will be clad using stone gabions: “a mesh of stainless steel cages containing hand-laid stones from a quarry situated on the same rock seam as was used for the original building.”
“Across the building, a pattern of gabions sitting forward and back of the facades, break up the massing and echo the fenestration of the jail building,” they added.
Twelve Architects are working with a team including museum consultants Sarner International, engineers Arup, and project management firm Turner & Townsend. Enabling works on the £30m (US$38.8m. €34m) project will start on site in Q3, with the project due for completion in 2019.
“We’re delighted at the level of support for the scheme from the council and the local community,” said Matt Cartwright, Twelve Architects’ founding director. “This project will be important to Bodmin, bringing an important part of its heritage back to life and providing facilities for local people as well as for visitors. We’re looking forward to taking the project forward.”
Bodmin Jail was built in 1779 and operated through to 1927, hosting 50 public hangings during that time. The prison complex, most of it now in ruins, has been used as a site for ghost walks and other visitor activities and exhibitions for a number of years.
Historic jails and prisons have emerged as an unlikely source of inspiration for hospitality developers in recent years.
Developers are trying to turn Northern Ireland's notorious Armagh Gaol into a luxury hotel and spa; the newly-opened Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch, London, is located a former court building and features a cocktail bar in the cells; and a former fortress and concentration camp on an island in Montenegro is set to be turned into a luxury resort and spa after a controversial planning proposal was accepted by the government.
Bodmin Jail Cornwall architecture design Twelve Architects
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Floating wellbeing destination planned for London’s Royal Docks
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
