Bentinck Terrace is a Grade II Listed stone and brick built Victorian terraced property, located on Bentinck Road in the Elswick area of Newcastle Upon Tyne, originally constructed circa 1855.

Our brief was to refurbish and reconfigure the 52-bedroom hostel facility to provide 36 one-bedroom self-contained apartments with ancillary office accommodation for staff to provide on-site support and coaching for residents. The redevelopment was initiated by recent developments in housing for the homeless which showed a move away from hostel type accommodation to more independent self-contained apartments.

The proposals are based on the principle of protecting and enhancing the heritage significance of the listed building and arise from an in-depth historical understanding. We kept works to the original fabric to a minimum retaining entrances, staircases and decorative features, and removing any later negative interventions and restoring original room proportions and any obviously missing elements such as ornate decorative ceilings and cornices etc.

Replacement of the poor-quality single storey extension to the north of the historic building with a more sensitive single storey terrace of 4 one-bedroom apartments, set at the existing garden level and conceived as a structure within a walled garden, has allowed the original terrace of four houses to become more visually distinct. From Bentinck Road the appearance of the new build is of a garden wall subservient to the historic terrace.

The existing outbuildings have also been refurbished and some being extended and all connected by a beautifully landscaped courtyard which vastly improves the setting of the listed building and provides a much-improved outlook for the residents.