REFURB CASE STUDIES Morland Brewery Development Abingdon, Oxfordshire                                                                         Developer: Berkeley Homes CRTC Member: Marley-Eternit Project Duration: September 2000 – September 2003 Clay Tiles Used: Hand crafted Ashdowne tiles Machine made Hawkins tiles

Two types and three colours of natural clay plain tiles from CRTC Member, Marley-Eternit, were chosen to harmonise this new build and refurbishment in an Oxfordshire conservation area.

Hand crafted Ashdowne tiles were used on the refurbishment buildings at the Brewery, while machine made Hawkins tiles, with 150 year old pedigree, were selected for the new build part of the project. The tiles were chosen by the developer for their quality and ability to blend in with the site, existing fabric surrounding the site and the development’s brickwork.

The 2.3-hectare Morland Brewery site off Ock Street in Abingdon became available when the brewery company decided to relocate and put the site up for sale. Berkeley Homes worked closely with BHP Harwood architects of Wantage and local planners to design a scheme that would not just complement but add interest to the vernacular.

Many of the resulting 167 one to four-bedroomed dwellings, 60 of which are in the refurbished buildings, have been designed with three or four storeys to blend with the original maltings that date back to the mid 1800s. Apartments are based in the refurbished maltings, towered brewhouse and joiners workshop, while the Grade II listed three-storey Ocklea House and Malthouse Cottages have been converted into houses. The rest of the original site, that was used for storage or car parking, features the new build houses in four types of stock bricks as well as a three-storey rendered apartment block designed to create a landmark focus in the middle of the development. This “urban square” will also feature a sculpture by a professional artist.