St Marys of Eton

The grade II listed St Mary of Eton has recently been extensively refurbished as part of the re-development of the site in partnership with Thornsett. The church was originally built for the Eton College Mission in the late 19th century and Matthew Lloyd Architects were appointed in 2007 to develop a design to enable the buildings to respond to existing and emerging community need.  The development consists of 3 new buildings, providing 27 apartments, as well as a new church centre, community facilities and extensive re-landscaping giving a balanced mix of uses.

The site is confined and this posed challenges that influenced both the form of the new buildings and the phasing of the construction as well as the construction techniques adopted to construct the new buildings and refurbish the existing.

Working with Matthew Lloyd Architects, Manhire Associates recognized early on in the design process the importance of the detailing of the facades. The treatment of the facades needed to reference the care and the detailing of the historic buildings and white bricks were used in a diamond pattern on the corners of the new buildings. Light blue glazed bricks were also used to emphasize a solid, sculpted quality.

After extensive investigations, Manhire Associates developed structural proposals for the new buildings in traditional materials with vertical and horizontal ties incorporated into the 6 storey blocks. After a series of investigations, the Bell Tower and Mission Hall were refurbished with new floors installed following a program of repairs. 

In 2015, St. Mary of Eton was awarded a Housing Design Award, a RIBA National Award and a New London Architecture Award.