Winner of National RICS award for Tourism & Leisure
Winner of National RICS award for Tourism and Leisure
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust is delighted to announce that it has won The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) National Award for best Tourism and Leisure project!
Awarded for the Command of the Oceans, RICS judges praised the project team “for the careful conservation and restoration of the original buildings and for creating what they described as a striking world class visitor attraction.” Command of the Oceans, which has been made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, was one of 12 nominated for the award up against inspirational projects that included Titanic Hotel (Belfast), World of Wedgewood (Stoke-on-Trent) and St Fagan’s National History Museum (Cardiff).
Colin Harrop – RICS National Judging Panel remarked “In a very strong field of entries, this project stood out as being of truly exceptional quality. The building showcases practical design that forms a landmark entrance to this historic dockyard. In addition, the creation of a sunken gallery provides a unique visitor experience while preserving important historical fabric. The judges felt that the scheme was a great example of teams making the most of a blend of expertise to produce stunning results. Those involved in the project can rightly be proud of the world class facilities created.”
Our Command of the Oceans not only preserves the Mast House and Mould loft, the Mast Ponds and their related external landscape, but is home to our Mess Deck Restaurant, visitor facilities, hospitality opportunities, and a range of fantastic and interesting galleries!
Having previously won two South East RICS Awards (along with a range of other awards including shortlisting for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2018), the Trust is delighted to go ahead and win the National award which recognises not only the architectural and preservation excellence achieved but also the impact the wider Dockyard has as a visitor attraction to the regional leisure and tourism industry.
