We are so excited to bring you these photos as we near completion of this fantastic project which will see the 190 year old building restored and turned into a new visitor centre and café.
The grade II listed Marine Villas is a Georgian villa which originally contained new, fashionable cold salt-water baths, but was soon converted into a private dwelling. Although Swanage Pier itself has existed since 1859, the current pier was opened in 1897, with the Swanage Pier Trust acquiring it 1994. Government funding has previously enabled repairs to the pier structure itself, and now, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, Coastal Community Fund, Dorset County Council, Purbeck District Council, Swanage Town Council, trusts and foundations, a major restoration project has commenced, of which, Greendale will undertake a general refurbishment of the existing two storey Marine Villas.
The works will include; construction of a new partially glazed structure extension, forming a new seated cafe area; internal structural alterations to facilitate the construction of new toilets, a commercial kitchen, and a platform lift to first floor office accommodation. Sympathetic repairs and alterations to the structure of the building will take place, with the introduction of load bearing glass floor panels in order to allow the viewing of the historic saltwater baths below the ground floor. New joinery fittings and doors, reception, exhibition spaces and a shop will be created, as well as a complete redecoration internally and externally. Alterations and an upgrade of existing electrical and plumbed services throughout the building will also be completed, and new paving outside.
The external toilet block will be having minor structural alterations to allow for the formation of new disabled toilet facilities, with internal layout configuration changes to provide modernised male public toilets, including drainage alterations, new sanitary ware, electrical and piped service alterations. A new doorway will be formed through external solid stone walls to provide access to toilets.
