Our Projects: Glastonbury Abbey Yard
The Abbey Yard project has created a revitalised world-class visitor entrance befitting of Glastonbury Abbey’s historical, cultural and spiritual significance.
The abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument located in Glastonbury town centre, however the entrance was previously tucked away and underwhelming.
Improving the visibility of the entrance aims to strengthen the abbey’s connection with the town and support the local economy whilst providing accessible, high-quality visitor facilities.
The existing shop building was partly demolished and reconfigured to create the Yard Café and Gift Shop and a new Admissions area created in the museum building, all centred around an attractive open-air meeting space.
Reducing construction waste was an important factor of this project and existing materials were recycled as much as possible such as the cut limestone and granite cobbles used to edge the new paving and glazing. Additional sustainability measures included incorporating thermal glazing to the café and shop and installing air source heat pumps.
The project is part of the Glastonbury Town Deal funded by the UK Government and has received additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Headley Trust, Wolfson Foundation and Benefact Trust and Glastonbury Abbey.
Working with Thread architects, SEED Landscape Design, contractors Qube Construct Ltd and Integral Engineering Design.
Photos courtesy of Claire Fear, Thread Architects.
- Client: Glastonbury Abbey
- Sector: Culture and CommunityHeritageHospitality
- Services: Cost ConsultancyProject Management
- Contract: £1.4m
