8 minute read
Nelson Place
Well-known to many islanders as the ‘old Post Office’ building in Smith Street, and in more recent years used as a gym and office space, Nelson Place has had various guises during its lifespan. Now the late-1800s building has been given a new lease of life – with its complete renovation to form seven self-contained apartments in the heart of St Peter Port.
When developer Nick Henley spotted the opportunity in Smith Street, he knew it was a project he would be keen to tackle. The building’s imposing frontage hid an interior desperate for renovation – and while certain parts of the period property were listed, there was a wealth of opportunity inside to create something unique.
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In late 2019 when developers Nelson Place Limited bought the property, planning permission had already been granted to convert the old building into seven modern apartments on the upper floors – the ground floor has remained assigned to retail use, with budget retailer J&M Stores occupying the space.
With those plans in place, the first job for the team on site was to strip out the interiors of the building to assess exactly what they were faced with. But rather than being a daunting prospect, Nick said it was a rather rewarding experience: “The building had been through years of cheap, quick work with stud walls being placed in front of stud walls and ceilings being lowered. When we stripped all that out, we gained a lot of space – the floor area of the building literally grew before our eyes.
“When we stripped out the old gym and took the building back to its structure, it was in surprisingly good condition. Despite its age and the building having been empty for some time, the main roof was in excellent condition – I think it could have done another 150 years. In fact, the lack of insulation due to its age was probably a bonus as it allowed the building to breathe and kept it in good condition.”
Despite the timings of the project – the developers purchased the property not long before the first Covid lockdown in spring 2020 – they managed to make good progress during the two-year build, losing around three months due to Covid illness and supply issues. What has now been created in the space are seven properties: six two-bedroom apartments and one one-bedroom. The quirks of the building mean that they are all individually designed to suit the space they fill, but Nick says they do have some things in common: “We really wanted to create something aspirational with these apartments, so they’re all fairly substantial in size. The smallest is around 900 sq ft with the largest 1,400 sq ft. Five of the apartments have terraces, which are also a decent size – and the sea views from those are something really special.
“We’ve also done our best to work with the building in any way we can, we don’t want to waste time and resources when things can be reused. The back staircase and the handrail at the front were perfectly fit for purpose so we’ve retained those. And the apartments themselves have got unique features such as the old safety vaults being repurposed for utility rooms, bedrooms and storage.”
While Nick is delighted with the end result of the project, it wasn’t without its challenges for site foreman, Martyn Bourgaize: “In 20 years of doing this type of work, I think this was the hardest project I’ve ever tackled. I knew it was going to be challenging due to the fact we were dealing with an old building, but it was even tougher than I imagined. There wasn’t a straight wall in the place, and the levels were different everywhere you went in the building. We had to make an angled building basically look straight, which isn’t an easy task.”
THE POST OFFICE HISTORY
Nelson Place still clearly displays the original post office signage, which signifies how important the local postal service is to its history.
On 22 May 1883, the Guernsey Post Office moved to Nelson Place, with the new premises specifically designed to meet its requirements.
Following more than 120 years in situ, the Post Office then moved to the opposite side of the road. That site closed in 2021, with postal facilities then extended in the Town Co-op stores.
As well as the issues inside the building, its very location caused its own logistical difficulties for Martin: “We had the two doors at the front on Smith Street with a loading bay outside, and everything had to come in and out of those doors by hand and then be taken through the building. Add in the timing issues of traffic on Smith Street, with vehicle access limited after 10am, and it certainly added an extra layer of complication and time. I think thousands of labour hours were spent simply getting materials in and out of the building.”
With apartments going into the space, soundproofing was an important part of the renovation to ensure that sound doesn’t travel between the properties, as Martin explained: “One of the main reasons for the project taking a bit longer than I originally planned was certainly the soundproofing. We’ve got miles of timber and sound block in there to ensure those in the apartments won’t be affected by their neighbours.”
One of the major aspects of the build was the addition of another level on top of the previous flat roof to provide the space for two extra apartments. While a tricky part of the build process, it also provided some good news for Martin: “When we ripped out that part of the building, we saw that there were already steels in place. Once the engineer had confirmed we could use them, that was a huge win as we didn’t have to bring in new ones. It was, however, really challenging as all 12 had to be lowered to ensure the new flats above had adequate head height. It was another part of the project that was interesting but certainly not easy.”
Elsewhere in the building, steel also took a great deal of attention. Opening up the unused roof void was a key part of the design to allow a more spacious feel for the apartments. But the mezzanine levels that were incorporated required a great deal of strengthening, which was another issue for Nick: “I think we put in over £30,000 worth of steel, and it was a fascinating time to be doing it. The price of steel was fluctuating so much that the quotes we were receiving were only valid for 24 hours at a time. It was hard to know when the right time was to go ahead. But it was certainly something we had to do as the incredible timber roof construction was something that really merited being opened up and celebrated.”
While the Smith Street frontage will be the recognisable aspect to islanders, only one of the apartments looks out over the main street. The others look towards the rear view of the building, where the Forest Lane thoroughfare also provides the entrance for some of the apartments.
THE CONTRACTORS
Clem Brouard Plumbing Ltd Graham Hards Decorating Services Swan Joinery Limited Mega Electrical Services Limited Channel Welders Dorey, Lyle & Ashman Ltd Acorn Lifestyle Kitchens
The decades of intervention with the interior of the building means it has retained little in the way of period features; however, the exterior has obviously kept its charm. Luckily for the developers, that extended to the windows, as Nick explained: “A lot of the glazing is original, so we were able to refurbish a lot of the windows rather than needing to replace them. The windows were actually in fairly good condition for their age, they were obviously built to last when they were first crafted. At the back of the building, facing in to Forest Lane, we had around a dozen original sash windows which were all refurbished in situ and they are really lovely.”
With work complete, the developers have retained the apartments to let, with all seven properties now occupied or rentals agreed. Savills Guernsey was one of the agents appointed to handle the process of finding the right tenants. For head of lettings in Guernsey, Gill Mooney, the apartments were exactly the type of property the firm is looking for.
“The apartments at Nelson Place proved very popular and were all let very quickly – demonstrating the strength of demand for quality rental properties that are deemed ‘best in class’. The development was finished to a very high standard and retained a lot of the building’s original character, while the outside spaces and central location was also a huge draw with all of St Peter Port’s amenities within easy walking distance.”
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