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Winners of 2025 ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ Awards

Chester Civic Trust Winners of 2025 ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ Awards

The Chester Civic Trust which celebrates its 65th year this year, has given its verdict on the best examples of new development, renovation of existing buildings and community projects in its annual Good, Bad and Ugly awards for the City.

Now in its 19th year, the awards made at a ceremony at the headquarters of Chester Civic Trust at Bishop Lloyd’s Palace Watergate Street, Chester on 26th March, highlight Chester’s buildings, places, spaces and projects in an alternative ‘New Financial Year Honours list’.

These awards are presented annually and with the help of members the Trust aims to:

  • recognise progress and change over the past twelve months,
  • encourage high standards in the built environment (urban and rural),
  • recognise achievements that may not feature in a more formal award scheme, and
  • recognise the work of local individuals, firms alike.

Peter Hadfield, chairman of the judging panel, said: “These annual awards are based on nominations from our members. They aim to recognise the best changes to the Chester property scene in the past year. We hope they will encourage higher standards of design and maintenance in our public realm. As always, I would like to thank my fellow Judges for their time and commitment visiting and providing insightful comments on the nominations.”

He added; “Members of the Chester Civic Trust (CCT) excelled this year with a total of 63 nominations. There were 26 Good nominations together with 37 Bad/Ugly nominations. All categories included an interesting mix of nominations. Once again it was good to see some from outside the city and we would like to receive more in the future.”

Chair’s Special Award

Okells Hoole, Walker Street, Hoole

The Co-op in Walker Street opened in 1906 and included a grocer and butcher together with a shoe and clothing store on the upper floor. Latterly it became a convenience store and also accommodated Co-op Funeralcare. The store closed in July 2017 ending 110 years of the Co-op on this site. The empty building started to become dilapidated and run down.

The judges said; “It is therefore great to see that Okells has refurbished the building to provide a new shop selling plants, homeware and gifts together with a café. This is a really good addition to the vibrant Hoole local shopping quarter.”

The Good Awards

15 – 23 Frodsham Street

This was another empty building (previously Yates Wine Lodge) desperately in need of refurbishment and a new use. The upper floors have now been converted to residential apartments with the whole of the ground floor being occupied by the kitchen retailer Magnet.

The judges said; “The work has been carried out to a high standard and the shop unit provides an active frontage to the street. This is a welcome improvement to Frodsham Street.”

The Pied Bull, Northgate Street

This is Chester’s oldest coaching inn; it dates back to 1155 and since 2009 has been trading as an independent business. It is a  pub, restaurant and thirty one bedroom hotel, it also has a microbrewery and a secret beer garden. Two adjacent buildings including the grade II listed Folliot House have been converted to provide twenty of the bedrooms.

The judges said; “During 2024 the owners completed a huge refurbishment covering both the exterior and interior of the pub and restaurant. It is good to see this sympathetic refurbishment which also includes work to reduce the environmental impact of the business.”

Hough Green Local History Group

The judges said; “A sub-group of the Hough Green Residents Association comprising just three people have produced three books ‘From Bricks to Villas’, ‘The Green by the Hollow Way’ and ‘Mansions, Semis and Terraces’. To coincide with the recent publication of the third volume it is timely to recognise their hard work.

These well researched books provide an excellent history of the areas of Hough Green, Curzon Park and Saltney.” Copies are ordered by email from this address local.history@raycar.plus.com.

The Festival of Ideas

This was a programme of free, inclusive and accessible public events on a wide range of themes in and around Chester, co-created by the University of Chester, external stakeholders and city partners. The judges said; “The events covered a range of topics including environmental issues, heritage, the future of cities and wellbeing. It is good to see the University engaging with local people and encouraging civic participation. We are delighted to see that the Festival is to be repeated this year.”

Commendations

New Housing, Commonhall Street 

The judges said; “This new residential development fits in well with the street scene. It is good to see the carefully detailed brickwork around doors and windows and the use of other traditional materials matching the houses on the opposite side of the street.”

Refurbishments in St Werburgh Street and Eastgate Street

The judges said; “We are pleased to recognise several façade refurbishment projects which have been carried out to a high standard. These are the HSBC building (47 Eastgate Street) and the building occupied by Next (37 Eastgate Street) together with the Eastern Section of St Werburgh Street. At the street level Brook Taverner have fitted out numbers 14 and 16 with a simple dark blue and white shopfront with nicely dressed window display. If only other parts of Chester could look this good.”

Repairs to Northgate

These Awards also aim to recognise small projects which have been carried out to a high standard. The judges said; “The stonework repairs to the Northgate have been extremely well done and we hope this sets the standard for work to the walls in the future.”

Hoole Hardware, Faulkner Street

The judges said; “This shop always presents a well-designed and beautifully presented  display within its fine shopfront, which adds a modern flavour to its traditional form. The shop elevates the retail offer on this busy street.”

The Bad and The Ugly Awards

The judges said; “This section is included in the hope that it will prompt action. Given the current stagnant economy and inadequate funding for local services, we are not anticipating that 2025 will bring many improvements.

As usual we had many nominations for our ‘Hardy Perennials’ (those buildings which get mentioned year after year) including Dee House, the former Quicks Garage/St Olaves, Diocesan House, the collapsed wall in Liverpool Road, Delamere Street, the Southeast Angle Tower and the dilapidated buildings in Boughton. We remain concerned about all these areas but this year we decided to concentrate on new nominations and those which we have not mentioned for some time.”

The City Walls

The judges said; “We have included the City Walls because there is both bad and good news. The bad news is that there is no progress with repairs to the Recorders Steps or the steps on either side of St Martins Gate. The Walls should be a key priority for maintenance and presentation especially given their value as a tourist, leisure and educational asset.”

“The good news is that preliminary works associated with the reconstruction of the collapsed section of wall behind the Wesleyan Chapel I St John Street are underway. Sadly, there is no agreed dates for work beyond the anticipated completion of site investigation works and scheduled monument consent in mid-2026.”

“It is also good to see that the upper part of Off The Wall (a regular in the Bad/Ugly section of these awards) has been repaired.”

Kirton House and Former GP Surgery, Hunter Street

The judges said; “Both Kirton House and the Former GP Surgery in Hunter Street are in a shockingly bad state. The Victorian red brick Kirton House is amazingly high quality whilst the 1950s doctors’ surgery is a good example of mid-century Modernism and post-war optimism in the early years of the NHS.”

“The dilapidation of these buildings detracts from the new development of the Northgate Quarter and should be a priority for improvement.”

“Too many empty buildings in Chester are left to deteriorate and become vandalised resulting in demolition and redevelopment when an earlier intervention could bring them back into beneficial use.”

Apartment Building in Pierpoint Court 

The judges said; “The apartment building in Pierpoint Court is probably the best example of a detached city-centre warehouse in Chester and is of special interest for the remains of the Common Hall. It is good to see that this Grade II Listed Building has been developed to provide residential accommodation.”

Unfortunately, the repointing of parts of the building has been badly done and the setting is marred by the wood/blockwork stores, gravelled area and the adjacent ‘builders’ yard’.

 Commonhall Street

The judges said; “There is a proliferation of wheelie bins and other items (including beer barrels and pallets) around Chester. We have chosen Commonhall Street as an example, but they are everywhere! These are detrimental to the street scene and block roads and pavements. Properly designed storage areas where these are shielded and contained would help to reduce the problem.”

Public Toilets

The judges said; “It is shocking that there are virtually no public toilets in the city centre. The toilets in the market are badly signposted and already showing signs of wear whilst the badly maintained toilets in Frodsham Street are unappealing. The toilets in the Grosvenor Precinct and below the old market are no longer available. These are an important amenity for visitors and residents alike and appropriate provision should be made.”

The Judges were Peter Hadfield (Chair), Chloe Sheward, Paul Fielding, Steve Wright, and Philip Harrison.

Buildings photos are available here for viewing and download at high resolution

Awards ceremony photos are available here for viewing and download at high resolution

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Recent Visits

Chester Civic Trust members have been enjoying the lovely Spring Weather. Last week there was a residential visit to the Surrey Hills. This included a tour of the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. Built in 1889, it was the first purpose-built mosque in the UK and Northern Europe.

This week, we also had a day trip to our nearest World Heritage site, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal. On the way was a fascinating visit to Plas Newydd.

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March Lecture: Chester the must-see European City 20 years on

In 2005 Chester unveiled two ambitious collaborative plans. Its Place Marketing Strategy set out the vision of Chester becoming a must-see European city by 2015 and its Culture Park set out the steps to achieve it through sensitive development that would make the most of the city’s assets. They were lauded nationally as forward-thinking best practice, yet by 2012 they had largely been forgotten, mentioned only in an appendix of the One City Plan they had helped inspire.

Fast forward to 2025, Chester has become the Most Welcoming City in the UK and ranks with Rome and other cities as the most beautiful. The Culture Park’s architect, Andy Farrall, is Chair of the Making Group of One City Plan 2.0, and its Programme Manager, Colin Potts, leads the OCP Visiting Group, chairs Destination Chester and heads the University of Chester’s tourism courses.

The lecture on March 19th, in a packed Grosvenor Museum Lecture Theatre, saw Colin reviewing the Place Marketing and Culture Park plans, and reflect on how much has been achieved over the last 20 years. It also considered the place Chester could become – 20 years on.

A link to the slides shown at the presentation is here.

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February Event: Chester Witches

There were trials and executions of witches in Chester in the seventeenth century and this meeting on Friday 28th February explored some aspects and myths around this.

Local historian, Peter Elliott, discusses this on his Chesterwiki site which inspired one of our members, Clare Dudman, to create a film about the events, ‘The Three Ravens’. It tells the story of three of the witches brought to trial in Chester, and the Judge John Bradshaw. As President of the High Court of Justice, Bradshaw, a Cheshire man, signed the execution order for Charles I. He was also Chief Justice of the Chester and North Wales Circuit and presided over several witch trials.

‘Three Ravens’ is Clare’s fourth event for the Heritage Festival, filmed mainly in Bishop Lloyd’s Palace in 2023. She received a commission, which allowed her to pay for professional actors

Karen presented Peter’s inspirational slides which are based on his knowledge and expertise available in more detail with links to sources here: https://chester.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Witch_Trials

Peter says; “My reason for writing the initial article on the “Chesterwiki” website was the the inaccurate information that was being put about concerning the witch trials.”

“The numbers of executions were greatly inflated and the whole issue was sensationalised prior to Clare. Bradshaw was portrayed as a “power-crazed” judge and there was no surrounding historical context, either as regards the contemporaneous trials in Wales (same judges) or the other things Bradshaw was involved in. He was a figure of national importance. Information being written also confused modern perceptions of “witches” with what people would have believed at the time.”

He added; “The story goes a long way back. Plegmund, Alfred’s archbishop from Plemstall, was probably involved in the drafting of “Cake-burning” Alfred’s Law Code. Plegmund’s Well in itself is a wonderful story of “Preservation and Progress”.

“Alfred’s makes the act of consulting “witches” a crime – which may be a mistranslation. It appears to be the origin of “not suffer a witch to live”. Alfred’s law seems to have been intended against “malefic” acts of a fairly general kind and there is no mention of any “diabolical conspiracy against the state” such as appears in the Chester Mystery Plays.”

“Burning witches was rare in England. They were hung. Protestants tended to execute more witches than Catholics. One wonders how much the large number of witch trials in Germany were entertainment for the masses, like Clare’s play.”

“Looking at the context in Chester there is an interesting mix of myth, legend and tradition. The Devil turns up in the Mystery Plays as a rather comic character played by the Tanners, and the Ale-Wife accompanies him in parades. The Tanners had their mysterious potions and the Ale-Wife’s “spells” can be likened to recipes for brewing beer, making cheese etc. The other character appearing in the Mystery Plays is the “Antichrist”. In modern recreations his identity is usually obvious from the start, but in the original play he seems to pose a more subtle threat. “Magic” is now the “work of the Devil” used with the intent of overthrowing the state and we first see Bradshaw and Cromwell being portrayed as such.”

“The development of the English anti-witchcraft laws reflects this concern with the state. Henry VIII’s laws put finding treasure (which should be his) before causing harm. Elizabeth has a personal astrologer but doesn’t want anyone else predicting her demise. James thinks “they” are after him personally.”

“The Welsh are a lot more relaxed and see it as a local issue that can be sorted-out by confession and apology. Gloom-laden prophecies about their leaders/rulers have been around for ages. The second Pendle trial is investigated by John Bridgeman, Bishop of Chester, who finds it to be a money-making sham. In the 1600’s it all bursts out into print – more mass entertainment.”

“That brings us down to mass-entertainment of today and the context of Clare’s play. She makes it clear her portrayal is fictionalised and makes it obvious where she strays from accuracy (Bradshaw takes the train to Wales). She leaves the audience to consider for themselves the relationship between his witch trials and his trial of King Charles, between the threat to the state of the Devil and his cohorts and that of Cromwell. The “real” history, even presented as fiction is far more interesting than inaccurate history presented as truth.”

“Running through this is the sense of place, where peoples lives unfold and their stories are sometimes told, becoming real once more through their echoes in the built environment they left behind.”

Photos of the event can be seen here:

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February Lecture: Create Streets

George Payiatis, a Senior Urban Designer with Create Streets, gave a presentation on the recent research and work carried out by Create Streets.

Create Streets is currently working on a draft design code for Cheshire West and Chester Council. (At this stage George will NOT be able to give any details.)

The foundation has already set 7 design codes including the town centre of Lichfield with 100 new homes and a design code for wider pavements and more street trees in new developments across Surrey. See a list of Create Streets 2024 developments on the Create Streets website

Slides from the event were promised by the speaker, meanwhile a selection of slides from the event are available here.

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The Trevor Barnston Family: From the Norman Conquest to the 21st Century

On 30th January 2025 Michael Trevor Barnston gave a superb talk on ‘The Trevor Barnston Family: From the Norman Conquest to the 21st Century’.

Michael spoke about his fascinating family history stretching back to 1066 when Hugh de Berneston settled in the Wirral, in the area of the village of Barnston. Michael can trace his family history in Farndon back to the time of King Edward I who reigned from 1272-1307. During the Civil War, William Barnston, who was an ardent Royalist was captured and imprisoned by the Parliamentarians. The Farndon Obelisk commemorates Roger Barnston who served throughout the Crimean War and died at the siege of Lucknor in india. The landholdings of the Barnston Estate in Hapsford, Churton and Farndon were enhanced through the ages by marriages to local heiresses. Michael mentioned his gardens there where we were able to hold our Summer event last year.

Over the centuries the members of the Trevor Barnston family have been closely involved with the military and public life across the county of Cheshire.

Following Michael’s talk, tea and coffee and cake were served.

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Guests from the Foundling Hospital in London

In May the trust did something unusual: we moved one of our regular social meetings from Bishop Lloyd’s Palace to the Bluecoat Building. We have to thank Mike, Cathy and Janette for welcoming us there. The changed location was appropriate because Anthony Annakin-Smith was giving his lecture on Chester Foundling Hospital. It was housed in the building.

A group of visitors from the London branch joined us as our guests. They were led by Chris Jones and her Voices Through Time digitalisation team. The Coram Hospital kept detailed records of the children in its care. These date from 1739 to the mid-fifties. There are over half a million documents. The team is digitalising the earliest records. These form about a quarter of the archive. They consist of such items as the registration records of the children. They were numbered on arrival and given a new name. Baptism took place if this was necessary. If the mother left a note this was placed on the record. Medical records are also available. Some of these stories are available on the web

Tony has been working with the group. On a random visit to the Museum, he discovered that a branch of the Hospital had been opened in Chester. This was an interesting surprise to him, and he was driven to research this new information.

Between 1756 and 1760 the government legislated that all children handed in to the Hospital had to be cared for. This period, called the Great Reception, meant that the number of children in the Hospital’s care was multiplied. It was beyond what the London branch could manage, and seven provincial outposts were opened. Chester was one of these.  It took orphans from London from 1763 to 1769. The hub of their work was the Bluecoat Building but most children were ‘farmed out’ to so-called nurses in local villages.

There is a synopsis of Tony’s engrossing talk on the Coram website. He is also writing a book on the subject. He hopes it will be published next year. We will keep you informed.

The Foundling Museum in the Euston/Bloomsbury area is well worth a visit. Upstairs are magnificent rooms and an art gallery. Downstairs is a museum telling the sad stories of the young people in its care. Particularly moving is the collection of tokens left by parents to identify their child in case they could ever reclaim them.

FOUNDLING MUSEUM, 40, BRUNSWICK SQUARE, LONDON. WC1N 1AZ. Open Tuesday to Sunday

Karen McKay

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2024 Good, Bad and Ugly Awards

Now in its 18th year, The Chester Civic Trust has given its verdict on the best examples of new development, renovation of existing buildings and community projects in its annual Good, Bad and Ugly awards for the City.

The awards made at a ceremony at the headquarters of Chester Civic Trust at Bishop Lloyd’s Palace Watergate Street, Chester on 17th June, highlight Chester’s buildings, places, spaces and projects in an alternative ‘New Financial Year Honours list’.

Peter Hadfield, chairman of the judging panel, said: “These annual awards are based on nominations from our members. They aim to recognise the best changes to the Chester property scene in the past year. We hope they will encourage higher standards of design and maintenance in our public realm. As always, I would like to thank my fellow Judges for their time and commitment visiting and providing insightful comments on the nominations.”

He added; “Members of the Chester Civic Trust excelled this year with a total of 55 nominations. 32 Bad/Ugly nominations were submitted together with 23 Good nominations.

All categories included an interesting mix of nominations. Once again it was good to see some from outside the city and we would like to receive more in the future.

The judges said; “The Bad and The Ugly Awards are included in the hope that it will prompt action. Sadly, given the current stagnant economy and inadequate funding for local services, we are not anticipating that 2024 will bring many improvements.

As usual we had many nominations for our ‘Hardy Perennials’ (those buildings which get mentioned year after year) including Dee House, the state of the City Walls, the former Quicks Garage and St Olaves Church. We remain concerned about all these areas but this year we decided to concentrate on new nominations and those which we have not mentioned for some time.”

There were several projects which the Judges declined to consider this year as they are incomplete. These will automatically be included with other nominations next year.”

The Chair’s Special Award

  • Picturehouse

The Good Awards

  • The Flaggs and Hamilton House, Church Street, Tarvin
  • ōH Chester Design Foundation, Bridge Street
  • 6-12 Saint Werburgh Street, Renovation of Facades
  • New Chester Market
  • Chester Zoo Nature Recovery Corridor

Good – Commendations

  • The White Horse, Churton
  • Bren Bikes, Live! New Scene, Newton
  • New Residential Property, Farndon
  • The Lock Vaults, Hoole Lane
  • Chester Residents Association Group

The Bad and The Ugly Awards

  • Delamere Street
  • The Roman Strong Room
  • The Riverside Promenade
  • Interpretive Devices
  • Collapsed Wall, Liverpool Road
  • Closure of a Section of The Rows
  • Poor Street Lighting

 

A full copy of the judges’ comments is available.

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