Willmott Dixon Interiors bags £11m contract for Grade II Holborn venue refurbishment

Following being made partner to refurbish Wolverhampton’s Civic Halls, Willmott Dixon Interiors is transforming historic Grade II-listed property with an £11m contract.

The property consists of 1-2 Garden Court and Blackstone House in Holborn. The project is set to see the company transform buildings used by Honourable Society of Middle Temple to provide purpose-designed accommodation for Barristers’ chambers.

The society is one of the four Inns of Court that have an exclusive right to ‘Call students to the Bar’.

The work will be delivered in phases to cause minimum disruption. This will begin with refurbishing 1-2 Garden Court to allow occupants to decant from Blackstone House.

Once complete, the final phase could see the finished refurbishment of Blackstone House, which includes an extension to the sixth floor and work to the ground-floor atrium.

Graham Shaw, managing director of Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Honourable Society of Middle Temple on these historic buildings, creating a modern learning environment.

“We’ll deploy our experience of working in busy London sites and live working environments to full effect to ensure we deliver new space for the society that will be enjoyed by many people to come over many decades.”

This latest project adds to Willmott Dixon Interiors work on creating new internal space within London’s heritage buildings.

Other examples include creating a new home for the Design Museum at the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington and refurbishing The National Gallery.

In total, Willmott Dixon Interiors has delivered over 200,000 m2 of new interior space in London over the last five years.

The company is also refurbishing 62-66 Highbury Grove in Islington to create the London Screen Academy, which will allow 16-19 year olds to learn about film production techniques like behind-the-camera roles, marketing and costume design.

Last week, Willmott Dixon Interiors was confirmed as preferred delivery partner to refurbish Wolverhampton’s Civic Halls, to see the building become a global venue.