The regeneration of historic buildings is about more than preserving the past. It is an opportunity to give important places a new purpose, bringing them back into everyday use while celebrating the heritage that makes them unique.
We prepared proposals for the sensitive regeneration of the former Wadworth Brewery site in Devizes on behalf of Trevor Osborne Ltd, securing planning permission and listed building consent for the conversion of the site’s vacant listed buildings. The scheme forms part of the wider regeneration of the former brewery, helping to create a new mixed-use quarter in the heart of the town.
The context
Situated within the Devizes Conservation Area, the former Wadworth Brewery has played a key role in the town’s development for many decades. Following the brewery’s relocation to a new facility in 2023, the Northgate Street site became vacant, presenting a significant regeneration opportunity.
Our proposals focus on the Grade II listed buildings that form the core of the original Victorian brewery, together with the former White Lion public house. The challenge was to bring these vacant heritage assets back into active use while preserving their historic character, creating a commercially viable future for the buildings and opening up parts of the site that had previously been inaccessible to the public.
The project also formed part of a wider regeneration strategy for the brewery site, alongside neighbouring redevelopment proposals and the future Wiltshire Museum at the former Assize Court. It was therefore essential that the scheme improved pedestrian connectivity, enhanced the public realm and contributed to the creation of a vibrant new cultural quarter.
Our approach
The approved proposals sensitively convert the former brewery buildings and the former White Lion public house to create 22 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes together with new commercial space.
A new two-storey mixed-use building complements the retained historic buildings, helping to define a new brewery courtyard at the heart of the development. Ground-floor commercial units surround the courtyard, while a new lightwell provides access to the existing basement vaults, extending the commercial offer and creating a distinctive destination for visitors.
A key objective was to reconnect this part of Devizes with the wider town. New pedestrian routes link the brewery courtyard with neighbouring developments and the canal corridor, opening up areas that were previously closed to the public and creating an attractive new public space.
The proposals also include a strategy to retain, reclaim and relocate historic brewery artefacts, including copper vessels, tanks, engines and brewing equipment. Some will be incorporated into the new microbrewery, while others will be reused within the buildings, helping to preserve the site’s industrial heritage as part of its next chapter.
Our architecture and planning teams worked closely with Wiltshire Council, local stakeholders and a multidisciplinary consultant team to develop the proposals, ensuring the scheme responded sensitively to both the historic environment and national and local planning policy.
The outcome
Planning permission and listed building consent have been secured for the regeneration of the former Wadworth Brewery’s historic core. The approved scheme provides a long-term future for these important listed buildings, bringing them back into active use with new homes, commercial space and high-quality public realm. As part of the wider regeneration of the brewery site, it will help reconnect this historic part of Devizes with the town centre and canal while preserving the heritage that has shaped the town for generations.
Get in touch
If you’re planning work to a historic building or a similarly sensitive site, we’d be pleased to hear from you.