Project Details
Client
University of Oxford
Architect
Wilkinson Eyre
Contractor
Mace
Stone used
Clipsham, Jura and Creeton limestones, Yorkstone
Value
£1,800,000
Contract Duration
52 weeks, completed 16-05-2015
Scope of Work
Situated in the heart of the historic city of Oxford, the Bodleian Library (renamed the Weston Library in 2015), is a 1940s, Grade II listed building designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. It has undergone an £80m restoration and renovation programme to create additional storage for the library’s collections including precious manuscripts, books and maps.
Following a tender process which was both comprehensive and competitive in equal measure, Putney & Wood emerged as the stone contractor of choice and was appointed by Mace. Externally the stonework included restoration of the Clipsham stone cladding to the colonnades and plinth stones; dismantling and rebuilding the gate and posts to the side entrance; and the installation of 200x400x1000mm solid Yorkstone steps at the main entrance. Internally, a new Jura limestone floor was installed in the main reception while Creeton limestone was used for new wall linings and flooring in the Treasury Gallery.
The team also reinstated a 17th Century arched gateway which once stood a few miles away at Ascott Park in South Oxfordshire. Having fallen into disrepair, the arch was acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum in the early part of the 20th Century and has subsequently been leased to the library. After entering through the main entrance, visitors need only look to their right to see this splendid, ornate monument next to the information desk. The library, which was formally opened by The Duke of Cambridge on 11th May, has won several design awards including two ‘RIBA South Awards’, ‘The Architects’ Journal’s 2016 Building of the Year’ and most recently a coveted ‘RIBA National Award’.
