At the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards, announced in December 2023, the restoration of Findlater’s Corner at London Bridge station was awarded the Southeastern Commercial Restoration Award and, on Wednesday 16 October 2024, the plaque was officially unveiled on the building.
The winning entry was for the restoration of the corner building which is located within the abutments to the track running into London Bridge station facing the south approach to London Bridge itself.
The unveiling was attended by Andy Savage MBE, Chairman of the National Railway Heritage Awards. together with Malcolm Wood, Awards Manager and Trustee, and Tim Hedley-Jones, Sponsorship Manager for the NRHA who was representing The Railway Heritage Trust.
Benedict O’Looney Architects, The Arch Company and Frankhams were also represented, together with local business and community representatives.
Andy Savage spoke on behalf of the Awards and congratulated the project team on their success and refereed to the importance of good restoration and the ability to give historic structures meaningful commercial use as a means of preserving their future.
Benedict O’Looney, architect for the project, gave an informative talk about the history of the locality related to the historic London Bridges, the waterfront and the arrival of the railway. He related the stages of the project and the key heritage features which were rediscovered and the restoration involved.
Craig McWilliam spoke on behalf of The Arch Company who are responsible for the building, and after photographs were taken, members of the party were shown around the unit which is currently being transformed into a supermarket for a Korean group.
The unveiled plaque at Findlater’s Corner with, from the left, Paul Marsh, Associate Director (Building Surveying) for the Frankham Consultancy Group, Craig McWilliam, CEO of The Arch Company, the architect Benedict O’Looney an Andy Savage MBE, chairman of the National Railway Heritage Awards.
It is always surprising what a project can uncover and the work undertaken at Findlater’s Corner at London Bridge was no exception. The discovery of this intricate mosaic work was one of the facets of a project that deservedly won the Southeastern Commercial Restoration Award at the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards.