September 2026
Thread’s Claire will be speaking at RE:WORK
Existing buildings and places are the future. That's the argument REWORK sets out to make, and to test, over one day at The Wool Shed, Glove Factory Studios, Wiltshire, on Friday 4 September 2026.
The case for reuse usually gets made with finished photographs. REWORK asks for something harder. Claire joins the speaker line up to talk about the Buttermarket. Every speaker answers the same four questions about a real project: what it took, what it cost, what it costs to run, and where it nearly fell over. A day of real numbers and real setbacks, told by the people who did the work rather than the people who wrote it up afterwards.
Organised by RIBA South West and RIBA Wiltshire. Sponsored by VELUX.
Buy tickets
July 2026
Back on track: Boston Lodge Works in The Architectural Review
“ ‘In our projects, we work on the basis that the site will tell us what to do.’
At Boston Lodge, these instructions were found through forensic research, cross referencing listings and archaeological reports with details found in the grain of old photographs.”
Laxmi Andrews reports on the adaptation by Thread of Boston Lodge Works rail engineering site - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - to tell the story of how innovation in engineering and the expansion of the Ffestiniog Railway helped to grow the trade of Welsh slate globally. Now a visitor attraction, Boston Lodge also sees education and training of local people and promoting Welsh Slate as integral parts of its offer.
“ ‘Following a lineage of adaptation at Boston Lodge, Thread’s interventions might be read as part of a broader project to reframe the narrative surrounding this post-industrial landscape, to restore in local communities a sense of pride and show a path forward.”
Thread acted as Lead Consultant and Architect for the £5m project, delivering work to 11 buildings across the listed site, to a combination of new build, extension, conservation and restoration of long lost structures.
July 2026
Thread’s Claire and Vanessa present at the SAVE Buildings at Risk launch 2026
Claire and Vanessa were guest speakers at this year’s Buildings at Risk launch: SAVE's pioneering Buildings at Risk register highlights historic buildings that are vacant and whose future is uncertain.
This year a record 208 buildings across the UK were added to the Register. The new cases, nominated by the public as well as conservation professionals and local authorities, have increased the Register to around 1,500 buildings at risk – the biggest in its history.
At Thread, we tackle the projects which sit at the most challenging intersection of conservation, heritage and architecture. We specialise in bringing lost buildings back from the brink. At the Buildings at Risk Launch, Claire and Vanessa talked about one project that has recently completed - the successful reuse of the Buttermarket in Redruth as a thriving community led space, leading to it being removed from the Register, and becoming an important and lively local asset, and one that has been added to the Register this year. Tone Works in Wellington is a site of national and international historical significance, with unique machinery for the washing, drying and finishing of cloth produced at Tonedale Mill. This vast but dilapidated grade II* C18th textile finishing works is at the beginning of its journey back into use shows the kind of potential that typifies proejcts on the Buildings at Risk register.
Photography: SAVE
July 2026
Glastonbury Abbey wins Planning award
Glastonbury Abbey Yard and St Dunstan’s House won ‘best in region and best project’ for RTPI awards for planning excellence 2026 South West.
The judges describe the two neighbouring projects: “This heritage‑led regeneration unites the transformation of Glastonbury Abbey Yard with the creation of St Dunstan’s House Community Health & Wellbeing Centre. The project sensitively restores historic assets while delivering an inclusive, vibrant public realm and high‑quality wellbeing facility shaped by local priorities. Visitor experience has been significantly enhanced through a reimagined Abbey arrival space, improved accessibility and modernised community services. Innovative climate‑resilient drainage, biodiversity measures and reuse of historic materials demonstrate sustainability leadership. This project strengthens cultural identity, supports local pride and delivers lasting social, environmental and economic value. It is a model for sustainable planning in heritage settings.”
Thread acted as Architect for Glastonbury Abbey Yard to create a new public realm and form a new entrance to celebrate the site’s history. The architect for St Dunstan’s House was O2i Design. The planning consultant for both schemes was Mott MacDonald. The two projects evolved in parallel through close collaboration between project and client teams, to ensure create a coherent vision for one the historic location.
Photography: @claire_thread
May 2026
Buttermarket awarded three prizes at the RIBA South West and Wessex Awards
The Buttermarket continues its award-winning streak. We are delighted that our work to bring the Buttermarket back into use for the Redruth Community – as a workplace, meeting place and cultural centre won an RIBA South West and Wessex award.
The Awards Jury said: “The jury was struck by the project’s emotional and design intelligence. This is architecture that understands trajectory – of time, of place, and of community. Rather than impose novelty, the architects have uncovered what was already latent: flexibility, adaptability, and collective ownership. There is a deliberate modesty here. The architecture does not intimidate; it invites participation.”
Read the full citation from the judges here.
Redruth Revival CIC was also recognised with Client of the Year, and Claire won Project Architect of the Year as well.
John Ette, Partnerships Team Leader at Historic England, said: “These RIBA awards rightly recognise the Buttermarket as a superb example of what heritage-led regeneration can achieve. Through the careful repair of its Grade II listed buildings and a clear vision for public use, this once underused site has been transformed into a thriving cultural and social hub. We’re proud to have supported this project, and commend Redruth CIC and Architecture Thread for delivering a thoughtful, forward-looking project which is bringing a new energy to the heart of Redruth.
Photography: @claire_thread
March 2026
Thread celebrated the recognition of two of our projects at the Civic Trust Awards
Our project Boston Lodge Works, in North Wales, was Highly Commended for "securing the future of a historic working site, not by freezing it in time, but by ensuring it remains active and relevant for generations to come."
We were thrilled that the team’s work to support the working railway site in retaining and passing on the traditional engineering and craft skills needed to keep the railway’s heritage alive was recognised. Repairs, adaptations and new interventions were undertaken with a clear understanding of the site’s industrial history, allowing historic buildings, structures and processes to remain legible and active. The project provides direct access to previously inaccessible areas to give people access to a nationally important industrial heritage site and skills development.
https://www.civictrustawards.org.uk/winners/boston-lodge-works
The Buttermarket won a Civic Trust Award for its role in revitalising community life in the centre of Redruth, Cornwall. The judges noted that it is “A remarkable example of heritage-led regeneration, achieved by the local community for the local community.” The project revitalises the town’s historic civic space by providing a flexible, welcoming public realm to support gathering, exchange and small local businesses. The environmental impact of the project was minimised through the use of carefully considered interventions, selection of durable and recycled materials and the reuse of existing fabric, whilst its flexibility provides long-term civic value to reduce the need for frequent change.
https://www.civictrustawards.org.uk/winners/the-buttermarket
It was deeply inspiring to see our projects among the array of other projects working to engage with their communities, connecting people to heritage and to nature, and generally trying to make the world a better place.
Photography: @claire_thread
September 2025
The Buttermarket awarded AJ Retrofit of the Year 2025 & Winner in the Conservation & Historic under £10m category.
We are so thrilled (and still in shock) to announce the Buttermarket was awarded the AJ Retrofit of the Year 2025 and was also the winner in the Conservation & Historic under £10 million category.
We are so grateful to The Architects Journal and the judges for their words:
‘In some ways, it looks as though nothing has been done to it but it’s clear that there is considerable care and ingenuity at work in showing how a historic structure can be brought back from the brink’. Read the full article here
The Buttermarket is a heritage-led regeneration of five Grade II-listed buildings around a central courtyard in Redruth, Cornwall, part of the Redruth Conservation Area and the Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site. Now home to flexible workspaces, food units, and a first-floor gallery, the Buttermarket fosters economic and cultural activity through accessible, affordable spaces for food entrepreneurs, artists, small businesses, and community events—offering a sustainable model for community-led regeneration in the heart of Redruth.
Honoured to have worked alongside:
Client: Redruth Revival
Recycled glass: @osengreesreflection
Project Manager & QS: Trevor Humphreys Associates
Structural Engineer: PCA Consulting
Mechanical and Electrical Engineers: Method Consulting
Principal Designer: CHPK
Contractors: Jewell Construction
Photography: @claire_thread
Press: Salt Press
August 2025
The Buttermarket, Redruth Receives Cornish Building Group Award and Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Award
Thread were honoured to attend the Cornish Building Group Award ceremony at Rosewarne House, hosted by @cornishbuildingsgroup. We left with two awards for the Buttermarket: the CBG 2025 Award and the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Award— and a hefty slate!
Congratulations to everyone involved in the project and all the winners!
#heritageaward #worldheritagesite #conservation#thebuttermarket
June / July 2025
Thread’s Claire presents to the AHF’s Heritage Development Trust programme on the design of the Buttermarket
Last week, the Buttermarket team welcomed the @archhfund Heritage Development Trust programme to the Buttermarket in the heart of Redruth. As part of this Claire Fear gave a short presentation on the design and evolution of The Buttermarket.
Trusts from across the UK — including Derry and Glasgow — joined us to explore Redruth Revival’s regeneration journey with the Buttermarket and share ideas around the reuse and revitalisation of historic buildings. It was a pleasure to showcase the progress of our project and highlight wider heritage-led regeneration in the town.
Heritage Development Trust is a national programme for organisations, all sharing a unifying commitment to the reimagining, repair, and reuse of historic buildings of value to their community, turning neglected heritage assets in our city and town centres into foundations for economic, social and cultural resurgence.
Image: The Buttermarket Team and Trusts from the AHF development trust programme
May 2025
Thread’s Vanessa Ruhlig recently collaborated with geographer and researcher Caitlin DeSilvey to co-author a piece for the online journal e-flux Architecture. Their article entitled The Building Tells Us What It Needs is a conversational essay which explores the notion of adaptive release in the context of Thread’s work at Tone Works. DeSilvey discusses how buildings experience cycles of change which are layered onto structures over time, and then gradually released or reorganised as elements are lost. The decision to embrace this change can be used in a positive way to promote renewal and offer mutual benefits to people and nature. Vanessa describes how Thread has taken a targeted approach to repairs at Tone Works, a gradual process which has provided the opportunity to study and understand the layers of change on the site, to determine where repairs are most appropriate and the form these can take. The article can be read here:
https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/framing-renovation/672481/the-building-tells-us-what-it-needs
e-flux Architecture Article
May 2025
Thread’s Vanessa speaks at the South Wales and West of England Regional Industrial Archaeology Conference 2025
Vanessa was invited by the Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society (SIAS) to present a talk on Tone Works at the South Wales and West of England Regional Industrial Archaeology Conference 2025. The conference was hosted this year by SIAS on 26 April 2025 at Walton in Somerset. The annual event is a gathering of local industrial archaeology societies, offering a selection of talks, specialist books and publications and visits to places of interest.
Some of the talks on the day included presentations on the industrial archaeology of Porlock, the heritage of Coker canvas, and the workers' housing built by Clarke's in Street.
Vanessa presented a brief history of the development of Tone Works, a Grade II* listed woollen cloth finishing and dye works in Wellington, Somerset. Her talk went on to describe Thread's work with Somerset Council over the past 5 years to coordinate a programme of asbestos decontamination and targeted structural repairs and reroofing of the site's buildings, highlighting some of the interesting challenges faced as the team works to enable the future reuse of this significant industrial heritage site.
May 2025
Boston Lodge Engineering Works £5m NLHF Project Completion Celebration
Boston Lodge is the world's oldest continuously operating railway engineering works, located within the historic slate landscape of north Wales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project aims to tell the stories of the railways, their history, and the skills involved in their operation, making them accessible to future generations and preserved the built heritage of this international significant heritage railway.
Thread acted as Lead Consultant and Architect for the £5m project, delivering work to 11 buildings across the listed site, to a combination of new build, extension, conservation and restoration of long lost structures.
Image: Guests at Rhiw Goch / Gwesteion yn Rhiw Goch. L-R: Andrew White (NLHF Director for Wales / Cyfarwyddwr Cymru CTLG), Claire Fear (Architect, Thread), Denise Poulton (NLHF Trustee / Ymddiredolwr CTLG), Dr.John Prideaux CBE (F&WHR Chariman / Cadeirydd RhFfE), Rebecca Ball (NLHF / CTLG), Paul Lewin (F&WHR General Manager / Rheolwr Cyffredinol RhFfE), Edwina Bell (Project Manager / Rheolwr Prosiect), Graham Cole (FR Society Chairman / Cadeirydd Cymdeithas RhFfE).
April 2025
Vicars Close - £4.4m NLHF Funding Success
Wells Cathedral received a significant boost from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), granting them £4.4 million towards their campaign to preserve Vicars' Close, a medieval street in Wells. This funding supports critical conservation works on the Grade I listed buildings, including repairs like re-roofing and exterior joinery. The project also aims to introduce a new visitor experience, opening up four of the buildings on the street to the public for the first time.
Thread are working as Interpretation designers on the project, in collaboration with Joseph Buckler, musician and composer to deliver the visitor experience across four buildings along this medieval street.
Image: Vicars Close - a historic medieval street in Wells, Somerset, England, believed to be the oldest intact residential street in Europe still used for its original purpose.
April 2025
£5 Million Award to Secure the Future of Historic Tylorstown Welfare Hall
Tylorstown Welfare Hall, one of the last surviving miners’ welfare halls in the South Wales Valleys, has been awarded over £5 million in funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and revitalise the building for future generations.
Built in 1933 through contributions from local miners, the Grade II listed hall has long stood as a focal point of community life. This significant investment will enable its transformation into a vibrant, multifunctional space that meets the evolving needs of the community—offering access to education, cultural activities, support services, and more.
Thread is proud to act as Lead Consultant and Architect for the project. “This is a transformative opportunity for a building of deep architectural and social significance,” said Project Architect Jenny Matravers. “We’re honoured to help shape its next chapter—creating a space that respects its past while looking to the future.”
The restoration of Tylorstown Welfare Hall comes at a critical time for the region, which continues to face economic and social challenges. The renewed hall will play a vital role in reconnecting the community and expanding access to essential resources and opportunities.
Image: The large hall on the upper floors was once used as a cinema
April 2025
£2.5m Towns Fund & NLHF Fund Glastonbury Abbey’s New Welcome
Thread, as Lead Consultant and Architect for the Glastonbury Abbey Piazza project—alongside SEED Landscape as Landscape Architects—has completed a major redevelopment of the historic site, supported by £2.5 million in funding from the UK Government’s Towns Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The redevelopment of Glastonbury Abbey, one of the UK’s most historically significant sites, has transformed the visitor experience by creating a new public piazza, upgrading visitor facilities, and improving access to the Abbey’s grounds. As part of the project, the lost 12th-century cloister has been integrated into the façades through careful archaeological interpretation, adding depth to the site's history. These enhancements strengthen the Abbey’s role as a cultural and community landmark, making it a more welcoming and vibrant destination for all.
As lead consultants, Thread has worked closely with the Abbey and a glass Artist to bring this vision to life, ensuring that the site remains an accessible and vital part of Glastonbury's cultural heritage. This project represents a significant step in preserving the Abbey’s legacy while providing a modern, sustainable space for future generations to enjoy.
Image: Opening Celebration on 10 April 2025
February 2025
Buttermarket Shingles Win Surface of The Year - Exterior Surface 2025
The 100% recycled glass facade at the Buttermarket Project has won the Surface Design Award - Exterior Surface of the Year 2025.
The facade is the result of extensive collaboration between Thread and Tyra Oseng-Rees
The material developed for this project is crafted from 100% recycled waste glass, specifically discarded bottles collected from local pubs and restaurants.
Unlike conventional glass, the fused recycled glass for the Buttermarket is produced using a low-temperature fusing process that eliminates the need for additives, resin, or inorganic binders. The result is a visually stunning product that resembles stone or marble, offering a tactile quality that is both inviting and sophisticated. The semi-transparent texture allows natural light to play through in captivating ways, while the crystalline finish enhances its aesthetic appeal, making it a perfect fit for the Buttermarket with the projects strong recycled and reuse ethos.
The Buttermarket project stands as a testament to the beauty and functionality achievable through responsible design.
Image: Jen Boddington and Tyra Oseng-Rees collecting the award
Nov 2024
The BBC’s Wolf Hall Filming at Forde Abbey
For over 12 years, our Director and AABC-accredited architect Claire has been the incumbent architect at Forde Abbey—a Grade I listed, 12th-century Cistercian abbey and Scheduled Monument—delivering an ongoing programme of conservation and annual planning in collaboration with the Trustees, helping to safeguard the fabric of this nationally significant site. Open to the public. Earlier this year, the BBC filmed on location for Wolf Hall, with the Abbey prominently featured in the series trailer - and in the programme itself!
In addition to this Jenny, our Associate Director is currently refurbishing and extending the gift shop to form a new café in the Abbeys Walled Garden. More to follow..
Oct 2024
Historic England publishes Tone Works case study by Vanessa Ruhlig
Historic England’s Technical Conservation team commissioned Thread to write a case study to examine the process of bringing a heritage at risk building back into a state of repair for its future reuse by the community. This document highlights how the legal, funding and physical complexities attached to the repairs at Tone Works influenced the team’s methodology for the project, leading to a collaborative and bespoke targeted approach to conservation repairs across the site. The case study shows how such an approach can be used to inform the way urgent conservation repairs are achieved at Heritage at Risk sites.
The case study can be found here.
Oct 2024
Clifton Suspension Bridge Celebrates Museum Accreditation
Following Thread's work, alongside E3 Consulting Engineers, to design and install a passive archive in an existing building, the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust’s historic collections are now consolidated in a single location. This has enabled the Trust to attain Accredited Museum status from Arts Council England, a national benchmark that acknowledges the Trust's exemplary standards in management, education, collection care, and accessibility.
The project was led by Thread’s Jen Boddington.
July 2024
Glastonbury Abbey Augmented Reality App launched
Glastonbury Abbey launched a new augmented reality (AR) app called “Glastonbury Stories” which delves into the world of the medieval monastery, its archaeology, myths and legends.
In a collaboration with the University of Reading, Arcade and Thread the app takes users on a quest around the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. Using their mobile devices to uncover portals to the past, intrepid pilgrims will hear conversations from the abbey’s medieval inhabitants, discover lost artefacts rendered in 3D, and at certain locations even glimpse some of the grand buildings that formerly existed onsite.
The app is one of the first of its kind to be used at a UK heritage site. In 2015, Professor Roberta Gilchrist and Cheryl Green released new research on the previously unpublished findings of the abbey’s 20th century archaeological digs, inspiring public resources in the form of guidebooks, digital reconstructions, and more.
For further information and to download the app please go to https://glastab.be/stories
Jen Boddington with a 100% recycled glass shingle - later to be used for our Buttermarket Project.
Oct 2023
Jen Boddington is now a Certified Passivhaus Designer
Thread’s Associate Architect, Jen Boddington, is now certified to refurbish an existing building to achieve EnerPHit standards - a method of specifying a retrofit project that delivers a building which is a comfortable & healthy environment for users to inhabit, without on going high energy demand for heating or cooling.
The standard uses a fabric first approach and requires a high quality of construction to achieve certification. The key principles to achieve Passivhaus or EnerPHit:- Good Insulation; High levels of Airtightness; High performance Windows & Doors with shading designed to prevent overheating & Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery. For the retrofit project to achieve certification, a combination of these upgrades will achieve an annual heating demand of less than 25kWh/m2 per year.
Oct 2023
WILLIAM STANSELL Historic Building Awards for Tone Works Research
At the recent William Stansell Historic Building awards, Patrick Stow of Somerset Building Preservation Trust awarded Thread the Russell Lillford Award (named after the SBPT’s late chairman) in recognition of the extensive and meticulously detailed research prior to and during the on-going restoration work on the Tone Works, Wellington.
June 2023
Thread Appointed as Conservation Architects for TATE’s Palais de Danse
Thread will be working with Adam Khan Architects, Price & Myers and Ritchie+Daffin to work on Barbara Hepworth’s beloved workshop. The Palais has stood untouched from the point of Hepworth’s death in 1975 with her tools and artefacts preserved. The building was awarded a Grade II listing in 2020 and was recently gifted to the Tate.
This collaboration, an exceptional design team, chosen to renovate the Palais will uncover its rich history, realise its immense potential as a community-shaped heritage site, and continue its story by securing the building for the long term.
The reinvention of the Palais will ensure that it is once again a significant resource for community & collective creative activities, balancing its heritage significant with an active, year round programme of making, performing and assembly.
Dec 2023
Historic England Funding for Tone Works
Somerset West and Taunton Council has secured further grant funding for the next phase of repairs at Tone Works in Wellington.
The grant of £185,596 from Historic England will go towards Phase 3 of works at the nationally significant site which is home to a complex of Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings and was purchased by the council in 2020.
The latest funding follows a £348,420 grant received in January 2021 from the first round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund.
A second grant of £400,000 from the Heritage Stimulus Fund in October 2021 was used to employ specialist conservation contractors, engineers, ecologists and joiners to undertake structural repairs, including vital roof repairs and the stabilisation of the wall bounding the river.
The next phase of work will see one of the most complex and hazardous parts of the site made structurally stable opening up safe access routes to a number of different parts of the site.