The first Townscape Heritage Initiative project to be delivered in Gainsborough town centre
Alongside our Old Town Hall project in Gainsborough, we worked on two other shopfront renewal projects in the town, guiding the projects from their earliest stages and managing the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) funding process in partnership with West Lindsey District Council. Lathams acted as lead designer for 5–7 Market Place, which was the pilot scheme for the wider THI programme, and set an important benchmark for design quality and heritage-led regeneration in the town. We carried through these principles for our subsequent project at 5 Silver Street.
Working from RIBA Stages 1–5, Lathams developed and coordinated all design information for the Grade II listed townhouse on the historic Market Place, an area rich in listed buildings and architectural character. As part of the works, Lathams prepared a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment, carefully evaluating how the proposed alterations would affect the significance of the building and its wider setting.
The new hardwood timber shopfront was crafted using details drawn from historic photographs and archival research, ensuring the reinstated frontage felt authentic and rooted in the building’s past. Inside, the design team reconfigured vertical circulation to restore the hierarchy of the principal rooms, while keeping interventions to a minimum. The project also included the refurbishment of all existing hardwood windows and internal shutters, helping to retain the building’s historic fabric while introducing high-quality residential accommodation.