This mixed-tenure contemporary housing for older people in Bedford’s conservation area is designed to be sensitive to the Victorian and Edwardian housing around it. The scheme fuses modern and old, including white rendered recessed balconies and brick facades and integrates three Edwardian buildings from the former St Bede's School.
Beautiful gardens and vibrant communal spaces, including a restaurant and fitness suite, appeal to the diverse community, while generous space standards enable homes to be adapted as residents' needs change. “St Bede’s has given me a new lease of life,” says one resident. “My daughter says she been given her mum back.”