Project: Queen Mother Square, Poundbury, Dorset

Architects: Quinlan & Francis Terry Architects

Client: Duchy of Cornwall

Built: 2009 - 2010

Value: £1.65 million

Brief description

This square, which will form the district centre of Poundbury will commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.  The buildings have been designed by Quinlan and Francis Terry.  In 2010 construction started on the buildings at the west side of the square, to incorporate a small Waitrose supermarket, a Local Producers Market and 40,000ft² of offices in a building designed by Quinlan Terry, and built as a joint venture between Woodpecker Investments and the Duchy of Cornwall. 

Unit 5 – To get the whole project within budget and without compromise to Quinlan Terry’s design, high level features and repetitive units were produced in precast.  This cannot detract from the whole scale and finish of the project in masonry terms as the precast sits on top of a perfectly executed natural stone colonnade comprising of 7 natural stone arches.

 The stones used were     

1) Woodkirk York – stone steps and paving

2) Portland Perryfield Whitbed – plinths, pedestals, keystones, column kneckings, column capitals, string course and imposts

3) Portland Coombefield Roach – columns, pilasters and arches.

4) Irish Blue Limestone – Arches and thresholds.

 The Roach Portland was used to give the impression of a vermiculated/tooled finish without any additional cost to the project.

 Unit 6 – Comprised of shop front plinths, column bases and door thresholds.

Unit 7 – Comprised of a natural Portland Perryfield Whitbed stone 45° corner feature with Corinthian pilasters and capitals with a dentiled pediment complete with Portland Urns.

 All 3 units were built concurrently.