Project Name:
The Former Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester

Type of Project:
Conservation Advice, Historic Context Appraisal, View Determination and Visual Impact Assessment

Date: May 2007

Architect: Gardner Stewart Architects (Master planners) and Spratley & Woodfield Architects

Planner: Pegasus Planning Group

Special Interest: Graylingwell Hospital was built in the late 1890’s by architect Arthur Blomfield as the West Sussex Lunatic Asylum. The buildings which make up this vast complex are all centred on a core of densely-packed interlocking buildings fronting onto registered parkland and are considered to have special architectural merit. The entire site is a Conservation Area, which includes a Registered Historic Park and Garden and features a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Scope of Professional Services
Heritage Architecture Ltd were commissioned to undertake the following:

• CONSERVATION ADVICE: Heritage Architecture Ltd acted as the heritage consultants for the Graylingwell Hospital project, advising two teams of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and the client through an intense competition involving the appraisal of the potential impact of substantial new build elements on the settings of historic buildings and on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

• HISTORIC CONTEXT APPRAISAL: An assessment of the historical development of the site including an appraisal of the contextual relationship of buildings and vistas within the immediate environs of the proposed development was undertaken by Heritage Architecture Ltd.

• VIEW DETERMINATION & VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: The potential visual impact of the proposed development was assessed as part of the concept design process to inform the final submission. A view determination map identifying key views and the view range that incorporated the settings of historic buildings or key characteristics of the Conservation Area was prepared.