Burrell Foley Fischer have been chosen as architects for the restoration and remodelling of the Grade I Listed home of Sinfonia Smith Square in the heart of Westminster. The project entitled ‘Doors Open: Transforming lives through music at Sinfonia Smith Square Hall’ has been awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform the 18th Century building to a dynamic, world class, cultural and music venue, with emerging talent at its heart.
The project aims to repair the historic fabric, improve accessibility and facilities for players and guest artists and create an outstanding experience for audiences and visitors, through upgraded lighting, sound, heating and ventilation systems. With an ambition to aim towards carbon zero, renewable energy technologies will be used in the building. Development funding of £452,035 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help Smith Square Hall progress its plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant at a later date.
A masterpiece of Baroque Architecture, Smith Square Hall, formerly St John’s Smith Square, is a renowned central London venue for classical music, welcoming 50,000 people a year to some 240 concerts and events. Recently rebranding to Sinfonia Smith Square, in April 2021 the building became home to Southbank Sinfonia, an orchestral development programme for young professional musicians. Its vision is to repair the building, making it a world-class cultural venue in London, whilst nurturing young, professional musicians through an annual orchestral development programme, alongside a schools learning and participation programme, and a new emerging talent pathway programme.
The building, dating from 1728, is Grade I listed but is now in need of urgent repairs. It was bombed during the Blitz and rebuilt to its original design in the late 1960s. Work to the building is likely to commence in early 2027 and take around 18 months to complete.
Commenting on the NLHF award, Rosie Fraser, Chief Executive said:
“We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. This is a huge step-forward for the organisation and we are working towards making the building fit for purpose for our players, audiences and visitors. We wish to embed the building and our music programmes in the local community, working with local schools and community groups to create a vibrant cultural venue and by providing meaningful training and volunteering opportunities”.
Stuart McLeod, Director England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“We are delighted to give our initial support to transform Sinfonia Smith Square Hall into a dynamic cultural hub for the community. This Grade I listed building has seen many uses over its long history, most recently as a concert hall and new home of Southbank Sinfonia. As the UK’s largest funder of heritage, we need to support these historic buildings in adapting and regenerating and this project is a great example of this. We look forward to working with the team to progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.”