Student homes at Mardol House

Willmott Dixon was appointed by Shropshire Council under the Scape Group's Major Works framework to revive one of Shrewsbury’s most prominent town centre buildings.

Our team of fast-track specialists were tasked with converting the six storey Mardol House into a modern facility providing homes for 85 students attending the new university.

New lease of life for 50 year old building

Previously, Mardol House housed a county magistrates court and Inland Revenue offices but had been empty for over a decade. Its conversion by our team during the summer of 2015 marked a return to a town where we delivered the award-winning Theatre Severn five years ago, now Shrewsbury’s cultural hub.

The new lease of life we gave to the 50 year old Mardol House saw studio apartments with kitchenettes and en-suite facilities added, along with an apartment for a university tutor. The fast-track project took just three months to complete, coinciding with the opening of the new University Centre Shrewsbury.

Paul Kirkbright, University Centre Shrewsbury Deputy Provost:

“Mardol House was renovated to provide high-quality accommodation close to the main teaching and learning site at Guildhall and the administrative base at Rowley’s House."

Willmott Dixon’s managing director for residential construction in the Midlands, Simon Leadbeater:

“This project saw our team bring back to life a building that will play a key role in the on-going economic prosperity of the town. It also plays to our skills of working in tight, constrained urban sites to deliver high-quality conversions of buildings for new uses.”

Stakeholder engagement was key: we worked with Shropshire Council and the Shrewbury Business Improvement District to avoid disruption to people and business. It's part of our experience of working with live environments which is among the best in the industry.