The Wills Building, Newcastle

The Wills Building, a Grade II listed building, was constructed immediately after the Second World War to a pre-war design.  At its peak, it housed the production of six million Woodbine cigarettes a day.  More recently, demand declined and the factory closed in 1986.

Wimpey Homes acquired the building ten years later and converted the former front wing into 114 apartments.  Our design involved the extension of the double height central entrance hall to include the top floor, and the use of details that respected the building’s Art Deco origins throughout the common areas and into the apartments themselves.