Our new-build apartment house project – Victoria House and Albert House – at the edge of Pittville Park was 7 years in the planning before we bought the site from Gloucester County Council. Our most significant contribution in this instance has been the connections we have forged with the Pittville Studios – part of the University of Gloucestershire where we have established an annual ‘travelling art’ scholarship. Works of art are often on display within the lobbies of Pittville Place and an art competition was also held in the early days. The resulting artworks were inspired.

The five striking Victorian villas at Westcliff – on the cliff top overlooking the Severn Estuary – were once a girls’ school and more latterly part of Weston College. As such Westcliff holds memories for many local people. Weston’s U3A’s History Group has visited the property accompanied by eminent local historian Dr John Crockford -Hawley and local conservationists. Artists have painted Westcliff and its stunning sea and sunset views across the Severn Estuary and enlarged photographs of them by talented local photographer Sally Farndon, grace the Show Apartment’s walls. There is an on-going programme of community-focused activities for the year ahead designed to impress upon the local community Broadway Heritage’s commitment to respect enhance the local environment for posterity.

The Sunningdale and Ascot Art Society participated in a Charity Art Competition that we organised for our new Arts and Crafts revival style apartment house overlooking Ascot Racecourse. So impressed was one member of the Society that they went on to buy the first of our 14 apartments. Two promising sculpture students at the Royal College of Art designed and created a bronze of three top hats, which now occupies a plinth in the courtyard. It is aptly called “Hats off!” The students discovered during their research that former circus supremo Billy Smart, once lived on the site, so the top hats neatly connected the circus with the formal attire worn at the world-class Ascot racecourse just across the road from Ascot Place.

The Elms is an impressive Italianate Victorian mansion alongside new-build apartment buildings that reflect the style and period of the mansion itself, which was built for the son of the local mill owner Potto Brown. His neighbouring Houghton Mill stands on the River Great Ouse and is now owned by the National Trust. The landscape trustee John Drake, known to Michael Hodges having worked together on the restoration of Moggerhanger Park, was able to provide useful gardening advice for as we restored the 6-acre Victorian landscape to its intended glory. John has a great deal of experience and also runs the Cambridgeshire Gardens Trust. Members of the Houghton & Wyton Local History Society have been our guests at The Elms during one of their Houghton Feast Weeks and we have provided guided tours of The Elms’ Grade 2-listed mansion – which previously had been used as research laboratories. We also held an art contest with local art groups and the results were delightful.