Wadebridge is a small town located in North Cornwall steeped in history and has more recently become a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. Originally known as Wade, it was a dangerous fording point across the River Camel until a bridge was built in the 15th century, after which, the name was changed to its present form – Wadebridge.
The town was served by a railway station between 1834 and 1967, notably, it was one of the first railways in Britain to carry passengers. Since the railways’ closure, part of the line now forms the Camel Trail, an extremely popular recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, with over 18 miles of traffic-free trails along the path of the disused railway. However, not all of the trains have disappeared, the ‘Bodmin and Wenford’ Heritage Railway still runs part of the route from Bodmin Town to Bodmin Parkway and Boscarne Junction, If you time it just right, you’ll often witness a steam train gently chugging along the 6 and a half miles of existing track.
If you are lucky enough to be in the Wadebridge area in early June, then you can visit the highlight of the year by attending the Royal Cornwall Show, a hugely popular annual agricultural show which takes place over 3 days and has something for the whole family from entertainment, competition and shopping to all the best in food and farming.
For ARCO2, Wadebridge is a beautiful place to work with stunning surroundings and uninterrupted views over the estuary that really brings that extra uniqueness to our properties.
Wadebridge CP School Classroom
Wadebridge holds quite a key to our hearts, our first school job came from Wadebridge CP school where we were tasked with designing a classroom on a limited budget, something which we had great success with after winning an international award for it. The local council did not believe ARCO2 could do it again with similar budget restraints – a feat we did actually achieve over and over again. In fact, the council used Wadebridge as a case study and model for future classrooms. As a result, we have been responsible for the sustainable design of many education buildings in the South West ranging from nurseries and pre-schools to classrooms and community centres.
View more images of Wadebridge Education Centre Designed By Arco2 Here
Broadmeadows live/work units
Arco2 Architects where involved right from the start of the redevelopment of Broadmeadows garage site into one of North Cornwall’s first purpose-built live-work developments. Consisting of five, two-bedroom live-work units, the emphasis for these units was to design a sustainable development, that was forward-thinking and constructed in an eco-friendly manner, incorporating locally sourced materials. For Arco2 to be involved in such an environmentally conscious project so close to Wadebridge and our own offices was perfect.
The new living concept is based upon a ground floor work area, 1st-floor bedrooms and an open plan lounge, kitchen and dining area on the 2nd floor. It was felt that because the design needed to encapsulate the essence of the new live/work concept, the buildings needed to take advantage of the site, its context and sustainable principles, whilst retaining the “green feel” within the site boundaries. The building features rear passive solar sunspaces with countryside views, cedar shingle roof, sedum roofs, solar thermal collectors for domestic hot water heating and large glazed areas to take advantage of natural light and the stunning views towards the Camel Estuary.
Since we designed this building the live-work ethos has changed slightly and you can now even book a holiday and stay in some of the live-work units. With their stunning views over the river camel, we can certainly see why these are a popular holiday home.
If you require architectural services in and around the Wadebridge area then do please get in touch with Arco2 Architects as we would love to discuss your project with you.