CASE STUDY

Housing

Skilled Labour Services Ltd have been given the opportunity to work alongside Excel Building & Development Ltd at the HM Prison Kingston re-development.

 

Kingston is a former men’s prison located in Portsmouth. Built in 1877 it has had it’s fair share of notable inmates, from Celebrities to Nazi war criminals and has also had quite a varied history, serving as a boys borstal and as a Police station during WW2.

 

In March 2013 Kingston Prison closed it’s doors for the last time and re-development at the site has now begun, the former prison will be developed into 1-3 bed apartments designed by developers City & Country.

THE OVERALL LAYOUT OF THE FACILITY IS IMMACULATE, VERY CLEAN AND BUILT WITH
ARCHITECTURE IN MIND

Operations Manager Chris Douglas has recently visited the site to assist our client with sourcing groundworkers and labourers to carry out works on the access points and footway, as well as building access chambers for sewage points and reinstatement works.

The works are well underway, Chris says:

“SLS have worked on several historical sites over the years.”

“Portsmouth Harbour Walls, Blenheim Palace and Stone Henge to name but a few, however the Kingston Prison site was to me, far more interesting than the other projects. The reason being is that being a Pompey bloke and having driven past the prison for many years, finally getting the chance to see what was behind those big, forbidding gates was exciting as I had imagined all sorts of things of what may lay beyond.”

“What I saw was not what I had envisioned, the buildings, prison and the overall outlay of the facility is immaculate, very clean and built with Architecture in mind.”

“I’m sure that being imprisoned at Kingston was no fun, but for those who will soon be living there.. rest assured, they will be buying into a wonderful piece of Portsmouth history and will have a property with three foot thick walls!”

SLS HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD WORKING WITH LISTED BUILDINGS

The development will consist of 267 homes which will also include affordable housing developed by VIVID Homes, gardens, a café and a car park.

 

Kingston is a Grade II listed building and developments have had to be mindful of the heritage while more modern parts of the site are demolished. Plans show several cells forming the layout of a one bedroom property, which offers a unique living space.

 

Despite Kingston’s dark history it’s new lease of life will brighten it’s future while also bringing an exciting new collection of homes to the City of Portsmouth.