Martin Sykes, a senior architect at LEP (Lloyd Evans Prichard) Chartered Architects in Manchester was recently invited by John Boys to enjoy a day out at Burnley Football Club for the fixture against Leicester City.
Unfortunately, the result was disappointing with Leicester scoring a last-minute winner to inflict a home defeat on the Clarets. However, this failed to put a dampener on the day and Martin had a brilliant time. The hospitality at Turf Moor was up to its usual high standard and Martin won a prize of a football signed by the Burnley players which he later presented to his son, Charlie.
Martin’s connection with B&E Boys goes back several years. Prior to taking up his current position at LEP in May 2018, he worked for Hattrell DS One – another well-known company of architects in Manchester. HDS1 worked on a project at The Doals Community Centre in Weir, near Bacup. The £700,000 project at Weir involved constructing a multi-purpose building for the benefit of the whole community on the site of the former Doals Baptist Church. The Doals Centre opened in September 2008.
Restoring buildings to their former glory is something that B&E Boys take great pride in. Martin Sykes shares our interest with of working on projects on listed buildings, and heritage and conservation work. Indeed, his most recent project with LEP was the conversion of a Grade II listed brewery in Manchester into 73 residential apartments. This project was RICS shortlisted in the Conservation category.
Martin’s particular interest in the design and architecture where the contemporary meets the historic will ensure he is involved in many exciting projects in the future. LEP Architects certainly have the credentials having worked on many important projects across Manchester and beyond. These include the restoration St Peter’s in Ancoats. This building is situated in the heart of what was once the bustling community that grew up alongside the many cotton mills in the area. The mills may be long gone, but Ancoats is an area that has benefited from much regeneration in recent years. LEP Architects also worked on the iconic Victoria Baths, a Grade II listed public baths built in 1905.