celebrating-poundbury-magazine

In association withMAKINGPOUNDBURYBUZZUpon completion in autumn 2016, Queen MotherSquare will be the new heart and centre of PoundburyIt will be the lynchpinfor the area and is at theheart of the projectAn iconic monumentcommemorating theQueen Mother willstand pride of placeby the time QueenMother Square iscompleted in late 2016.The developments for the north and eastside of the square are already hinting atthe considerable changes to the existingarchitecture and feel of the square.The square was designed by Quinlan andFrancis Terry and Working Group Architectswhose brief was to design the ‘central andmost important’ square at the heart of thedevelopment.The south side of the square was completedin 2011 and later that year the Little Waitrosewas officially opened by The Prince of Walesduring one of his royal visits.One of the most fascinating recent projectshas been the rebuilding of Weymouth’sJubilee Hall after it was demolished in2006. The building’s cast iron columns andbrackets were subsequently discoveredlaying in a scrap yard, and the Duchy founda way of incorporating them into the 4,000ft squared pannier building next to the LittleWaitrose at the end of the Kings Point Housearcade.Since it was opened in October last year,The Brace of Butchers has proved to bevery popular due its range of quality meatand other fresh local products, from theirown watercress farm to even being the firstretailer in the UK to stock fresh wasabi.Other gems for shoppers to discover includethe Gallery On The Square café, The EngineRooms restaurant and award-winning deliand café Olives Et Al in the Potting Shed.Poundbury Estate Director SimonConibear describes the square as makingPoundbury “buzz”.It now hosts the monthly PoundburyFarmers’ Market on the first Saturday of eachmonth and it is the home of the popularDorset Food & Arts Festival held the firstweekend every August.When the development has finished “itwill be the lynchpin for the area and is at theheart of the project,” he added.To the north of the Queen Mother Squareproject will be Royal Pavilion, a classicalbuilding of 20 luxury apartments above ahealth spa. The building will be the highestin Poundbury, in accordance with themasterplan vision set out by Leon Krier in1988.A brand new inn named after the Duchessof Cornwall is being built on the east sideof Queen Mother Square. The Inn willcomprise a public house and restaurantwith 20 guest rooms above. It is a jointventure development between the Duchy of10 11