Elwood Fund Management, in partnership with Landid, has selected Kingerlee as main contractor on the redevelopment of Cantay House on Park End Street in Oxford.
Originally designed in 1901 by local architect HJ Tollit, the distinctive red-brick building was developed as office and warehouse space for furniture removers and depositories firm Archer, Cowley & Co and over the decades the building has evolved through a variety of commercial and leisure uses.
Designed by Spratley & Partners, the redevelopment will see Cantay House restored and repositioned as a mixed-use destination providing 30,059 sq ft of contemporary work and hospitality space in the heart of the city.
Plans include the creation of Grade A office accommodation, new amenity areas, landscaped terraces and courtyard spaces, alongside a flexible ground floor venue designed to support daytime and evening activity.
Russ Black, head of asset management at Elwood Fund Management said: “Cantay House is one of Oxford’s most characterful and recognisable buildings, and we’re incredibly pleased to see work now beginning on site. Our vision has always been to restore the building in a way that respects its heritage while creating something genuinely exciting and relevant for the city today. The scheme will deliver exceptional workspace alongside a vibrant hospitality and cultural offer, helping to bring renewed energy to this part of Oxford and creating a destination people will want to spend time in.”
James Silver, managing director of Landid added: “Cantay House perfectly reflects Landid’s approach to development – repositioning existing assets to create outstanding offices for the future. With its rich heritage, prime location close to Oxford station and the continued shortage of best-in-class office space in the city, this is an incredibly exciting project for us to deliver.”
Darren Arekion, managing director of Kingerlee, said: “We are delighted to be appointed as the construction partner for this exciting project in a fantastic central Oxford location. With a strong local presence in Oxford, we are excited to be involved with the delivery of this high quality office and hospitality space. This scheme offers an exciting opportunity to help revitalise the local environment, and we look forward to working closely with Elwood, Landid and the design team, led by Spratley & Partners.”
