Jewry Wall, Leicester

This project forms part of the major regeneration of the Jewry Wall Museum, transforming it into a reimagined Roman visitor attraction and cultural destination in Leicester’s historic Old Town.

Jewry Wall is a nationally significant archaeological site, with surviving Roman masonry dating back to around AD 160. The redevelopment sought to preserve and celebrate this heritage while delivering a modern, accessible museum experience capable of supporting contemporary exhibitions, visitor facilities and public engagement spaces.

Farrow Walsh were involved in Phases 3 and 4 of the scheme, providing structural engineering services to support the retrofit of existing office buildings into new visitor centre facilities. This included detailed assessment of the existing structures to determine their suitability for the proposed alterations and new public uses.

The project was set within a highly sensitive archaeological and heritage environment, requiring careful consideration to avoid adverse impact on the nationally important Roman remains. In addition, the scheme involved adapting existing office buildings for a completely new public function. This required thorough structural appraisal to understand the condition, capacity and limitations of the original buildings before introducing new loads, layouts and visitor-focused facilities.

Farrow Walsh undertook detailed structural assessments of the existing buildings to establish their capability to accommodate the proposed visitor centre adaptations. This informed a pragmatic and sensitive retrofit strategy, ensuring that structural interventions were proportionate and respectful of the wider heritage context. By carefully balancing preservation requirements with modern performance standards, the team enabled the successful transformation of underutilised office space into high-quality visitor facilities that complement the historic significance of Jewry Wall.