Jesmond’s own Mansion House was the sight of the Lord Mayor’s Design Awards at the end of last month.

The prestigious awards are given out every two years and are designed to recognise and celebrate the best architectural design that Newcastle has to offer.

The recently-redeveloped Newcastle High School for Girls had an excellent evening, winning the coveted Lord Mayor’s Special Award as well as being a Commended Finalist in the New Building Category:

Delighted that @NewcastleHigh project for @GDST scooped the Lord Mayor's Special #award at the Lord Mayor's Design Awards Newcastle, and was also a Commended Finalist in New Building Category. Congratulations to all the team @GDST @EWArchitects @WatesGroup @CurtinsConsult pic.twitter.com/IiWYcpwWOV

— Suzanne Cocker (@SuzanneFeather) February 5, 2018

The Conservation Award  went to the Boiler Shop in Newcastle’s Stephenson Quarter after undergoing a huge regeneration project and reopening in 2016. The old Stephenson Company locomotive works, which dates back to 1820 and was saved from dereliction in the 1990s, now hosts a variety of music and food festivals.

Newcastle University’s efforts towards environmentally sustainable architecture were also recognised with the new Urban Sciences Building given the award for sustainability. The development cost £58 million to build, opened in September last year and is located on the Science Central regeneration site in the centre of Newcastle.

Councillor Linda Wright, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle was excited be a part of such a positive event. She said: “It was a pleasure and an honour to hand out the collection of prestigious Lord Mayor’s Design Awards to such a talented array of designers, architects and construction professionals.

“The projects from the education, leisure, residential and commercial sectors represents the healthy condition of Newcastle’s design principles. The awards are a reflection of the hard work that people put into how our great city looks for residents, workers and visitors to Newcastle.”

First introduced in 1996, over the years the Lord Mayor awards have been awarded to outstanding projects in planning, architecture, and environmental design of both urban and landscape developments.