The Talbot Sisters’ Legacy
Footprint Architects with Hope for Food Charity, Tammy Woodward and Rebecca Smith of WDA
Reimagining the Victorian model village to tackle 21st century homelessness
In the mid-19th century, social reformers Georgina and Mary Anne Talbot built Talbot Village in Bournemouth in response to encountering impoverished communities. Acquiring land through inheritance, the sisters provided 19 cottages with one acre each, six farms, a school and church.
Talbot Sisters’ Legacy seeks to revive the founding ambition to provide good homes and amenities for those in need. Twelve new homes will sit amongst the original cottages for families and single people, with each person or family having their own front door and personal space to call home. Tenancies will have no timeframes, providing unpressured opportunity to find suitable, permanent homes that will minimise life disruption especially for children.
Five of the original Talbot farms were sold but now hold key community resources that will be reconnected by the Legacy project, creating long-term pathways and wider community support for residents. Links with these communities, schools and universities are pivotal to the project.
A new ‘Talbot family home’ will be built at the heart of the site, providing a purpose-built space for residents and students, past and present – offering support and somewhere to always call home. An integrated demographic engenders social cohesion, creating inclusive, diverse and multicultural networks. The ‘home’ will be open and staffed 24/7, providing services such as shared cooking facilities / classes, professional life skills drop-ins, homework / breakfast clubs, communal TV room, sharing library for tools/equipment and play areas.
Footprint Architects
Lucy Parkinson, Architect
Tammy Woodward, Social Worker
Western Design Architects
Rebecca Smith, Senior Designer
Hope for Food
Kevin Moore, Veteran Liaison
Brian Sutherns, Homeless Liaison
Frances Macaulay, Homeless Liaison
