A relaxing and pleasant experience
Located in the picturesque Peak District only a stones-throw from the historic Chatsworth House, Peak Village Outlet Shopping Centre is home to over thirty different retail outlets.
With events throughout the year and facilities including a nature reserve and numerous dining options, Peak Village offers a relaxing and pleasant experience for visitors.
Following their acquisition by The Devonshire Group, Peak Village underwent an extensive renovation. This renovation aimed to establish the retail outlet as a destination location for shoppers across the country.
To help revitalise the area, John E Wright & Co were contacted to update the signage of all thirty-one shops in Peak Village. This would be a comprehensive makeover of the external signage. Furthermore, it would introduce a consistent aesthetic in line with the surrounding stonework buildings – including a Grade II listed station.
Consistency and Efficiency
John E Wright were tasked with installing a new fascia sign and projecting sign for each of the thirty-one stores in Peak Village. While this sounded simple in concept, there were numerous challenges to overcome along the way.
The age of the stonework buildings meant all stores had different dimensions. As a result, we couldn’t design just one fascia and projecting sign, and apply it universally. Instead, we had each individual location surveyed.
By going to this extra effort, we could ensure that each sign fit perfectly to their respective shop front. Our client also requested that we create a strong line of sight through the main thoroughfare of the area. This meant that, by standing at one end, a visitor would be able to see the projecting signs of any shop along that path, all at the same level.
To achieve this, the projecting signs would be fixed onto a canopy which ran the length of both sides of the path. However, we realised the canopy would not be able to hold the weight of all the projecting signs.
Nevertheless, we came up with a solution which would meet the client’s request. Our solution was to fit a steel beam across the underside of the canopy – this would be strong enough to support the weight of the signs. This steel beam was designed with the aid of a hired structural engineer, who created a custom bracket that would fit perfectly to the needs of our client. We also took strives to camouflage the steel beam, painting it grey in line with surrounding timber, and fitting it partially behind the already existing timber frame.
This way, we were able to provide the support structure required while maintaining the traditional look of the area. The final result was an attractive thoroughfare which met the client’s needs in a safe, sturdy and non-intrusive manner. Of particular challenge with this work was the old station building located in the Peak Village.
This shopping unit is a Grade II listed building. Therefore, in compliance with the local panning authority and Historic England, metal substrates could not be used for the signage on this building. John E Wright instead enlisted the help of a specialist carpenter, and built a custom sign and bracket made entirely out of timber, which matched the visual design of all other signage.
We took careful measures to ensure our work not only met our client’s brief, but respected the local history of the area and buildings. Additionally, the timescale on this work was an essential aspect. In order to allow Peak Village to reopen fully complete, all install work had to be completed over two weeks.
This time would cover all thirty-one shopping units, plus any additional signage. With the additional design and manufacture time of six weeks, we were able to complete a full turnaround of this job in just eight weeks, keeping to our client’s requested timescale. John E Wright & Co wish Peak Village the best success for the future, as a destination for visitors looking for a relaxing retail experience in the Peak District.
We are pleased to see our hard work come to fruition, and are proud to be involved in revitalising retail spaces with respect to their historic surroundings. We take every care to meet our client’s needs in the right way, with efficient and bespoke methods that go the extra mile.
How can we help you?
If you have a branding, interior, exterior, exhibition or signage project to plan, please CONTACT US or email graphics@johnewright.com
