Indoor horse riding arena with five people preparing their horses, some adjusting saddle and gear, under ornate ceiling and unfinished wall.

Park Palace Ponies

Conversion of theatre into an urban riding school

This is Park Palace Ponies. This is not about architecture of form and aesthetic, this is about questioning convention and using creativity to connect people together, to build engagement and community ownership.

Park Palace Ponies began life as a pilot project, which ran initially for 12 months to encourage young people to try a sport not ordinarily accessible in the urban environment. It brings back into use a disused theatre building and leftover pieces of green space for pony grazing and connects to growing projects, which will be supplied with manure.

This is a grassroots-led project, which we helped to make happen, and shows how architects can be catalysts for change in extraordinary circumstances.

Map illustrating the redevelopment plan for Park Palace Ponies, highlighting activities such as re-establishing the horse parade, regaining theatre use, engaging with schools, connecting with community venues, supporting local businesses, fostering partnerships with riding schools, encouraging housing sector involvement, and collaboration with gymnasts.
Indoor gathering with people seated and standing, holiday decorations, and string lights on a wall.

Ripple Effect of Park Palace Ponies

A woman sorting hay inside a blue trailer and another woman looking at a wooden horse stable with a blue and white striped canopy.

“The team at Harrison Stringfellow enabled this dream. With maximum impact on minimum budget, the scheme at Park Palace sees a disused picture house in the Dingle area of Liverpool transformed into a starter riding school and stables for ponies.”
MacEwen Award Panel

2020 RIBAJ MacEwen Award Winner

A brick building with a sign reading 'PARK PALACE PONES', a woman walking a horse, and parked cars in front.
Close-up of a brown and white horse with a black mane, wearing a blue halter, standing outdoors in front of urban buildings.
Two horses in a wooden stable with a blue and white striped canopy, under a blue sky.

Park Palace’s client, a philanthropist with an interest in equestrianism, approached HSA to help him turn a pipe dream into reality. The project; to transform a former disused theatre, in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Liverpool, into a starter riding school. 

Originally, the project was intended to be a new-build, grant-funded facility, but collectively, we felt the success of the project was dependent on the community's buy-in, as their support would be critical to issues of security. Therefore, it became a pilot project in the existing building, a local landmark and a treasure-trove of memories from its previous incarnations as a theatre, cinema, pharmacy and bingo hall.

We promoted the story of the project to different audiences - the British Equestrian Foundation (who went on to fund the pilot project); the local neighbourhood; the council; and various other stakeholders. HSA also negotiated the lease of 5 acres of grazing from the council, bringing back into active use vacant pieces of land, and transforming the urban landscape.  We held community events to enable local people to find out about the project and contribute suggestions, organising and running a pop-up cinema event once the building was safe to use to let people in, and become part of the project.

Since opening the pilot project, the first 6 months saw 250 young riders taking part in the starter course, 40% of whom are from the local postcode L8 with over 200 more having contact with the ponies through open days and events. 

The success of the pilot led to us applying for, and securing, permanent planning approval. The project also received national recognition by becoming the recipient of the 2020 RIBAJ MacEwen Award, an accolade set up to celebrate ‘architecture for the common good’ - celebrating projects with a clear social purpose and which enhance the lives of people. “The winning 2020 scheme, Park Palace Ponies offers children skills rarely seen in the inner city.”

Read more about why we were chosen here.

Two children riding horses, each accompanied by an adult, inside an equestrian training arena with wooden wall panels and a concrete upper wall.
Empty indoor space with damaged decorative ceiling and a calf inside a wooden enclosure.
Outdoor market stall for Park Palace Ponies, with a large sign, two smiling vendors, and various vendors in the background. The stall has a table with documents and a popcorn box.
A young boy in a hat and rain boots happily riding a blue wooden horse on a hay bale at an outdoor event with other children and adults in the background.

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