ONE of North Cornwall’s most iconic monuments has won an award for its contribution to the conservation of Cornish heritage.

In 2023, a monumental project was kickstarted which would see Bude’s renowned and historic storm tower disassembled, relocated and reassembled. Now, following the success of the project - protecting the monument from erosion and ensuring its future for years to come - the Storm Tower has been awarded a Cornish Buildings Award 2025.

Run by the Cornish Building Group (CBG), the awards are made each year for the best recently-completed or renovated buildings. These include private, commercial and public developments, renovations and small building or landscape improvements. The 'Oscars' of building awards in Cornwall, the CBG Awards are respected and desirable recognitions of achievement, with entries from private individuals and architectural practices.

The scheme aims to promote projects which make a significant contribution to improving the built environment in Cornwall, while achieving a satisfactory solution to the aims and objectives of the client and their architect or designer.

For more than 40 years, the group has made awards each year - since 1981 - for recently-completed new buildings, or the restoration or conversion of old buildings of merit. During this period over 150 buildings have been recognised

Sitting among the cream of the crop for 2025 is Bude’s own entry at Compass Point. The project, which took around a year to complete, has been praised by judges for the “tremendous rescue of an extremely important part of Cornwall’s built environment”. In their feedback, they commended the work to save the structure from coastal erosion and restore it “so impeccably”. Judges also commented, saying that it is “wonderful to see the tower rise again in all its glory”.

After being announced as a winner, the award will be presented at a celebration evening at Holman Park, Camborne, onJuly 17, 2025.

Any project is eligible for the award, whether a structure as small as a bus shelter, or a housing estate or a large public building. It will be judged on its contribution to the built environment in Cornwall.

Previous winners include the Grade II-listed Bodmin Library and Morlanow in Falmouth.

On top of this win and in further recognition, the North Cornwall project has also been shortlisted in the Heritage Category of the RICS UK Awards 2025, which highlight outstanding contributions across the built and natural environment nationwide. Independent judges noted the exceptional standard of submissions this year, making the shortlist particularly competitive.

The nomination places the Compass Point project among some heavy hitters, with Elizabeth Tower, the V&A Museum, and the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh all also up for the award.

The national winners will be announced at the RICS UK Awards Grand Final in London hosted on October 16, later this year.

A spokesperson for Bude-Stratton Town Council said: “Bude-Stratton Town Council is proud to see this landmark project, which means so much to the local community, receive such significant recognition.”