The West Front is a unique collection of houses, from various periods, built into the ruins of the vast west front of the Benedictine abbey; a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This unusual context was the cause of insuperable maintenance problems, eventually leaving the houses uninhabitable. The building was restored and conserved through a partnership scheme between St Edmundsbury Borough Council and a private developer. The quality of the scheme and its importance to the town was acknowledged in an RIBA East ‘Spirit of Ingenuity’ Heritage Award, as well as an award from the Bury Town Trust.

The work was undertaken by R & J Hogg, a company known for their conservation work. Working jointly with them a skilled team of craftsmen were assembled, which lead to a number of conservation craftsmanship awards for the completed project.