Gibraltar’s historic buildings are a defining part of the Rock’s identity and heritage.
Montagu Group is breathing new life into these buildings through carefully considered refurbishments that respect their architectural character while creating spaces for modern living and working. These projects are about more than restoring buildings; they are about bringing Gibraltar’s architectural legacy forward into a new era, ensuring that the places that have shaped its past can play a role in its future.
St Mary´s School
At 44 Town Range, Montagu Group was appointed Project Manager for the relocation of St Mary’s Lower Primary School to a long-unoccupied historic site in Gibraltar’s Old Town. The two existing buildings had stood vacant for decades, but behind their deteriorated façades lay an interesting part of Gibraltar’s history. Understood to have once formed part of the former Town Range Barracks, the site provided an opportunity to bring a forgotten piece of the city back to life and give it an important new purpose.
The existing structures were carefully stabilised and their historic façades restored, while new architecture was introduced to provide the space, light and facilities required for a modern school. A glass atrium connects the original buildings, creating the main entrance and a natural meeting point between old and new.
To accommodate the growing school, new upper levels introduce a more contemporary architectural language, with glass and timber balanced by integrated planting and a striking green wall within the entrance atrium. Sustainability, efficiency, and longevity were considered throughout, creating a school designed to serve generations to come.
Throughout the project, Montagu Group worked closely with the school team, balancing the complexities of working within a constrained historic site with the practical needs of its youngest users.
The result demonstrates how heritage and contemporary design can work together to create an inspiring place for learning, bringing life, energy and purpose back to a site that had been silent for decades
83 Irish Town
83 Irish Town has been home to Montagu Group for over two decades. As the business and team have grown, the building has evolved with us; most recently through a complete refurbishment that has brought new life to its historic fabric and created a home for the Group for many years to come.
The design takes inspiration from Mediterranean living and the traditional principles of Gibraltar’s older buildings: generous proportions, natural light, internal patios and spaces that bring people together. These ideas have been reinterpreted with contemporary materials and adapted to the way we work today.
Behind the restored historic façade, light floors, warm timber, greenery and glass create a calm, connected workspace. A central reception and surrounding meeting rooms reference the traditional Gibraltarian patio, while generous office spaces encourage collaboration and the exchange of ideas. A communal kitchenette on the first floor gives the team somewhere to step away, come together and enjoy the space beyond their desks.
The top-floor residence carries the same approach into the home, combining natural materials, open-plan living and refined contemporary finishes with the warmth and proportions of the original building.
Traditional principles, reinterpreted for contemporary life.
Family Home Main Street
As families grow, so do the spaces they need. In Gibraltar, historic buildings offer a unique opportunity to create generous family homes with a character and sense of proportion that is difficult to replicate.
For this Main Street residence, Montagu Group was appointed to project manage the careful extension and adaptation of an existing building into a contemporary family home — designed not simply around rooms, but around spaces for everyday life and togetherness.
The building was extended with an additional floor, using traditional proportions and detailing to ensure the new addition felt part of the original architecture. From the street, the intervention is deliberately understated, preserving the rhythm and character of the historic elevation while creating the additional space required within.
Throughout, the focus was on light, functionality and flexibility, creating a home that can adapt over time. Working closely with the owners, we balanced the practical needs of modern family life with the qualities and character of the original building.
A historic building, given new life as a home for today and tomorrow.
Family Home Irish Town
This Irish Town restoration gave a fifth generation of the same family the opportunity to make their home within a building that has been part of their family story for generations.
The property was carefully extended, reinstating a traditional palomar that had previously been removed, while original openings were retained and windows and shutters replaced like-for-like in natural hardwood.
The historic façade was restored with natural stone characteristic of Irish Town, and an original winch – a reminder of the building’s former life as a tobacco factory – was preserved and brought back to life.
The result is a sensitive renewal of a historic building, allowing another generation to remain in the heart of the Old Town and continue the traditions of family and community that have long defined it.
A historic family home, restored for a fifth generation and a new chapter in the heart of the Old Town.
