Lord Mayor of Chester, Councillor Sherin Akhtar, and representatives from the Bluecoat Charity have recognised 99-year-old Grosvenor Manor resident Cyril Morris for his lifelong services in the architectural preservation of the historic city of Chester.

Born within the city walls in 1927, Cestrian Cyril graduated in architecture and town planning before joining the Cheshire County Architect’s department shortly after the Second World War in 1949. Following the Blitz, many of the UK’s historical towns were in a sorry and neglected state with notable buildings of character and value damaged or destroyed – and Chester was no exception. In his role as director of technical services, Cyril led the post-war clean up and was actively engaged in the development and management of an innovative conservation programme dedicated to restoring and reviving the special architectural character and identity of the town.

Since retiring, Cyril has kindly donated some of his earliest architectural drawings, many of which were done by hand, to the Bluecoat Charity where they now hang proudly in the offices on Upper Northgate Street. As a thank you, the Lord Mayor and representatives from Bluecoat presented Cyril with a beautiful drawing of his own, a pencil sketch of the historic Bluecoat building which now has pride of place alongside other mementoes in his bedroom at Grosvenor Manor.

Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Akhtar, was honoured to make the presentation to Cyril. She said, “It is thanks to the tireless work of Cyril in protecting and preserving Chester’s heritage that we have an architecturally significant city that we can be proud of, one that garners interest and visitors from around the world. On behalf of the city and all at Bluecoat, I’m delighted to making his presentation today. Thank you Cyril.”

Cyril added: “Conservation is not about living in the past, it is the creation of an environment within which our architectural heritage can survive for future generations.”

Home manager at Grosvenor Manor, Anne Hughes, said: “Cyril is truly passionate about architecture and preservation and has dedicated much of his life to ensuring the very best of Chester is protected and celebrated. We are delighted to celebrate him with this special presentation today.”

Grosvenor Manor is part of the Lovett Care Group. With a vision to create caring communities in which our elders thrive, Lovett is one of the UK’s leading care home groups with 28 homes across Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Cheshire. Filled with joy, togetherness and love, Lovett Care homes are places where life is truly lived. For more information, visit lovettcare.co.uk.