Aerial view of the Observatory Cafe and Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background

Clifton Observatory Café by RPA

Richard pedlar architects — Bristol

Spaces that work.
Buildings revived.
Homes you love.

From homes and restaurants to nurseries and churches, Richard Pedlar Architects designs new buildings and works with historic and listed buildings across Bristol and beyond.

See Our Work
Oak spiral staircase in a new-build house, Clifton, Bristol
Oak spiral staircase in a new-build house, Clifton, Bristol

Thoughtful design. Built on understanding

Close to 50 years of practice in Bristol, a reputation built one project at a time, turning vision to reality across:

Homes – extensions, refurbishments and new builds

Hospitality and commercial – restaurants, cafés, bars and workplaces

Historic buildings – Listed Building Consent, Conservation Areas and sensitive repair

Community – nurseries, churches and places of worship

Working across Bristol and beyond.

More About Us

Diverse projects delivered beautifully

Whatever the scale or the sector, our approach is the same: understand the ambition, get to know the building and design something that works in all ways.

  • Contemporary glazed extension to a Victorian house in Backwell

    Extension, Backwell

  • Glazed swimming pool building behind a stone wall in Chew Valley

    New swimming pool building, Chew Valley

  • Pietro Lounge café bar frontage in Ludlow

    Pietro Lounge, Ludlow

  • Kitchen extension with vaulted timber roof and rooflights, Westbury-on-Trym

    Kitchen extension, Westbury-on-Trym

  • Restored stone outbuildings around a cobbled courtyard in Chew Valley

    Restored outbuildings, Chew Valley

  • The Cloakroom Café, a restored Edwardian building in Bristol

    The Cloakroom Café, Bristol

  • Single-storey rear extension with sliding glass doors, Bristol

    Extension, Bristol

  • Torwood School building with stone base and timber-clad upper storey, Bristol

    Torwood School, Bristol

  • Veranda and garden at Warmley Waiting Room Café, Bristol

    Warmley Waiting Room Café, Bristol

  • Bar at The Battleaxes pub in Wraxall

    The Battleaxes, Wraxall

  • Colonnaded terrace seating at the Cosy Club, Bath

    The Cosy Club, Bath

  • Candlelit dining room at The Castle Inn, Bradford on Avon

    The Castle Inn, Bradford on Avon

  • White kitchen extension with rooflights, Pembroke Road, Bristol

    Kitchen extension, Pembroke Road, Bristol

  • New porch with stained glass doors, Redland, Bristol

    New porch, Redland, Bristol

  • Kitchen extension opening onto a timber deck, Henleaze, Bristol

    Kitchen extension, Henleaze, Bristol

  • Cosy Club frontage in a stone building, Stamford

    Cosy Club, Stamford

  • Aerial view of Clifton Observatory and Café beside the Clifton Suspension Bridge

    Clifton Observatory Café, Bristol

  • Dining room extension with full-height glazing onto the garden, Bristol

    Extension, Bristol

  • White rendered new-build house with deep roof overhang, Clifton

    New-build house, Clifton

What we do

From family homes to cafés and bars, we design spaces people love. We help families get more from where they live – from extensions to new builds, refurbishments to thermal upgrades. In the commercial world, we work with restaurants, cafés and bars — including the Loungers Group across the UK – plus nurseries, early years settings and places of worship. Same care, every time.

Explore Services

    • New Build Homes

    • Garden Buildings

    • Extensions

    • House Refurbishment

    • Retrofit & Thermal Upgrades

    • Restaurants, Cafés & Bars

    • Flats & HMOs

    • Shopfronts & Signage

    • Listed Building Consents

    • Conservation Area Consents

    • Heritage Statements

    • Nurseries & Educational

    • Churches & Places of Worship

  • Gael Mackenzie

    “I have used RPA on a number of projects over the years. They really take time to find out what ‘end result’ you are looking for and whether it’s feasible or not. I would thoroughly recommend the practice to any individual or business, large or small”

  • Julian Arnold

    “RPA dealt with a retrospective planning consent application for a Grade II listed flat I owned in Clifton, Bristol that I was unable to sell without the permission. A detailed report was compiled and submitted with sound reasoning and rationale for the works. The permission was granted with no changes required. Ali was a pleasure to deal with and kept me informed throughout the process”

  • Sean and Sally Mead

    “Sincere thanks to David Greening for his outstanding advice, patience and support. His experience and professionalism have been invaluable in guiding us through what has, at times, been a complex and challenging process”

  • Elizabeth Fry

    “I was very pleased with all aspects of the work. No detail was too small and Ali always replied to any queries promptly and made sure everything ran smoothly”

  • Hugh Sims-Williams

    “This is not a company to just make your building look good and comply with necessary regulations, this is an outfit that can rise to the challenges faced in a complex project which would make some developers wish to quit. At each stage, challenges have been researched thoroughly, expert opinions sought, out-of-the-box thinking applied, solutions presented clearly for me to decide upon. If you want to increase the quality of your project while reducing the stress, I can wholeheartedly recommend RPA”

  • Steve Wren Building Services

    “The RPA team has a good understanding of construction as well as design, which makes working together on projects straightforward. Their drawings and specifications are clear and well-thought-through and they are always approachable when questions arise”

  • Liz Scholey

    “Ali designed a wonderful garden/utility room extension for us. Although it is modern, it is completely in keeping with our 1930’s house. She project managed the whole process, was always easy to get in touch with and gave superb monthly reports. It was enormously helpful to have her on hand throughout the project and she was pleasure to work with”

  • Bob Morgan, Bristol Samaritans

    “Bristol Samaritans is based in a very old building which presented numerous technical challenges along the way. All were accommodated by RPA. Four years later, we refurbished the outside with RPA working with the same care and attention to detail”

  • David Marsh

    “We enjoyed working with Ali and her colleagues in the planning of a new four- bedroom house in Wrington. We were very impressed with her attention to detail, enthusiasm and desire to work with us to ensure we get what we wanted”

  • Graham Cossons

    “We highly recommend RPA. Ali acted as Site Architect and Contract Administrator for the design and redevelopment of our 1930’s detached house. It was a complex project but it went very smoothly and the end result was a beautiful and functional redevelopment”

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