A catalogue of buildings in need of rescue has been published by Save Britain’s Heritage.(*) Many people want to find a redundant building to restore, and the problem, says SAVE, is matching the supply with the demand.
Among the buildings included in the SAVE catalogue are Grey Towers, a handsome ironmaster’s house near Middlesbrough, Cleveland; the imposing castellated Whitehaven Castle, Cumbria; the baroque Bramcote Hall, Warwickshire, the Georgian masonry shell at Woodfold Hall, near Blackburn, Lancashire; a “ravishing” late Elizabethan mansion, Sker House, on the South Wales Coast; and Maristow in Devon, with beautiful views down to the sea.
In addition, a number of smaller buildings on country house estates are urgently in need of rescue — the triumphal arch gate lodge at Combe Abbey, near Rugby, Warwickshire, the stables at Kirkleatham near Redcar, Cleveland; and a Palladian water tower at Waldeshare in Kent.
For those interested in industrial archaeology there are watermills at Tickhill near Doncaster, South Yorkshire and Flanchford Mill near Reigate, Surrey; the last group of colliery buildings in the Black Country, New Hawne, near Dudley; Scotland’s answer to London’s Firestone factory — the Indian Tyre offices — and the great five-storey Anchor Mills, both near Paisley.
Among public and institutional buildings there are the baths and wash houses at Collier Street, Salford, near Manchester; the old police station in Bridgend, Wales, and the Mechanics Institution at Darlington, Durham.
Of the properties listed some are not actually on the market. Owners, SAVE points out, may take the view that nobody could possibly be interested in such decrepit old buildings. With other properties, particularly where buildings are close to farms, there may be problems with access.
In such cases, SAVE’s president, Marcus Binney, says, a lot of patient negotiation may be required before the situation can be resolved. “But potential purchasers can take heart from the determination of many planning officers to make things happen. More and more are willing to make recommendations to their planning committees that repairs notices should be served. Often they have found that the simple threat has been enough to ensure the buildings are put up for sale or made wind and water tight.”
The same point is made in an English Heritage report(+) on emergency repairs for historic buildings in a life-threatening condition. The objective of saving a building is more often achieved by means of friendly persuasion and sound advice rather than invoking legislation, Eleanor Mitchell, the author of the report, says, although the mere existence of the legislation often convinces the owner of a deteriorating building to put the necessary repairs in hand, or sell to someone better able to do so.
The primary cause of deterioration is neglect by the owner. The most obvious causes of neglect are an inability to find an appropriate user, and buying a building for demolition. The most widespread physical cause of decay, resulting from this neglect, is water penetration setting up rot and infestation, the effect of which is swiftly cumulative and ultimately leads to collapse. The second most prevalent cause of decay is vandalism in empty buildings.
(*) Empty Quarters — The Listed Building Of Your Dreams. Save Britain’s Heritage, 68 Battersea High Street, London SW11 3HX. £6.50.
(+) Emergency Repairs For Historic Buildings. English Heritage, Fortress House, 27 Savile Row, London W1X 2HE. £15.
