The Victorian Society's Top Ten Endangered buildings of 2016
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
The Victorian Society reveals its Top Ten endangered buildings of 2016
Old Bute Road Railway Station in Cardiff is just one of many buildings in need of help© David HillingAccording to the Society the greater number of buildings nominated from elsewhere in the UK may reflect the more difficult development situation outside the South East.
All of the buildings in the Top Ten are in real risk of being lost if action is not taken in the immediate future and Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society Vice President, has urged people living near the buildings on the list to ‘seize the opportunity’ and campaign to save them.
“The nationally important buildings on the Victorian Society’s Top Ten list are in dire need of help,” says the actor turned activist. “Many of them are in prominent locations in their towns and cities. Following my experience with the Hackney Empire I know how difficult finding funding can be – especially outside London.
“However, restoring important historic buildings is worth investing in as it can be a catalyst for wider regeneration. I hope people living near these buildings will seize this opportunity and campaign to save them. Ultimately, it is the support of local people which will ensure that they are not lost forever.”
The Top Ten
Red Barns. Copyright The Victorian Society.An architecturally important building, designed by leading arts and crafts architect, Philip Webb, Red Barns is also the former home of Gertrude Bell, CBE, a pioneering female Victorian explorer of the Middle East variously described as a political officer, administrator, spy and archaeologist.
Philip Webb also designed Red House, William Morris’ home in South London, but the contrast between Red Barns and Red House could not be starker. While Red House is lovingly looked after by the National Trust its famous occupant celebrated – Red Barns lies in a terrible state with huge amounts of water damage to the interior.
Bought by a developer after a pub at the building closed, foundations for housing have been dug in the grounds but work has not commenced. Nor have plans to convert the building into flats started. The Victorian Society says: “Urgent action is needed now to ensure Red Barns survives. Perhaps the developer could support the local campaign to turn the house into a museum to honour Bell’s memory?”
Victoria Mill. Copyright The Victorian Society.This former flourmill, warehouse and office complex was partially converted to flats in the 1990s. Now the tower of this Grimsby landmark, which was not converted to housing, has suffered from structural difficulties. As a result, some people living in the flats were made homeless for weeks due to their homes being declared unsafe.
After the owner failed to take action, the Council carried out work to allow residents to return home and prevent a collapse onto a main road. While the Council battles to recoup the costs of this work the long term future of the tower remains uncertain. The Victorian Society says: “the owner should either sell the silo tower or reapply for planning permission for conversion to residential - the existing permission having expired.”
Old Bute Railway Station. Copyright David Hilling.Arriving at Cardiff Bay by train today you would never guess that this dilapidated station was the home of the first steam-powered passenger train service in Wales and vital to the development of Cardiff into the important international port it became in the 19th century.
Thought to be designed by Brunel, it is Grade II*-listed as an exceptionally early surviving example of purpose built railway architecture in Wales. The station’s dereliction is all the more shocking given its location just a stone’s throw from the centre of Welsh political power at the Welsh Assembly and the regeneration of Tiger Bay.
A modern shelter was built at the station, which still serves commuters, right next to the old station - one of the few remaining historic buildings in the area. Sadly it has been left to rot since a museum it housed closed. The Victorian Society says: “Stafford Borough Council should consider compulsory purchasing the building and transferring it to the community group which hopes to reopen the building as a multi-purpose arts/cultural hub.”
The Old Library in Stafford. Copyright The Victorian Society.This Grade II listed Old Library in Stafford, which was partially funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie should have no problem finding a tenant yet it has been little used for nearly 20 years since the library closed in 1998.
The building once housed Clement Lindley Wragge’s collection of ethnographic, zoological and geological material but it is unclear where the collection is now. After the County Council sold the building in 2012 a planning application for conversion to an Indian restaurant was approved in 2013 but nothing has happened since.
The Old Library currently appears to be on the market at £750,000 but it is debateable whether this is an achievable price given the library’s state of repair. The Victorian Society says “Stafford Borough Council should consider compulsory purchasing the building and transferring it to the community group which hopes to reopen the building as a multi-purpose arts/cultural hub.”
Mount Street Hospital. Copyright David Roberts.This High Victorian Gothic building was built as an orphanage for Preston's destitute girls. The orphanage closed in 1954 and later became a convalescent home, but has now been empty for over a decade. The Society called for an Urgent Works Notice in 2009 to keep this important building weather tight and secured against vandalism or arson.
The building continues to be a favourite of ‘urban explorers’ with teenagers recently seen hanging out of top floor windows. Preston City Council is said to be drawing up residential conversion proposals for the site with the owner. The Victorian Society says “the buildings cannot afford further delay - sensitive plans urgently need to be put into action before the building is lost.”
Clayton Hospital. Copyright The Victorian Society.The first non-listed building to be included on the Top Ten for several years, its inclusion reflects the very high quality of the carved stone Tudor Revival building which dominates the surrounding conservation area. Although its dramatic central tower is visible from two of the main roads into Wakefield it has fallen into disrepair and had its lead flashings stripped from the roof.
The Wakefield Grammar School Foundation owns schools on either side of the building and has submitted a planning application for total demolition of the hospital to enable expansion to create an ‘iconic’ centrepiece. The Victorian Society says “it seems inconceivable that the landmark main hospital building cannot be incorporated into the schools’ plans to provide this and is urging the public to oppose the application.”
St Paul’s Church. Copyright The Victorian SocietyFrom the outside you would never know that St Paul’s Church, Boughton, incorporates an older classical church. Architect John Douglas, who designed much of Chester’s famous Victorian half-timbered town centre, was a congregation member and rebuilt the complex in his distinctive style leaving little trace of what went before.
Described in Pevsner as "the boldest of Douglas' church designs" the stunning interior retains wall paintings and wonderful stained glass windows by Kempe, Frampton, Morris, and Burne-Jones. The church is currently going through the Church of England closure process after the congregation merged with another church. Repairs are needed to the roof and the electrics. Although the rear of the church presents an idyllic situation down to the river it fronts a busy, unattractive main road. The Victorian Society says: “this Grade II*-listed building is too important to sit empty slowly deteriorating with no plan for its future.”
St Joseph’s Seminary. Copyright FragglehunterSt Joseph's Seminary, Upholland, Lancashire (Grade II 1880-83. J O'Byrne extended 1921-8 by Pugin and Pugin)
This large and impressive three storey complex of gothic sandstone buildings, reportedly sits at the geographic centre of the Diocese of Liverpool, and bears witness to a time when many young men wanted to train to become priests. Numbers dramatically declined after the 1960s and the seminary became a boarding school in the 1980s for boys considering a vocation.
Alumni reportedly include the comedians Tom O’Connor and Johnny Vegas (who is said to have left after becoming homesick). The buildings closed in the early 1990s and have been slowly decaying ever since, becoming a mecca for ‘urban explorers’ some of whom have damaged the interior. The Victorian Society says: “Just 15 minutes’ drive from Wigan surely a residential conversion is possible?”
Rylands Mill. Copyright FragglehunterA former cotton mill, with integral boiler and engine house, chimney and weaving sheds, Rylands Mill was recently occupied by Wigan and Leigh College but has lain derelict since the early 2000s. Although designed to be fireproof, the mill has suffered regular fires in recent months, resulting in the demolition of a 20th century extension.
Locals remain concerned about the lack of vision for the site where children risk their lives trespassing. Ideally located next to a public park, the mill is currently for sale £2,500,000. The Victorian Society says: “The owners must be certain that a sale at this price is possible and, in the meantime, properly secure the site before someone is seriously hurt.”
Oliver Buildings. Copyright The Victorian Society.Oliver Buildings, Barnstaple, Devon (Grade II, 1888, William Clement Oliver)
The Grade II listed Oliver Buildings occupy a prominent riverside site in Barnstaple. William Clement Oliver designed the Shapland and Petter multi-coloured brick factory, showroom and office complex in 1888. Due to a disastrous fire which destroyed the firm’s previous works the buildings use an innovative combination of fireproof and fire-retardant construction, compartmentalisation and a sprinkler system.
Shapland and Petter originally used advanced American machinery to produce high-quality, mass-produced Arts and Crafts furniture. A developer who bought the site repeatedly fought to overturn the building’s recent listing, even backed by a local MP. Concerns over their future were compounded by North Devon Council leader Des Brailey mistakenly stating that Grade II-listing does not protect the buildings’ interior. The Victorian Society says: “After rejecting an offer by the local building preservation trust to buy the buildings, the developer must now produce plans incorporating the buildings without any further delay allowing them to decay further.”
Find out more about the campaigning work of the Victorian Society at www.victoriansociety.org.uk
The Society has published an updated campaigning guide to encourage people to fight for the buildings they are concerned about which have not made the Top Ten list.
