Dawson’s Site – Proposed Demolition of Existing Building – Heritage Impact Statement

Location

Fig 1: Map – red line denotes site boundary (not to scale). Building shaded in blue.

Description

The site is a large parcel of land located directly to the North East of the Heritage Centre, between Wath Road and the Elsecar Heritage Railway line. There is only one building within the site. This is a large steel framed shed with brick and corrugated metal cladding, with large car parking areas to the north-east and north-west. The building has large loading doors at the north end and a series of small windows along the west elevation. Internally, there is one very large storage space at the back (east side) of the building with a series of small offices along the front (west side). The area around the building is mainly surfaced in concrete. The eastern part of the site – known locally as the Green Way - is unsurfaced and used as an unofficial cut through between the Heritage Centre and the Elsecar Canal Basin. There is a mix of hedging/trees and modern fencing (in different materials) around the boundaries of the site. The north-west boundary is made up of the rear walls of residential properties on Wath Road and is a mix of stone and brick. It appears to incorporate some historic fabric.

Fig 2: General shot, looking south west towards

Historical Development

The first known development on the site was in the 1790s, when the eastern part of the site was developed as a canal basin for the Elsecar branch of the Dearne and Dove canal. Before this the area is likely to have been used as farm or grazing land around the Knoll Beck.

In the 1850s the canal basin was in-filled to make way for a new railway line. Following this, the site was used as railway sidings, serving the nearby Elsecar Ironworks and Elsecar New Colliery, as well as the new Elsecar Workshops or “New Yard”. The workshops had been established in 1850 by the Earl Fitzwilliam to serve his ironworks, collieries and wider estate. The land directly to the west of the site was developed as a gasworks from the 1857 onwards.

The site remained in use as railway sidings until the 1970s (see aerial photograph – figure 5) before the western half was redeveloped in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The current building was built in 1980 as a store for the National Coal Board, who had taken over the Elsecar Workshops in 1947, after nationalisation. Elsecar Workshops closed in 1986-7. The main part of the site was sold to Council, with the stores and surrounding land being sold separately.

Until recently the building was owned by Dawson M M P Ltd., a restaurant supply company, and used as a storage depot and offices. They vacated the site in December 2017 and the land and building was sold to Barnsley Council. The building is currently empty.

Fig 3: First edition Ordnance Survey map surveyed 1849, showing original canal basin with open fields to the west (approximate site boundary shown in blue)

Fig 4: Second edition Ordnance Survey map, 1901, showing the site redeveloped as a Goods Station and railway sidings, with a new canal basin to the north (approximate site boundary shown in blue)

Fig 5: Aerial photograph of Elsecar in 1971, showing the railway sidings still in use

Photographic Record (photographs taken 18th September2018)

Fig 6: General shot, looking south west towards Elsecar Heritage Centre

Fig 7: Detail of windows along west (front) elevation

Fig 8: General shot of the front of the building from Distillery Side/Wath Road (looking east)

Fig 9: Rear of building from Distillery Side/Wath Road (looking north-west)

Assessment of significance

The site itself has high historical and archaeological significance. The east end of the site contains the buried remains of the first Elsecar Canal Basin (constructed in the 1790s) which was in-filled and redeveloped as railway sidings in the mid-19th century. The railway sidings themselves were a key part of the workshop complex, and there is potential for buried remains including rails and track- beds to survive. The site forms part of the setting for the Elsecar Newcomen Engine (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) which sits directly to the East, the former Elsecar Workshops/New Yard and rows of 18th and 19th century workers housing on Wath Road– the majority of which are Listed Buildings.

The present building is considered to be of low architectural and historical significance. It is a relatively recent building of standard construction and is listed in the Conservation Area Appraisal as one of the buildings that do not contribute to the special character of the Conservation Area. The size of the building is out of scale, and the large expanse of brick and dark corrugated cladding contrast negatively with the surrounding historic environment. It also blocks sightlines between the village and the Elsecar New Colliery and Newcomen Engine (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) directly to the East, as well as other historic buildings on Distillery Side.

The building has some local interest as part of the Elsecar Colliery Workshops site, particularly as this is still within living memory and some of the former NCB employees still live in the local area, but it is not considered to represent a significant element of the workshop complex.

Proposals

It is proposed to demolish the existing building and remove the materials from site, but taking care not to damage or expose necessarily any potential archaeology on the site.

Following demolition, the intention is for the site to be taken forward as a mixed-use development including provision for a number of start-up businesses as well as new amenity space. However, detailed plans for this still need to be developed in consultation with key stakeholders. As outlined above, the site has a number of sensitivities that need to be taken into account, not least the need for any new development to contribute positively to the Elsecar Conservation Area, both in terms of architectural design and providing economic benefit to the local area.

Initial positive discussions have been held with Historic England, as part of the Elsecar Project, around these sensitivities and the opportunities presented by future development in conjunction with emerging plans for the Elsecar Heritage Centre. These discussions will be continued with Historic England and other stakeholders over coming months.

In the interim period, the site will be maintained and used for occasional overflow parking by the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Surfaces will be made good (using concrete to match the existing surface where necessary) including repair of any damage caused during the demolition.

Statement of impact

The proposed demolition will have a positive impact on the Conservation Area. Elsecar is a Conservation Area with a strong definable group value and a number of outstanding Listed Buildings underpinned by clear aesthetic, historic, evidential and communal values. In contract to this, the current building does not contribute to the group value of the surrounding buildings and offers little in terms of historic, evidential and communal value. In addition, its massing is completely inappropriate for its location and impacts negatively in terms of the aesthetic of the wider Conservation Area. As such its removal will positively benefit the Conservation Area and setting of the surrounding Listed Buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Subsequent sensitive redevelopment of the site will also offer the opportunity to further improve these settings, and to reinstate key views of historic assets within the village.

As set out above, although the building is of low historical/architectural significance, it has some local interest as part of the Elsecar Colliery Workshops site that was in operation within living memory. A basic photographic record of the building should therefore be considered prior to demolition.