PAST PRESENT FUTURE

The Newsletter of Historic Buildings Trust and Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust Cost of Printing/Postage: £1.70 – Free to Members ______AUTUMN 2015

see pages 4-7

Contents also include

Where in the World? See page 12 Contents also include Project Director’s Report Lye and Wollescote Cemetery Chapels Windows Made Volunteers care for Lye and Wollescote cemetery More Bournville……and still no Chocolate! Vic Smallshire 1945-2014 West Midlands Heritage At Risk 2015 Events Programme ______Company Offices: Adam House, Birmingham Road, Kidderminster, DY10 2SH Registered Company No. 1876294 Registered Charity No. 516158 VAT Registration No. 669 8183 73

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 1 labour to be currently on site: a site WMHBT & WBPT Projects manager; 4 stone masons; 3 lime Progress Reports plasterers; 1 electrician; 2 plumbers / heating engineers; 3 roofers; 1 by David Trevis-Smith, labourer; 3 carpenters; 1 lead Projects Organiser worker; 2 stained glass specialists; 2 blacksmiths; and 6 scaffolders - an Work by Croft Building & impressive list of heritage skills Conservation to deliver the West being supported by this project and Midlands Historic Buildings Trust in furtherance of the charitable project involving the Lye and objects of the Trust. Wollescote Cemetery Chapels building is making steady progress; Meanwhile the heritage-related works remain on course to be project activities are continuing completed before Christmas. apace.

External works completed include An estimated total of approximately roofing repairs, stone replacements 600 people have so far heard about and pointing repairs to the tower, the project through a combination of pointing at high level, and boundary site visits and offsite talks including railings and gates repaired and re- education and community groups. decorated. Thanks are due to the small team of people helping to make that happen, Internally, works completed include led by Ian Parkin and Andrew ceilings to both chapels repaired and Meredith, and involving Carolyn re-decorated, and the mezzanine Healy as Community Facilitator, floor installed to the former Anglican Jean Weston and Marlene Price chapel. Stair well block-work and providing talks and historical structural steelworks have been information, and work on fitted to accommodate the new publications supported by Nigel internal stairs into the basement. Brown. Lime plastering and glazing is almost completed, including the new Amongst recent activities, on 3rd windows (as reported previously) by October Jean and Marlene attended glass artist Paul Floyd inspired by the community Local History Day at ideas and artworks from pupils at Dudley Archives and Local History Redhill Secondary School, and Centre, where they also organised students at BMETC Art & Design and put together a display stand College and BMETC Kidderminster specially for the event, and on 15th Academy. October Carolyn gave a presentation to update members of the Lye & At the October progress meeting, Wollescote Historical Society on the Croft reported the following skilled project progress. WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 2 Forthcoming events are as follows, be willing to help in this way, please to which members are warmly contact John Woodall (email: invited: [email protected]; or by telephone on 01384 292644). * Saturday 28th November: Public Open Morning on site 10.30am- I’m pleased to say real progress is 1.00pm; also being made with our other ‘live’ project, by The Worcestershire * Saturday 5th December: Grave Building Preservation Trust, at the Tidy Day in the cemetery 10.00am. Weavers’ Cottages in Horsefair, Kidderminster. Further details of these events are given in the Events Programme At the time of writing our architects, towards the end of the Newsletter. Rodney Melville & Partners, and quantity surveyors, Austin Newport, Carolyn would be pleased to hear are in the process of appraising six tenders received for the building from you or people you’re in contact contract. Preliminary indications are with to provide details about the that the tenders are within budget above events and/or joining the new which, if subsequently confirmed, is ‘Friends of Lye & Wollescote Cemetery’. There are lots of ways to fantastic news as it will mean the get involved; for more on this, Trust can let the contract for work to start on site early in the new year. Carolyn can be contacted by email: [email protected] or by telephone on 01952 582111. A very successful volunteer work party was held on 29th August, with a full skip load of accumulated debris The Friends have helped with finding cleared from the site and primer local venues willing to host applied to protect the new gates to temporary displays of the exhibition the side entrance. Provided the stand about the World War 1 book; venues so far are Lye library, building contract starts in the near Stourbridge library, Cross Walks future as planned, this will have been the final work party, as we will Community Centre, Christchurch need to hand the site over to the and Bethel Chapel. Please contact contractors. Carolyn if you know of other potential venues. Sincere thanks to everyone who has helped with the series of volunteer We would also welcome members to work parties over several years, join the small team of volunteers to which have been valuable in occasionally cut the grass and tidy demonstrating support for the project the garden alongside the Superintendent’s Lodge; if you would to funders and reduced the rate of

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 3 deterioration in the condition of the incorporating blacked out lines (to cottages. represent the leadwork) as well as the shapes of the coloured glass Watch this space for exciting news panels. Paper templates of each of for the Weavers’ Cottages project in the pieces of glass were then fixed future reports! onto the cartoons and the whole then hung up to give as accurate a representation as possible of the LYE AND WOLLESCOTE finished work. CEMETERY CHAPELS: MANUFACTURE OF THE NEW STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

In the Sumer 2015 edition of this Newsletter, we heard how glass artist, Paul Floyd, had worked with students from Redhill Secondary School and Birmingham Metropolitan College to produce designs for two new stained glass windows (replacing original plain glass windows) at Lye and Wollescote Cemetery Chapels . The original approved small-scale designs In this edition we re-visit Paul’s studio to see how the students’ The increase in the scale of the designs were transformed into the designs and exploring the lighting actual windows. These have now conditions showed Paul that the been completed and installed, and relationship between certain will therefore be available to see on elements of the early designs and the next Chapels open day on 28th some of the colour combinations November 2015, details of which are originally proposed were not given in the Events Programme completely satisfactory. towards the end of the Newsletter. As a consequence, although the Beginning with the small scale general essence of the original designs with which our previous designs clearly remained, there was article concluded, Paul first a lengthy process of minor produced, on tracing paper, a full adjustments in order to achieve the size “cartoon” of each window, best possible results. WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 4 Once the cartoons had been The transfer which is digitally printed completed, the plain glass shapes is made up of an enamel which, were then cut to size and once fired onto the glass, becomes a preparations made for the roundels permanent image of the artwork. He and etchings. tested several different types of glass for the roundels and carried out a series of test firings to ensure the best finish.

The etching was then carried out by sandblasting and the extraordinary quality and detail, particularly in the reproduction in the windows of early O.S. maps of the area, was achieved by making a detailed negative stencil of the areas to be etched.

Cutting glass and layout

Paul had already decided that he wanted the roundels to contain exact representations of the students’ work rather than his own copies of their designs. He therefore began by scanning their artworks into his computer and prepared them to be made into a digital transfer for glass.

Etching stencil process

The lead frame for each window was then set out on a timber backboard. The strips of lead used in the construction of the windows (known as cames) are H-shaped in section so that a piece of glass can be slotted into each of the open sides of Paul at work on the windows in his the H. The came was curved to the studio correct shape with a tool known as a WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 5 fid and, as each piece was fitted, it on each side, although it takes was held in place by a farrier’s several weeks for the cement to cure horseshoe nail until the next piece fully. was ready to be installed. The completed windows were then sent to the glazier for installation. Horizontal steel bars are set into the masonry on each side of the window openings and the panel is then attached to the bars with copper ties.

It is perhaps a sad reflection of the

times that window protection will be necessary (for all the Chapel windows). This will take the form of a fine, external, steel mesh, made to the shape of the window and set into the window reveal, which is much less obtrusive that the perspex sheets applied to many church and Leading-up process chapel windows and not at all visible in the internal view. Once all of the components were assembled, every position where Unfortunately, due to the timing of lead cames met was soldered on the contract, the manufacture took both sides of the window. Then, place during the school holidays and again on both sides, the gaps the students were not therefore able between every piece of glass and to visit the studio to see the windows the cames were filled with leaded in production as originally light cement – a compound similar to anticipated. However, Paul hopes to putty mixed with a graphite powder. have the opportunity to meet the This process provides additional students at the Chapels to show strength and waterproofing but the them the results of their work. cement, even when dry, provides a certain amount of flexibility to I am very grateful to Paul for all his accommodate, without cracking, any help in the preparation of the two slight movement which might occur articles and for providing the between the components of the photographs. His enthusiasm for the window. project and his commitment to achieving results of the highest The excess cement was then quality were palpable and seemed to cleaned off and the windows were me to extend far beyond any polished and left to dry for 2-3 days reasonable contractual obligations! WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 6 Paul can be contacted at The Transparent Glass Studio, The Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge DY8 4HE or by telephone on 01384 399412 or by email to [email protected]. You can also find out more on his website at www.transparentglassstudio.co.uk.

Nick Hogben . Volunteers at September's grave tidy event.

VOLUNTEERS HELP TO

CARE FOR LYE AND WOLLESCOTE CEMETERY

Whilst work continues to restore the Lye and Wollescote Cemetery Chapels, local volunteers have been hard at work caring for the older parts of the cemetery. Many of the graves in the cemetery are over a hundred years old meaning there are no relatives around to tend them.

Over the years holly, ivy and weeds The next session will take place from have grown over the headstones, 10am on Saturday 5th December hiding the wonderful stonework and 2015 and all are welcome to attend. the names of those at rest. Bring your secateurs and collect some holly and ivy for Christmas The volunteers meet on the first decorations – the cemetery has Saturday of the month for a couple plenty to spare! Hot drinks and of hours and have already had a mince pies will be available too. huge impact on the appearance of the cemetery, but more volunteers New volunteers will be made very are needed. No special skills are welcome and, if you would like to required and there are plenty of help, then please contact Carolyn different tasks to suit all ages and Healy on 01952 582111 or abilities. [email protected] for more details. WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 7

“THE LOST Jean and Marlene went to the TWENTY NINE” Annual General Meeting of the WLHF on the 17th October in WINS AN AWARD Worcester and Marlene is actually a Committee Member, but they had no

knowledge of the win as all entries Members of West Midlands were judged by non members. Historic Buildings Trust will know Marlene says: “It was a surprise to that, as part of the Lye and both of us, a very nice one I must Wollescote Cemetery Chapels say. We are both so pleased about project, the Trust published “The this and hope very much that the Lost Twenty Nine” by local Trust is also”. historians and Trust members

Jean Weston and Marlene Price. The Trust is, of course, delighted at the Award and offers its sincere The book tells the moving stories congratulations to Jean and Marlene of twenty nine men who lost their on their success. lives in the First World War and are commemorated in the MORE BOURNVILLE Cemetery including a family’s ……AND STILL NO search for a lieutenant missing on the Somme; a Shropshire CHOCOLATE! Grenadier Guardsman; the hero Private who volunteered when ammunition was low; and the In the Summer 2015 edition of this tragic death of a young VAD Newsletter, we described a visit to nurse caring for the wounded in a Cadbury World and a walking tour of local military hospital. the area around Bournville Village Green, marvelling at the extra- West Midlands Historic Buildings ordinary social and architectural Trust was delighted to learn that the legacy of the Cadburys from the late book has won the 2015 award at the 19th and early 20th centuries. Worcestershire Local History Forum (WLHF). The WLHF runs the annual However, not all of the buildings of awards programme as part of its interest are arranged around The aims to encourage the promotion of Green and we will conclude our Worcestershire’s History and tour of Bournville with a look at Heritage. Submissions may be made buildings in other parts of the by groups or individuals who are village but of equal interest and members of the Forum and can importance in terms of the constitute a specific or ongoing Cadbury legacy. project completed within the last three years WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 8 Within a short distance of The Green, The Quadrangle in Mary Vale Road was built in 1897 by Ewan Harper for Richard Cadbury. It is built of red brick with stone dressings under tiled roofs in the form of traditional single-storey almshouses set around a spacious quadrangle and was originally for retired Cadbury workers over the age of 60. Mary Vale Road shops

The principal facade to Mary Vale Numbers 10 and 12 Sycamore Road has, as its centrepiece, a Road comprise a pair of semi- two storey turreted gatehouse with detached houses and carry a date flanking wings housing, to the left, of 1902 on the hopper head. They the matron’s rooms and, to the are of two storeys and are built of right, the Chapel. brick under a tiled roof with crow- stepped gables and a massive central chimney stack. The ground floor of each gable has a canted bay window with, on the first floor above, a 4-light casement with the centre 2 lights carried up into semi-circular heads. Roofs are swept over the entrances and, above each, there is a 2-light dormer window with Chinese-like tented roofs. The Quadrangle

Numbers 216-220 (evens) Mary Vale Road were designed by William Alexander Harvey and are dated 1898. They are built of brick with minimum stone dressings on the ground floor, and timber- framing and roughcast infill on the upper floors under tiled roofs. They are the first shops to have been built on the estate and two of the original shop fronts survive. 10 and 12 Sycamore Road

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 9 Numbers 17-21 (odd) Sycamore with half-timbering and Road were built in the early part of pebbledash in the upper storeys, the 20th century in red brick with under a tiled roof. tiled roofs. Facing the Recreation Ground are They are of three storeys, two viewing galleries and there is including basements, and also a polygonal turret with conical comprise two blocks made to read roof and large curved iron as a single symmetrical brackets to support the guttering composition. Each block has six and a central square louvred bays, with the second bay of the cupola. left block and the fifth bay of the right hand block set forward and gabled.

Access to the ground floor from the pavement is by brick bridges but there is also direct access from the rear to the factory, to enable the original occupants, who were all firemen, to access the factory quickly in the event of an emergency. The Men’s Pavilion from Bournville Lane (above) and from the Recreation Ground (below)

17-21 Sycamore Road

Men’s recreation grounds were laid out off Bournville Lane in 1896 To the east of the Men’s and the Men’s Pavilion was Recreation Ground are the Girls’ opened in 1902 as a gift from the Swimming Baths which were built firm to the male employees to in 1902-4 to designs by G H Lewin celebrate the Coronation of King of brick with stone dressings Edward VII. Designed by J under a tiled roof. Thousands of Bedford Tyler, it is built of brick, women were taught to swim there WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 10 as it was company policy to allow them to learn during work time.

To the left of the road frontage, there is a single storey main hall with a large 5-light arched window, below which is a large panel with the name and date of the building amid luxuriant foliage sculptured by Benjamin Creswick.

To the right is a square tower with Willow Road street name plate tall battered buttresses and almost (above) and Bournville Cross War equally tall 2-light windows. Above Memorial, Sycamore Road (below) this is an octagonal turret with angle buttresses and a small dome surmounted by a metal weathervane.

TWITTER AND The Girls’ Baths FACEBOOK The Girls’ Swimming Baths

This is just a reminder that you can A considerable amount of original follow West Midlands Historic street furniture also survives Buildings Trust on Twitter @WMHBT throughout the village and this and Facebook at includes a Victorian post box, K6 http://www.facebook.com/WestMi telephone boxes, a large number dlandsHistoricBuildingsTrustwmh of street nameplates and a War bt Memorial.

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 11 WHERE IN THE Richard and his wife visit Miami WORLD? regularly as they have a daughter who lives there. During a visit in September and October this year, The longer-standing members of they took a cruise to the Bahamas West Midlands Historic Buildings and their trip included a visit to Fort Trust will know that the Trust’s Fincastle, which was built in 1793 second project involved the and overlooks Nassau and Paradise restoration of the Grade II Listed Island and the eastern approaches Harris and Pearson Building in to New Providence. Brettell Lane, Brierley Hill in the West Midlands in 2004/5.

The building was constructed in 1888 as the offices for the surrounding firebrick works and the remarkable front elevation is constructed of refractory and polychromatic brickwork and terracotta detailing, all made at the works from local clay.

The staircase which includes the Harris and Pearson bricks (above) and (below) the parapet to which it leads

The Harris and Pearson Building

The Trust was already aware that many of the products manufactured by the Harris and Pearson company were used widely but was astonished to receive the picture reproduced on the front cover of this

Newsletter taken by Reading Richard saw a number of these resident, Richard Briggs, on the 10th bricks as part of a flight of steps October 2015 in the Bahamas! leading up to a parapet and says: “I WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 12 spotted the bricks and took a quick eccentric” and he was later to assert snap. I had no idea who Harris and that, unless a primary school teacher Pearson of Stourbridge were but it was fully conversant with the life and just seemed incongruous to see achievements of Isambard Kingdom such a very British name/place on Brunel and Thomas Telford, and some bricks in the Bahamas”. could explain the inner workings of the Stirling Cycle, he or she was not He subsequently checked the name fit to be in charge of children. on Google and contacted the Trust through The Harris and Pearson website. We would like to congratulate Richard on his powers of observation and are very grateful that he took the trouble to send us pictures and let us know of his extraordinary find.

VIC SMALLSHIRE 1945-2014

The Trusts were saddened to learn of the death of Vic Smallshire on 15th September 2014. After leaving college, Vic began work as a mine surveyor at Baggeridge Vic was born on 29th March 1945 in Colliery, the last working colliery in Wolverhampton and grew up in the . After the mine’s Daisy Bank between Coseley and closure in 1968 he worked as Bilston. He was educated at Daisy surveyor at several other collieries in Bank School and Broad Lanes the South Staffordshire coal field, Secondary School but, in 1960, went before moving in 1969 to the water to Bilston Technical College, which company today known as Severn is where he felt his “education really Trent. He worked there for 17 years, began”, learning practical ultimately as Chief Surveyor engineering skills which would stay responsible for monitoring the with him throughout his life. stability of many dams and He became particularly interested reservoirs. (according to a tribute from family In the mid 1980s he co-founded a friend, Alan Garnell, at his funeral) in small Land and Engineering Survey “holes in the ground, canals, company called JPB Surveys and railways, industrial archaeology and then, in his final career move, generally anything that was mildly became an independent contractor WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 13 and expert witness in 1992 before In June 2010 Vic was invited to finally retiring in 2012. attend a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of In 1993 Vic was diagnosed with stomach cancer, from which he his longstanding preservation efforts. On 1st April 2011 the Transport recovered completely, but was then diagnosed in 2009 with bone marrow Trust, which runs the country’s Transport Heritage programme, cancer. The various treatments he acclaimed the efforts of Dudley had were effective for about three Canal Trust members, and the years and Vic still led an active life navvies who toiled for six years to but, during the last two years, his mobility became progressively more create the tunnel in the first place, by awarding them the prestigious Red restricted and he died on 15th Wheel plaque. September 2014. Vic was a long-standing member of West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust but was best known for his tireless work for the preservation of the canals of the Black Country, particularly the Dudley Canal and including Dudley Tunnel and the limestone mines accessible from it. He began his crusade by cheekily removing two baulks of timber which had been nailed across the entrance to Dudley Tunnel to prevent access and the legend says that Vic and friends bound the timbers together Vic (fourth from the left) at the and used them as a boat to navigate awarding of the Red Wheel plaque the tunnel. (photo by kind permission of The Black Country Bugle) This interest ultimately led to the inception of the Dudley Canal Trust, On 5th July 2011 he was presented of which Vic was a founder and with a Lifetime Achievement Award Chairman until his death. Highlights by HRH Prince Michael of Kent on of his fight to save our inland behalf of the Transport Trust. Then, waterways were the re-opening of on 16th March 2012, he was Dudley Canal Tunnel in 1973 and awarded The Frank Foley award for the opening of a new canal tunnel in community spirit prize, by the Mayor 1984 to gain access to the of Dudley, for his contribution to spectacular Singing Cavern under restoring Dudley Tunnel, and the Dudley’s Castle Hill. caverns and waterways in Dudley. WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 14 The Trusts would like to offer their There are 450 entries on the West condolences to Vic’s family and their Midlands 2015 Heritage at Risk grateful thanks to Vic’s son, Ian, and Register, making up 8.2% of the to The Black Country Bugle for their national total of 5,478 entries. The help in compiling this article. local Heritage At Risk team, led by Sarah Lewis, continues to work with Nick Hogben. owners, funders and other stakeholders to find the right SUBSCRIPTION solutions for sites on the Register. REMINDER! Sarah writes:

Thank you to all the members who “In 2014 the West Midlands followed have submitted their membership national trends with an overall subscriptions for this year decrease in scheduled monuments 2015/2016. and secular listed buildings on the Heritage at Risk Register but an For those who wish to remain increase in listed places of worship, members and have not got around to registered parks and gardens and submitting their subscriptions, these conservation areas. would be gratefully received. “Analysis of the type of heritage Please send your cheque, made which is most at risk in the West payable to West Midlands Historic Midlands shows that the castles Buildings Trust, for £15 (individual), which punctuate the Marches on our £21 (family), £40 (corporate) or £225 border with Wales are particularly (life), to The Membership Secretary, vulnerable. Like much of the West Midlands Historic Buildings archaeology and many of the Trust, Adam House, Birmingham buildings and structures on the Road, Kidderminster, Stourbridge Register, few castles are capable of DY10 2SH. economic use and some have been at risk for many years. Imaginative Thank you very much. solutions as well as grant aid are needed to tackle their condition. We WEST MIDLANDS are exploring potential for a new charitable trust model working with HERITAGE AT RISK 2015 volunteers to deliver repair and management of Marcher castles. Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register 2015 was published on “Our Heritage At Risk team develops 20th October. The Register provides and implements solutions for an annual snapshot of historic sites heritage at risk with funding from known to be at risk from neglect, Historic England grants. decay or inappropriate development. Management Agreements help WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 15 owners with the cost of achieving the main provider, the Heritage step-changes in the management of Lottery Fund, and the new Listed archaeology. We also fund condition Places of Worship Roof Repair assessments, options appraisals, Fund.” feasibility studies and major repairs. One of the West Midlands’ buildings “Partnerships continue to be central to have been removed from the to our strategy. Local authorities are Register during the last year is the key partners, we work with them to Grade I Listed Conservatory at identify conservation areas at risk Hilton Park, Hilton, Staffordshire, and now have an almost complete which is part of the surviving nucleus set of conservation area of the 18th century Hilton Park assessments. We continue to fund Estate. Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas with a new The principal house, which is also scheme approved this year in Stoke Grade I Listed, was built for Henry Town. We are currently delivering Vernon, possibly by the architect training and advice to encourage Richard Trubshaw, in 1720-1730. local authorities to use their enforcement powers. The hall and stables are now occupied by assorted businesses “Partnerships with other funders and this garden building, which lies a such as The Prince’s Regeneration short distance from the hall, was Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, built c 1825. Its plan is circular with a National Trust and Natural England glazed hemispherical roof, with one have seen the development of half constructed in cast iron and the numerous projects. These include a other in timber. The supporting walls major scheme for the Wedgwood are rendered masonry. Institute in Burslem, a new use for the Master’s House in Ledbury, the repair of the packhorse bridge at Todenham in Warwickshire and of lead mining remains in Shropshire.

“93 of our 1,466 listed places of worship are at risk. The majority face repair costs of over £125k. To help tackle the challenge this presents for congregations, we continue to fund Support Officers in the Dioceses of The Conservatory at Hilton Park Hereford, Worcester and Lichfield. before restoration The Support Officers help parishes manage their buildings, plan for the The building was originally heated by future and apply for grant aid from an external furnace: heat was WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 16 dissipated through underfloor ducts and the smoke discharged via a EVENTS PROGRAMME central stack disguised as a fluted column. However the conservatory had not been used or maintained in LYE AND WOLLESCOTE any meaningful way for several CEMETERY CHAPELS OPEN decades and was practically at the DAY: SATURDAY point of collapse. 28 NOVEMBER 2015

Following a successful grant Everyone is invited to an open day at application, Historic England Lye and Wollescote Cemetery awarded money for repairs. Work Chapels, Cemetery Road, Lye, started on site in 2013: the masonry Stourbridge DY9 8AL from 10.30am walls, arches and central column to 1pm on Saturday 28th November remained in place but all of the cast 2015. iron components were dismantled and repaired off site. The work was The event gives the opportunity for completed in March 2015 at a cost of public access to see the works which £375,000 and the building was then have been undertaken to the interior removed from the Heritage at Risk as well as the exterior, most of which Register. will, by then, have been completed. Visitors can then continue into the cemetery to see its wealth of interesting monuments.

Members of the West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust will be present, along with representatives from project architects, Brownhill Hayward Brown, principal contractors, Croft Building and Conservation, and Parkin Heritage and Tourism who have been working with community and school/college The Conservatory at Hilton Park groups. after restoration (photos by Heritage England) Exhibition displays will show before and after photographs, with plans of The Hilton Park Company which the building. manages the estate on behalf of its owners intends to use the The event is open to all and it is conservatory for corporate events hoped that as many Trust Members and weddings. and local residents, and any

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 17 interested friends, as possible will tilework and terracotta features. come along to see the results of our Happily, we have a local long- work on this special occasion. established firm which can supply these items and they are happy to The event does not require pre- show us how they produce these. A booking but, to help get a sense of visit to the works promises to be a numbers, it would be useful if those fascinating time and one not to be interested in visiting could contact missed. So do join us. Carolyn Healy by telephone on 01952 582111 or by email to If you would like to be part of this [email protected] visit to Dreadnought Tiles then please let us know as soon as LYE AND WOLLESCOTE possible. The visit is on Thursday CEMETERY “GRAVE TIDY” 10th December 2015. Meet at 2 pm EVENT: SATURDAY 5 at the company in Dreadnought DECEMBER 2015 Road, Pensnett, Dudley DY5 4TH. Please telephone Philip Adams on Please see the article on page 7, 01384 562472 or email which gives full details of this event. [email protected] to indicate that you would like to join AN AFTERNOON ‘ON THE the party. There is no charge for this TILES’: A VISIT TO visit. DREADNOUGHT TILES AND KETLEY BRICK COMPANY: WEST MIDLANDS HISTORIC THURSDAY 10 DECEMBER 2015 BUILDINGS TRUST POST-CHRISTMAS MEAL WITH A MOACH AROUND We are sometimes tempted to think DUDLEY: SATURDAY 16 that the days of the specialist JANUARY 2016 craftsman/woman are a thing of the past. So it has been pleasing to realise, as part of our involvement Dudley is a medieval town which has with the conservation of The Lye and been under-going something of a Wollescote Cemetery Chapels, that renaissance in recent years – or that the day of the craftsman/woman is is what we are led to believe and still very much alive and we will very hope for! Conservationists and soon be able to celebrate their skills preservationists are battling to when we see that project come to revitalise this town and to burnish its fruition. rather tarnished image.

One of the crafts which has been Beneath many of its frontages lies a essential to the success of the rich history and considerable wealth Chapels’ conservation is that of of architectural interest. Gradually reproducing suitable ceramic this is being cared for and the aim is WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 18 to reveal a town with a heritage open for all to see – from castle to theatre; THE MANAGEMENT from market square to ancient COMMITTEE alleyway; from top church to bottom church; the future speaks interest and attraction for the visitor and pride in the past for the locals. Acting Chairman: John Woodall;

We are to dine at The Old Vice-Chairman: Glasshouse, which is in the building Jayne Pilkington; which used to house the fire station and is on the site of the old glass Treasurer : works, remains of which have been Andrew Bradley; revealed in the renovation of this building. Membership Secretary : Steve Mason; We are booked at the restaurant, The Old Glasshouse, 23 Priory Minutes Secretary : Street, Dudley DY1 1HA at 12 noon, Peter Arnold; but if you would like to see some of Dudley’s very commendable Newsletter Editor : heritage, then meet for coffee at Nick Hogben; 10.30 am prior to a short presentation of what conservation Trustees : projects are afoot in this old and Philip Adams, interesting town. Katherine Andrew, Mark Balkham, Please let us know that you would David Bills MBE, like to join us for this meal and for Nigel Brown, coffee and the presentation. The Nigel Heardman, meal will be a la carte, so a good Nick Joyce, choice of menu with no fixed cost – Robert Tolley; you decide on the day what you Sue Whitehouse (co-opted); would like. Project Director : There is a deposit for the meal etc. David Trevis-Smith; of £15 which should be made payable to West Midlands Historic Company Secretary : Buildings Trust and reach us by 1st Peter Copsey. January 2016 at the latest. Send to Philip Adams, 36, Beauty Bank, Old Hill, B64 7HZ.

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 19

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

The Newsletter of West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust and Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust ______

“The Lost Twenty Nine” wins an Award - see page 8

______Company Offices, Adam House, Birmingham Road, Kidderminster, Stourbridge DY10 2SH Registered Company No. 1876294 Registered Charity No. 516158 VAT Registration No. 669 8183 73

WMHBT & WBPT Autumn 2015 Newsletter Page 20