NEWSLETTER No 11 October 2019 a PLAQUE on BOTH YOUR HOUSES
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NEWSLETTER no 11 October 2019 Dear Member A PLAQUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES (and a few other places too) Last summer kept us busy with plaques: a total of five in all, showing the wide range of organisations and topics with which the Civic Society is involved. We started with a commemoration of Nottingham author, teacher and Booker Prize winner Stanley Middleton. This was unveiled at his former home in Caledon Road by his daughter, Penny Lymn Rose. 1 The other house was in fact a whole estate of them. Stockhill, near Basford Hall College, was begun in October 1919, the first fruit of Lloyd George’s campaign for “Homes fit for Heroes to live in.” This anniversary, commemorating the fact that Nottingham was leading the whole country in the provision of social housing, was kept with festivities on the park opposite. The importance of the original occasion in 1919 was such that there is a foundation stone on the house in question. Above it stands the plaque, which was unveiled by Alex Norris MP. These plaques were of course erected on private houses. But we didn’t forget public houses. And being all things to all men, having put up a plaque to Notts County, it was only right to recall Nottingham Forest. Conveniently this coincided with the relaunch of the pub on which it was to be attached. Known at various times as the Clinton Arms and the Orange Tree, it is now called The Playwright. It was where in 1865 Nottingham Forest was founded. Hilary discoursing learnedly about football, after which the Club’s historian deftly unveiled the plaque. 2 We were delighted with the way our plaque makers, Leander Architectural of Dove Holes near Buxton, were able not only to provide the coat of arms but also to come up with the exact shade of Garibaldi Red that was chosen as the Club’s colour. 3 And since you ask, this is what shinty players used: 4 Half a century ago the Civic Society did much to save the Lace Market from disappearing under an urban motorway. One of the people who spearheaded its regeneration was Mich Stevenson, who is seen here at the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the Birkin Building in Broadway. 5 Seen here with Hilary and Mich are Mich’s daughters Becky Valentine, Chief Operating Officer (left) and Victoria Green, Chief Executive Officer (right) of Spenbeck Ltd The building is the work of T C Hine and incorporates stonework from an earlier version of St Mary’s Church, a building Hine loved. It is well written up in the Society’s book on the Lace Market, and it has been splendidly restored and repurposed for today’s very different work environment. Leander Architectural have given especial delight by so splendidly incorporating the bee which was the emblem of the Birkin Company. 6 Black History Month began with the installation of a plaque on the Shire Hall to Eric Irons, the country’s first black JP who made many distinguished contributions to his adoptive city. The Shire Hall was chosen since it was where Eric Irons sat as a magistrate, and the chosen design greatly enhances James Gandon’s austerely elegant eighteenth-century building. National Justice Museum senior curator & archivist Bev Baker and plaque fixer-in-chief Radek Stanczak stand either side of the newly-installed plaque 7 HERITAGE WALKS 2019 by board chair Kurt Hatton. This year’s Heritage Walks marked the 10th season of guided walks around our city. Once again it has been a very successful programme raising £1,196. My sincerest thanks go to Graham Clarke and Kevin Powell (joint walks organiser) for taking their time not only to lead these walks (often in not very pleasant weather conditions) but also for the countless hours it takes to research and prepare them. The programme this year ran from June to early September and saw the retention of popular walks like the Park Estate, Lace Market, Georgian and Cemetery Walks as the numbers for these remains ever consistent. Other walks from previous years were also rotated into the programme to keep it a mixed variety and of course we ventured out of the city centre and took a group around Old Basford. Not only do these walks raise money for the Society, they also raise our profile within the city and give information to many residents of the city and surrounding areas on the rich history and heritage we are proud to be a part of. The popularity of these guided walks also contributes directly to encouraging new members into the Society and we are often asked by people on them to do private walks and even talks to other societies they are associated with. Once again my thanks go to not only Graham and Kevin but also the board of trustees and all members of the Civic Society for their support and of course to all the people who attend the walks. Both Kevin and I are looking forward to organising the programme for 2020 and we look forward to hopefully seeing you on some of them. WOLLATON HALL WALLED GARDEN On a pleasant August evening vice president and onetime Society chairman Andrew Hamilton led a fascinating visit to the eighteenth-century Walled Garden at Wollaton Hall. Andrew has been campaigning for a long time now to get these gardens restored and given a use, and it was good to share with members the work that had already been done, and which the Society has supported. Here Board members Nicki Pink, Alan Marshall and Ruth Imeson are about to enter the Walled Garden through a gate which had not been opened for thirty years. The following pictures clearly show what has been achieved and the challenges that remain. 8 9 10 CASEWORK REPORT by Hilary Brindley, vice chair (planning) APPEALS UPDATE – nine cases ALL dismissed The Civic Society was involved either appearing at the enquiry or having registered objections to the applications Priory Mission Hall Priory Street. The Civic Society gave evidence at the Appeal which was for redevelopment for of the site for housing. The Appeal was dismissed as the appellant had failed to demonstrate that the buried archaeology (Lenton Abbey remains) would not be damaged by the new development. BT applied at seven separate sites for a combination of advertisement panels / telephone hubs. They were all located within the Old Market Square Conservation Area. All the appeals were dismissed on grounds of clutter, harm to the conservation area and impediments to pedestrians and road safety. Ironically one that was approved and built is located outside Bromley House Library where it has been entirely surrounded by scaffolding almost since the day it was commissioned! (More can be seen of the Bromley House scaffolding at the end of this newsletter) Land to the Rear of 11 Western Terrace. This was for an infill dwelling on a garden of an original Estate House in the Park Conservation Area. Once again the appeal was dismissed as the Inspector concluded that the harm that would be done to the conservation area by the loss of the garden (and probably a substantial tree) would not be outweighed by any public benefit. This is another good decision for the workings of the Park CA Appraisal and Management Plan. CURRENT MAJOR APPLICATIONS TWO BUS GARAGES – HUNTINGDON STREET AND TURNEY STREET The much-admired former bus garage on Huntingdon Street has been listed Grade 2 by Historic England. The Council is hoping to help find a new use for the building which lies in the ‘Creative Quarter’. Nottingham City Transport applied for the partial demolition of the former Welfare Building, Stables and Substation at their Turney Street depot in the Meadows.. These are good robust early twentieth-century buildings which characterise this part of the Meadows’ transport infrastructure. Parts of the external walls would remain to continue to enclose the bus depot but their loss as complete buildings would be a pity. They could give character to a long-awaited Meadows conservation area which we proposed some twenty years ago. The application has been withdrawn: let’s hope NCT are having a re-think about the value of their buildings as complete entities. 11 NOTTINGHAM STATION CAR PARK. QUEEN’S ROAD. Here is the Civic Society’s Objection to the proposed residential development (9 storeys high) on the open car park adjacent to Platform 7. Nottingham Civic Society objects to the height of the proposed residential development which would overwhelm the setting of the Grade II* listed Nottingham Station immediately adjacent and dominate Queen's Road to the detriment of the Grade II listed Meadows Mill opposite and the character of the Station Conservation Area more generally. For the last century the application site has been open in character giving views out from the Station platforms across to other industrial buildings such as Meadows Mill which contribute to the character of the conservation area. The likely impact of this tall structure upon the Station's platform buildings is not depicted in the application from ground level on the north side of the scheme, so the disparity in massing is not fully apparent. Whilst the Station Conservation Area is characterised by robust industrial buildings such as the Hicking Building and Meadows Mill, the current proposal is significantly taller at 9 storeys high to their detriment. The Civic Society recognises that the design and architecture have been informed by the building's conservation area setting and welcomes the use of red brickwork detailing to enhance key features of the composition giving the modern building architectural references from its Victorian industrial neighbours.