Bristol Beacon, Bristol Heritage Statement for Proposed Amendments to Approved Scheme Prepared for Bristol City Council April 2021
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Bristol Beacon, Bristol Heritage Statement for proposed amendments to approved scheme Prepared for Bristol City Council April 2021 Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 0 Alan Baxter Bristol Beacon, Bristol Heritage Statement for proposed amendments to approved scheme Prepared for Bristol City Council April 2021 Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Understanding Bristol Beacon................................................................................................................. 7 Heritage analysis of the proposed amendments ........................................................................... 10 Summary table and conclusion ............................................................................................................ 66 Sources ...................................................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix A Entry on the National Heritage List ................................................................................. 78 Appendix B Conservation Area map ....................................................................................................... 80 Appendix C Historic Environment Record search results ................................................................ 81 Appendix D Planning Policy ....................................................................................................................... 82 Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 1 Alan Baxter Executive Summary Bristol Beacon is a music venue in the centre of the city of Bristol. It is owned by Bristol City Council and administered by the Bristol Music Trust. Phase 2 of an extensive programme of rebuilding and refurbishment of the venue is currently underway (planning refs: 17/02916/FB and 17/02917/LA). During the course of demolition and detailed design works, and following detailed structural analysis, new conclusions and discoveries have prompted changes to the proposed design, externally and internally. The architects and engineers have addressed the new requirements using the same architectural language and respect for architectural significance which guided the original proposed scheme. This Heritage Statement has been commissioned by Bristol City Council to research the history of the areas of proposed change, and to assess the impact of the proposed changes on the significance of Bristol Beacon. The exterior envelope of Bristol Beacon is only affected by the proposed changes in minor ways, and they will cause no harm to the surrounding conservation area. The amendments to the scheme have throughout aimed to focus change on those areas of the structure of neutral or moderate significance, while repairing and better revealing those elements of highest significance. Overall, the proposed changes constitute only minor harm to the listed building, and include many items which bring a heritage benefit to the scheme. This slight harm will be mitigated by the public benefit of the newly refurbished and well-serviced Bristol Beacon. Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 2 Alan Baxter Introduction 1.1 Purpose of the Heritage Statement Bristol Beacon Steps Conservation Area in the City of Bristol (See Appendix B for further information on the conservation area). The building is owned by Bristol City Council and administered by the Bristol Music Trust. The Council and the Trust have embarked on a two-phase development project to transform Bristol Beacon into a world-class music venue and community resource. Phase 1 of the Bristol Beacon project was completed in 2009. This involved the demolition of the former Gas showroom and headquarters Colston House (formerly Radiant House), on the site adjoining the hall to the south, and the construction of a new foyer extension in its place. The extension created an enlarged foyer, administration offices, education spaces and cafés. It is much appreciated by the staff of the hall, and has proved very popular with the public. Phase 2 includes the complete rebuilding of the auditorium in the Great Hall, the refurbishment of the Lantern Building (which includes the historic entrance on Colston Street and the Lesser Hall (Hall 2) above it), and the transformation of the Lower Cellars. This achieved planning and listed building consent in February 2018 and at the time of writing demolition works are underway. As the project has progressed, new discoveries and other practicalities have prompted minor proposed changes to the design. A summary list of these proposed changes can be seen in section 1.2 below. The listed building and the conservation area are designated heritage assets, as defined in annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019 (the NPPF). Alan Baxter Ltd have been appointed by Stride Treglown to prepare this Heritage Statement to support an application for listed building consent for the proposed changes to the consented scheme. The statement describes the contribution that identified elements make to the significance of Bristol Beacon, and how the significance will be affected by the amended designs. It provides the planning policy context for determining the applications, and sets out a reasoned justification for the proposals. Following the renaming of the former Colston Hall to Bristol Beacon in 2020, references throughout the document to the extant building have been changed to Bristol Beacon. 1.2 Site and scope Bristol Beacon stands on a triangular block just off The Centre (the A38 route through Bristol city centre). It is bounded by Pipe Lane to the south, Colston Street to the east, and Trenchard Street to the west. Originally completed over two phases in 1867 and 1873, Bristol Beacon has been substantially rebuilt on several occasions: in 1898 1900, 1936, 1950 51 and 2009. Much nineteenth-century fabric survives: the historic entrance and Lesser Hall (Hall 2), the Upper and Lower Cellars and the external walls of the Main Hall (Hall 1). The Main Hall auditorium, backstage and circulation spaces dated from 1950 51 and have largely been stripped out as part of the demolition works of Phase 2. This document is concerned only with the proposed changes to the approved scheme and does not cover any other elements of the building. For the approved scheme please refer to 17/02916/FB and 17/02917/LA. The list of proposed amendments is below. Note that throughout of changes document. Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 3 Alan Baxter Description Matrix of changes No. changes of Matrix 1 Blocking up north windows in the Lesser Hall (Hall 2) 2 Lowering of the stage roof 4 Replacement of Colston Street gate 6 Hall 1 parapet copings and string courses 7 Hall 2 south-west pilaster base to be demolished 8 South-west corner louvred door plant room extract increased in size 9 Omission of the platform lift stop at loggia level 12 Kitchen ranges covered by separate application* 15 Lantern stair arches south side 18 Removal of part of 1873 ceiling and joists to route ducting around green-painted beam and its corbel bracket 22 Demolition of lean-to slab at level 5 and reconstruction of 1900 wall below 23 Lantern arch stabilisation 24 Get-in staircase wall demolition and reconstruction 26 Demolition and reconstruction of 1951 plain brick parapet on Trenchard Street above the stage. 27 Structural reinforcement of 1900 brick piers either side of main stage 28 Amendment to existing air intake grille at low level on south elevation of Lantern Building 29 Trenchard St Lintel above infilled opening to be removed and mansard roof pitch increased 30 Hall 2 south-east corner pad-stones 32 Changes to the Old Fan Room 33 Remove existing vestibule slab and 1950's terrazzo floor to enable infill of voids below Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 4 Alan Baxter Description Matrix of changes No. changes of Matrix 34 Addition of 3 new steel columns in restaurant and reconstruction of brick pier adjacent to restaurant entrance 35 Remove vestigial timber beam from 1873 originally part of 'third room' ceiling 36 Change of hauling arch new lean-to external walling from brick to rough cast render at northern end 38 Lower cellar flagstones not to be salvaged 40 Hauling Arch beam alteration 41 Get-in-yard air handling room façade demolition 42 (former Retiring Room ceiling) partial demolition 43 Bricking up non-original windows at level 5 in Main Hall (Hall 1) south elevation 45 Infilling of newly uncovered colonnade void (historic air duct) 46 Lead gutter modifications, Hall 2 roof and hauling arch roof 47 Lesser Hall (Hall 2) roof covering modifications 48 Amend listed building consent condition to retain WC pan in hauling arch 50 Masonry infill on Trenchard Street elevation 51 Dismantling and reconstructing roof structure of Careta 52 Demolition of parapet bearing on former backstage stair wall, get-in-yard 53 Extend ductwork above louvres on north elevation *A separate listed building consent application has been submitted (ref 19/04278/LA) regarding a pair of Victorian kitchen ranges uncovered in the basement during demolition works. Heritage Statement for proposed amendments / 04/21 5 Alan Baxter Alan Baxter Figure 1 Site block