Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

MARTIN O’ROURKE

CONSERVATION – REGENERATION 1 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1.01 This report seeks to describe the site and existing building at No.108 Street and its qualities as a component in the street scene. The A M R urban design context and history of the building and its neighbours will be AA discussed.

Crown House 1.02 The possible impact of the proposed works on the immediate environment will be reviewed, particularly as regards what affect the proposals may have on the adjacent 19th century terrace, (No.107 108 Aldersgate Street EC1A 4JQ Aldersgate Street and Nos.1-5 (odd) Goswell Road). These terrace buildings are not included in the current proposals for alteration.

London Borough of 1.03 The issues will be reviewed in the context of national and local planning policies.

2 THE BUILDINGS

2.01 Crown House, No. 108 Aldersgate Street was built in 1972 to the designs of Baldwin Beaton Everton & Isabell. The building is four storeys in height over a basement. The lower floors contain offices with a flat on the third floor.

2.02 The elevations are faced in dark brown brick with horizontal strip windows to the main Aldersgate elevation. The return elevation to Glasshouse Yard has square windows to each floor. The main entrance is via the return Glasshouse Yard elevation.

An Urban Design & Conservation Appraisal of the Site, 2.03 The terrace of four houses to the north of No.108 are all four storeys in height and faced in brick with later ground floor shops: the Building and the Possible Impact of the Proposed Works. June 2017

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

No. 107 Aldersgate Street (circa 1850) 3 HISTORY

Faced in stock brick, the front elevation has tripartite sash windows to the 3.01 Aldersgate Street and the surrounding area have an ancient origin, first and second floors and a single wide window to the third floor. There dating from at least the Roman period. The “Aldersgate” to the City of are stucco architraves, quoins and a crowning cornice with a blocking stood south of St Botolph’s church near St Martins Le Grand. course. The name of the street is thought to be a corruption of “Ealdredsgate”

named after the 11th century Laws of King Elhelred. No. 1 Goswell Road (circa 1802-03)

3.02 Aldersgate Bars stood at the junction of Aldersgate and Goswell Road Similar to No.107 Aldersgate, but with two windows to each storey. (was Goswell Street) until removed in 1761 and replaced by two pillars

erected in 1874, now also removed. Aldersgate Bars marked the boundary No. 3 Goswell Road (circa 1802-03) between and the . There is a plaque on No. 107

Aldersgate Street; Brown brick façade with two windows per floor under a slated mansard roof. Opposite this tablet

A Drinking Fountain was erected in 1878 No.5 Goswell Road (circa 1802-03) In Memory of Robert Besley Esq

Alderman of the Ward and Lord 1869-70. Painted brick façade with semi-circular relieving arches to the first floor Removed 1934 with wheatsheaf keystones denoting the use of the building as a bakery.

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

The northest end of Aldersgate and the beginning of the Gosell Resembleth an Italian street more than any other in London by reason of oad ere situated ithin the Libert of Glasshouse ard in Middlese This the spaciousness and uniformity of the buildings Libert as formed folloing the ue of Bucingham founding a short– lied crstal glass ors here commemorated in the name Glasshouse . his raciosness did not last as commercial pressres bean to ard in Such industrial actiities ere not permitted ithin the it derade the character o the street. he reat mansions sch as etre of London boundaries Hose hanet Hose and Laderdale Hose ell into deca and were diided into tenements. ntil the earl th century, the part of today’s ldersate treet north o Lon Lane was nown as ica treet an area renowned or brothels.

. ch o ldersate was destroed in the reat ire o London in remoin the last esties o medieal rander. he post ire redeelopment was larel in the orm o terraced hoses bsiness premises and coachin inns.

. ldersate treet and oswell oad ormed the principal rote linin the it with Islington for hundreds of years. The old route’s importance was reatl diminished b the cttin o it oad in the late th centr. Below is Horwood’s map of 1794

o Aldersgate Street became part of the Metropolitan Borough of insbur in ith the founding of the London ount ouncil and then part of The London Borough of slington folloing the formation of the ouncil in

uring the Middle Ages the proimit of Aldersgate to the centre of the it made it a popular location for aristocratic ecclesiastical and merchant prince’s mansions. Howell’s “Londinopolis” described the street as

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

. ldersgate as again adly affected y fire in the reat ire of , hich destroyed much of the area east of the street. The later th century sa the street deeloped for terrace houses and shops together ith arious industrial enterprises clustered close to the ity.

.. ap

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

. The lit during the last ar destroyed or adly damaged much of the . n e eiing biding a dergae ree a deigned area including o. ldersgate. o. as also seriously damaged, by arie adin eaon eron be. e baemen a panned a leaing only osell treet relatiely unscathed, although een these orage and oie aommodaion i oie e o e grond ir and uildings must hae suffered from serious last damage. ostar eond oor. ere ere o a on e ird oor. n arie redeelopment included the arican state east of ldersgate and o. eardon eare arnerip prepared a eme or a manardye roo ldersgate in . os. osell oad are among the ery fe eenion and or e enire biding o be in oie e. i propoa a suriors of the lit in this locality. The etent of deastation is clear on no pred. the .. om damage map, here the dar purple colour denotes “damaged beyond repair”. The large circle at the unction ith ong ane indicates the impact of a .. lying om, hich ould hae caused etensie last damage. . e rren propoa inoe e readding and e

reeneraion o e eiing rre o o. dergae ree. e

biding od be eended by an addiiona o orey e op oor

being e ba beind a errae.

. e addiiona o orey od generay ad in ondon o bri

and od ae anraieoored indo rame.

. o. and dergae ree and o. and are no ied biding. one o e oer onigo biding on i e ide o dergae ree or oe oad are ied.

. e ie doe no ie iin a deignaed oneraion area. e areroe are oneraion rea ie o e e and o o dergae ree.

. e ie ie iin e raeoogia rioriy rea or dergae ree oneie. riory ied House.) These APAs are identified in the local authority’s eeopmen anagemen oiie ppendi

ll plai appliaios liel o affe impora araeoloial remais ms e aompaied a appropriae araeoloial assessme

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

raeoloial assessmes ma e reired for oer deelopme proposals were i is osidered a impora araeoloial remais ma 6.0 No. 10 ldersgate treet falls ithin the area covered y the e prese Finsury Local Plan. The Plan contains Policy

P TT all Bildis i oeal osideraio for Bildi Heis

ii e area oered is pla all ildis are osidered o e 6.01 The Government’s policy advice is given in the National Planning ildis or srres a are ssaiall aller a eir eiors Policy Framework PP). The rincile of sustainale deeloent is a and/or which significantly change the skyline…….. “golden thread” that runs through the NPPF. C) Elsewhere, building heights must respond to the local context…. . ection states that there is a resution in faour sustainale deeloent. ection states the necessity of ood desin in all lannin alication roosals. MMNT N T PPL 6.03 The Mayor of London’s Policies (FALP 2015) sees to suort and roote central ondon actiities entral Actiities one) in .01 ldersgate treet has had an etremely turulent history involving olicies . and .. repeated etensive destruction of uildings and reuilding to accommodate ne uses. Most traumatic of all as the lit hich virtually destroyed all . ocal olicy uidance is roided y the ondon orouh of slinton’s the uildings in the vicinity including No.10 ldersgate treet leaving only ocal Plan eeloent anaeent Policies) No.10 ldersgate treet and Nos. 1 Gosell oad.

1 .0 ast of ldersgate the heavily omed historic streets ere sept aay in the post ar years to allo the development of the arican state esi y the ity orporation. This estate is a maor rutalist monument y architects hamerlin Poell and on. t has no een comprehensively ll forms of deelopme are reired o e of i ali iorporae listed. There is no dout that the monumental scale and landmar tall ilsie desi priiples ad mae a posiie oriio o e loal toers of this estate dramatically changed the tonscape environment of araer ad disiieess of e area ldersgate treet. The listing of the arican state has hoever confirmed the historic significance of this igger scale modern tonscape Policy . ies a nuer of characteristics that accetale roosals and architecture in this area. ay contain. n addition to a reuireent for durale safe sustainale deeloent roosals ust .03 n the est side of ldersgate No. 10 as reuilt in the 10s in a dar ron ric ith horiontallyorientated indos. The architecture ii respe ad respod posiiel o eisi ildis e sreesape and proportions of the floors do not line up or respond to the proportions ad e wider oe ildi loal arieral laae ad araer of No.10 ldersgate or Nos. 1 Gosell treet. There is no visually srrodi eriae asses ad loall disiie paers of deelopme sympathetic relationship in materials or design eteen the eisting No. ad ladsape 10 and the 1th century terrace immediately to the north.

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

.0 n this contet townsce reiew of the north end of ldersgte .0 The uildings adacent to No.10 to the north and south are the treet shows tht the mor chrcteristics of the re re now formed b product of the postlit reuilding of the area. Their scale is generally ostwr deeloment of buildings often twice the height of No. 108. his is maredly higher than either the four storey No. 10 or the neighouring now the redominte enironment of the re nd with the listing of the terrace. For eample itadines otel to the north has nine storeys hile rbicn stte this ostwr scle hs legitimc of its own in historic athedral Lodge to the south has eight storeys. significnce terms.

.0 he current lnning olicies doted b the ondon orough of slington cll for deeloment to resect the eisting chrcter

olicy

ii) respect and respond positiely to existing buildings, the streetscape and the wider context including local architectural language and character, surrounding heritage assets and locally distinctie patterns of deelopment and landscape.

.0 The somehat impoverished architecture of No.10 is evident hen .08 o meet these olic sirtions the current roosls successfull vieed from arican nderground tation looing north up ldersgate ddress the following e issues treet. The land ron ric corner return elevation fails to mas the unsightly metallic roof return on the itadines otel roof. No.10 is simply  recldding of the eisting No.108 to render the street rchitecture too short to perform its tonscape duty in a street hich otherise is more smthetic in mterils detil nd scle to No. 10 nd Nos 1 made up of modern buildings twice No. 108’s height. oswell treet. he use of stoc bric fcing nd more erticll oriented gling for the recldding of the eisting structure roduces more smthetic rchitecture in reltion to the dcent terrce buildings. horiontl bnd on the refced No.108 corresonds to the cornice leel of the terrce houses. his isul reltionshi is further recognised b the dditionl floors being cld in redomintel gled eletion.

 he recldding of No 108 reuires building etension to ssist in the ibilit of the imroements. his etension of two floors with third setbc floor rchitecturll resonds to the terrce houses while acting as a visual “stepping stone” to the larger scale surrounding deeloment. oth of these streetsce scles re now intrinsic to the historic chrcter of ldersgte treet. he ob of

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Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT

reesigne an etene o is to eiate etween the th an architectural improvements, represent a building height which “responds th centur street scales architecturall oulating the aae to the local context” as required by Policy BC9. esign o the reclaing an etension the new appearance o o aroitl achieves this transition etween the two townscape CC ors . his proposal sees to extend o. ldersgate by two extra loors,  he increase height o the recla o woul not onl relect the with the top loor set bac behind a balcony. he proposals have a number eisting postlit townscape ut woul also allow the taller o o ey positive attributes to as the unsightl return etalcla roo o the itaine otel to the north when viewe ro the arican nergroun tation he  he proposed extended building would be no larger in scale than the recla return corner elevation woul also e architecturall superior existing mixed late th century townscape, taing its place in an to the current lan coposition his woul e a signiicant established scene. he sie o the extension is commensurate with townscape iproveent the scale o the building and other buildings in the vicinity.

o lersgate is not situate within a conservation area o the  he proposals would produce a more sympathetic acade treatment west an south o o lies the harterhouse onservation rea as a good neighbour to the adacent 9th century terrace houses, eing soe istance ro o it is iicult to see how the propose utilising stoc bric and vertically orientated enestration. changes woul have an signiicant eect on the character or appearance o the conservation area he proposals woul rener o no higher . he proposals would produce a much improved townscape and than a nuer o eisting uilings in the area ven i the increase height architectural treatment o o. through a careully modulated and o o was visile ro an views out o the conservation area it woul scaled extension which would sit comortably within the existing onl e as a new structure oining a ele o eisting uilings he townscape. proposals woul not have a signiicant or eleterious eect on the harterhouse onservation rea

he site o o lies with an rchaeological riorit rea proposals woul aect iportant archaeological reains an archaeological assessent is reuire to accopan an planning application owever as the current proposals involve the reclaing o a oern uiling with a roolevel etension there woul e no isruption or ecavation at groun level he proposals o not thereore raise an archaeological issues which woul in other cases generate the nee or an archaeological assessent

he insur ocal lan via the olic eines propose tall buildings as “substantially taller than their neighbours” or proposals which “significantly change the skyline”. he proposals or o are within the currentl eisting uiling heights an as such together with the elevation

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