GHEU/ England Historic Government Historic Estates Unit Estates Government Historic BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT The Government Historic Estate 2013–15 Compiled by the Government Historic Estates Unit Front and rear cover image: Strangers’ Dining Room ceiling, Palace of Westminster BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT 2013-15 1 CONTENTS Section 1.0 Introduction 3 Section 2.0 Progress with stewardship 4 2.1 Profile of departments’ estates 4 2.2 Changes to the structure of departments 4 2.3 The Protocol 4 2.4 Specialist conservation advice 5 2.5 Condition surveys and asset management 5 2.6 Heritage at risk 6 2.7 Access to heritage sites 8 Section 3.0 Recent initiatives 9 3.1 The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 9 3.2 English Heritage Scheduled Monument Consent 9 3.3 First World War Centenary 10 Section 4.0 Disposals and transfers 13 4.1 Surplus public-sector land 13 4.2 Whitehall 13 4.3 Disposals on the MOD estate 14 4.4 Disposals on the MOJ estate 16 4.5 Other civil estate disposals 17 Section 5.0 Historic England’s planning and conservation advice 18 5.1 National Planning Group 18 5.2 Informal site-specific advice 18 5.3 Works by Crown bodies 19 5.4 General conservation advice 19 5.5 Conservation training 20 continued overleaf 2 BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT 2013-15 Section 6.0 Case Studies 22 Medmerry flood defence project: Prehistoric archaeology revealed 22 Fort Burgoyne: Disposal to the Land Trust 23 Tower of London: Reinstatement of the Middle Drawbridge 24 Scraesdon Fort: Restoration of the entrance bridge 25 Twentieth-century Naval Dockyards: Publication of research report 26 Operation Nightingale: Archaeology as therapy on the MOD Estate 27 Old War Office: Conservation of the Alfred Drury sculptures 28 Palace of Westminster: Cast-iron roofs project 30 Palace of Westminster: Excavations in Black Rod’s Garden 32 Palace of Westminster: Strangers’ Dining Room ceiling 33 Coade stone at Buckingham Palace: Repairs to balcony brackets 34 Duke of York column: Repair and cleaning of the monument 36 TABLES 37 A Progress by departments in complying with the Protocol 37 B Progress by other historic estate holders 52 ANNEX: Heritage assets at risk 55 BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT 2013-15 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report on the condition of the government’s historic estate covers the two financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15, and subsequent developments up to the end of December 2015. Its purpose is to draw attention to the government’s record in managing its historic estate, in accordance with the standards set out in the Protocol for the Care of the Government Historic Estate. The report is based on returns provided by The Government Historic Estates Unit (GHEU) individual departments and agencies (referred continues as a source of strategic and specialist to throughout this report as ‘departments’). advice within Historic England (see Section 5). A summary of their progress, measured The Unit supports government property against some of the standards set out in the managers in fulfilling their obligations towards Protocol, is provided in Table A. Three non- the heritage assets in their care, and monitors departmental organisations – Historic Royal their progress in doing so through this report. Palaces, Parliamentary Estates Directorate and the Royal Household Property Section – provide The sale of surplus land across the government information for this report on a voluntary basis. estate continues, involving heritage assets such Their progress is summarised in Table B. as courts, prisons and military sites. Historic England has maintained and strengthened its The report includes case studies that illustrate some relationships with the departments at the outstanding conservation and restoration projects, forefront of the government’s disposal programme and examples of research and archaeological – the Homes & Communities Agency, the Ministry investigation. The Annex provides details of all of Defence and the Ministry of Justice. This is heritage assets at risk on the government estate. helping to ensure that the significance of any heritage assets is understood at an early stage During the reporting period preparations were in the disposal process, and that opportunities made for transfer of English Heritage’s National for appropriate re-use are identified. Some Collection of historic properties to a new charity, notable historic buildings have been sold during the English Heritage Trust, with effect from 1 April the reporting period, including the Old War Office 2015. The government allocated an £80-million in Whitehall, Bramshill House in Hampshire and grant to help establish it as an independent trust, Minley Manor in Surrey. Details of these and although the historic properties remained in other disposal cases can be found in Section 4. the ownership of the state. The statutory and protection functions of the Historic Buildings and Looking ahead, major projects are planned Monuments Commission for England continue to modernise and re-service the Palace of under the new name of ‘Historic England’. Westminster and to re-service Buckingham Although this change took effect just after the Palace; these highlight the need for major end of the reporting period, reference is made to investment to keep these iconic national Historic England and English Heritage throughout heritage assets in good working order. this report in order to distinguish between the roles of these two organisations. 4 BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT 2013-15 2.0 PROGRESS WITH STEWARDSHIP 2.1 2.2 Profile of departments’ estates Changes to the structure Table A (p.38) details the historic estates of departments managed by 24 government departments and Highways Agency became a government company, agencies (including three property centres Highways England, in 2014. The Highways Agency which report to the Department for Transport), Historical Railways Estate manages non- and two non-departmental public bodies – operational buildings and structures, which English Heritage and Royal Botanic Gardens include redundant viaducts on closed lines, Kew. A brief profile of each organisation’s estate following the closure of BRB (Residuary) Ltd. is included in the first column of the table, with Many redundant bridges were transferred to a summary of their heritage assets. There is a Railway Paths Ltd, a subsidiary of the charity wide range in the number of designated assets Sustrans. The Vehicle & Operator Services on each estate. There are six estates with over Agency (VOSA) has been incorporated into the 100 listed buildings and scheduled monuments: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency DVSA. Environment Agency – 1,450 (see note below) Network Rail was reclassified as an arm’s- Ministry of Defence – 1,364 length central government body in 2014, and Forestry Commission – 909 is therefore subject to the Protocol standards Highways Agency – 421 going forward. The Royal Parks – 198 Ministry of Justice – 133 As mentioned in the Introduction, the English Heritage National Collection was transferred The figure for the Environment Agency to a new charity, the English Heritage Trust, includes situations where linear flood defence in April 2015. structures, owned or maintained by the Agency, pass through designated heritage features. Many of the 1,450 assets are not in the 2.3 Agency’s ownership but are affected by their The Protocol maintenance works. The Protocol for the Care of the Government Historic Estate1 lays down a consistent The English Heritage National Collection approach to the management of heritage comprises 420 sites, of which 388 are scheduled assets. These standards are widely understood monuments, and includes an unconfirmed and accepted as a benchmark of good number of listed buildings. Two estates (Homes conservation management practice for public & Communities Agency and Royal Botanic bodies. Government Construction: Common Gardens, Kew) have estates of between 10 and Minimum Standards for procurement of the 100 listed buildings and scheduled monuments. built environment in the public sector (Cabinet The remaining 15 estates have fewer than 10 Office)2 summarises the mandatory standards listed buildings and scheduled monuments. that apply to central government, including 1. https://www.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/protocol-for-the-care-of-the-government-historic-estate/ 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-minimum-standards BIENNIAL CONSERVATION REPORT 2013-15 5 2.0 PROGRESS WITH STEWARDSHIP departments, executive agencies and the non- The Ministry of Justice manages a framework departmental public bodies for which they contract for specialist architectural and are responsible. It states that all projects or conservation advice. It covers all parts of programmes that have an impact on the historic England and Wales, and is available to all estate are to comply with the requirements of government departments, local authorities and the Protocol, Managing Heritage Assets3 and The other public bodies. This arrangement was re- Disposal of Heritage Assets4. let from March 2013 and now covers two regions (previously three). Other departments use a The majority of departments recognise the mixture of framework agreements and directly Protocol’s requirements. However, there are procured consultants to obtain advice on their some very significant variations in practice. The heritage assets. English Heritage and Historic quality of biennial reports varies considerably. Royal Palaces each have their own framework Excellent examples have been received