Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT MARTIN O’ROURKE CONSERVATION – REGENERATION 1 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT [email protected] tel: 0)7895063839 1.01 This report seeks to describe the site and existing building at No.108 Aldersgate Street and its qualities as a component in the street scene. The A Mll Road Cambridge urban design context and history of the building and its neighbours will be C AA discussed. 1.02 The possible impact of the proposed works on the immediate Crown House environment will be reviewed, particularly as regards what affect the proposals may have on the adjacent 19th century terrace, (No.107 108 Aldersgate Street London 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 Islington 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 1 2 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 London wall 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 Middlesex and the City of London. 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 Mayor of London 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. 3 4 Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT 3.03 The northest end of Aldersgate and the beginning of the Gosell Resembleth an Italian street more than any other in London by reason of Road 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 .6 his raciousness did not last as commercial pressures bean to ard in 60 Such industrial actiities ere not permitted ithin the it derade the character o the street. he reat mansions sch as etre of London boundaries. House hanet House and Laderdale House 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 Pica treet an area renowned or brothels. .7 Much o ldersate was destroed in the reat ire o London in 1666 remoin the last esties o medieal rander. he post ire redeelopment was larel in the orm o terraced hoses, business premises and coachin inns. .8 ldersate treet and oswell Road ormed the principal route linin the it with Islington for hundreds of years. The old route’s importance was reatl diminished b the cuttin o it Road in the late 8th century. Below is Horwood’s map of 1794 3.04 o Aldersgate Street became part of the Metropolitan Borough of insbur in 99 ith the founding of the London ount Council and then part of The London Borough of slington folloing the formation of the Greater London ouncil in 65. 3.05 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 5 6 Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT . ldersgate as again adly affected by fire in the reat ire of 1897, hich destroyed much of the area east of the street. The later 19th century sa the street deeloped for terrace houses and shops together ith arious industrial enterprises clustered close to the City. O.. ap 73 7 8 Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT .10 The Blit during the last ar destroyed or adly damaged much of the . n 1972, e eising building a 108 Aldergae ree a deigned area including o.10 ldersgate. o. as also seriously damaged, by arhiec Badin eaon eron bell. e baemen a planned a leaing only 1- osell treet relatiely unscathed, although een these orage and oile acommodaion ith oice e o the ground ir and uildings must hae suffered from serious blast damage. ost-war eond oor. ere ere o la on e third floor. n 88 archiec redeelopment included the arican state east of ldersgate and o. eardon eare arnerip prepared a scheme or a manard-ye roo ldersgate in 1972. os. - Gosell Road are among the ery fe eenion and or the enire building o be in oice ue. i propoa a surivors of the Blit in this locality. The etent of deastation is clear on no prsed. the .C.C om damage map, here the dar purple colour denotes “damaged beyond repair”. The large circle at the unction ith ong ane ROPOSALS indicates the impact of a .. lying om, hich ould hae caused etensive last damage. e rren propoa invoe te reladding and te re-eneraion o the eising rture o No. Aldergae ree. e building ould be eended by an addiiona o orey e op floor being e bak beind a errae. e addiiona wo orey od generaly clad in ondon oc brick and ould hae anthraie-coored indo rame. ATIONS . o. and Aldergae ree and o. and are no lied building. one o e oer conigo bilding on this e ide o Aldergae ree or oel Road are isted. e ie doe no lie ithin a deignaed oneraion area. The Chareroe Square Coneraion rea lie o the e and outh o Aldergae ree. e ie lie ithin the rchaeoogica rioriy rea (APA) or Aldergae ree 107,108, 0-115, 0-12 coneuie. riory ied House.) These APAs are identified in the local authority’s eelopmen anagemen oicie (ppendi ); ll plai appliaios liel o affect impora araeoloical remains ms be aompaied a appropriae araeoloial assessme 9 10 Chapter Seven: CONSERVATION STATEMENT raeoloial assessmes ma e reired for oer deelopme proposals were i is osidered a impora araeoloial remains ma 6.0 No. 10 ldersgate treet falls ithin the area covered y the e present. Finsury Local Plan. The Plan contains Policy C9; 6 P TT all Bildings i oeal osideraio for Bildi Heis ithi e area oered is plan, all ildis are cosidered o e 6.01 The Government’s policy advice is given in the National Planning ildings or srres a are ssaiall aller a eir eighbors Policy Framework (NPP). The princile of sustainale deelopment 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 14 states that there is a presuption in faour sustainale deeloent. ection states the necessity of ood desin in all plannin aplication roposals. MMNT N T PPL 6.03 The Mayor of London’s London Plan Policies (FALP 2015) seeks to suport and promote central ondon actiities Central Actiities Zone) in .01 ldersgate treet has had an etremely turulent history involving policies . and .. repeated etensive destruction of uildings and reuilding to accommodate ne uses. Most traumatic of all as the Blit hich virtually destroyed all . ocal policy uidance is proided y the ondon orouh of slinton’s the buildings in the vicinity including No.10 ldersgate treet leaving only ocal Plan eelopment anaement Policies); No.10 ldersgate treet and Nos. 1- Gosell oad. 1 .0 ast of ldersgate the heavily bomed historic streets ere sept aay in the post ar years to allo the development of the Barican state esign by the ity orporation. This estate is a maor Brutalist monument y architects Chamberlin Poell and on. t has no een comprehensively ll forms of deelopme are reired o e of igh ality, iorporae listed. There is no dout that the monumental scale and landmar tall ilusie desi principles ad mae a posiie oributio o e loal toers of this estate dramatically changed the tonscape environment of araer ad disincieess of the area ldersgate treet.