DONALD INSALL ASSOCIATES Chartered Architects, Historic Building & Planning Consultants 19 West Eaton Place, London SW1X 8LT ALEXANDRA PALACE Conservation Management Plan February 2012 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX CONTENTS Page Nos: i. Introduction – Background to the Document 4 ii. Conservation Plan Methodology – How the Document Works 4-5 iii. Acknowledgements and Sources Consulted 5 1.0 The Buildings 1.1 Introduction and Outline History of Alexandra Palace 6 1.2 The Basis of the Research 6 1.3 A Building Chronology Drawn from Key Secondary Sources 7-46 2.0 Assessment of Significance 2.1 An Overview of the Significance of Alexandra Palace 47 2.2 The Significance of the Site 47-50 2.3 The Significance of the Architecture 50-56 2.4 The Importance of the Users and Occupants of Alexandra Palace 56-60 2.5 The Significance of the Architects and Designers 60-62 2.6 The Significance of the 1980s Post-Fire Rebuilding 62-63 3.0 Vulnerability 3.1 Vulnerability Overview 64-65 3.2 Vulnerability and Issues 65-76 3.3 Element by Element 76-77 4.0 Conservation Plan Policies 4.1 General Policy 78 4.2 Area Policies: Exteriors, Interiors 78-80 4.3 Elemental Policies 80-84 4.4 Particular Policies 84-86 4.5 Use Policies 86-87 5.0 Implementation to be completed Not included in the draft report: to be prepared following consultation of the shareholders 5.1 Consultation and Co-ordination 5.2 Management 5.3 Implementation 6.0 Gazetteer A Exterior 88-108 B Interior 109-151 Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 2 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX 7.0 Research Sources 7.1 Bibliography 152 7.2 Periodicals Consulted 153 8.0 The Plate List and Plates 154-168 9.0 The Drawing List and Drawings 169-177 Appendix 1. The Statutory Listing Description 178-183 Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 3 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX i. INTRODUCTION: BACKGROUND TO THE DOCUMENT This Conservation Plan was prepared by Donald Insall Associates for the Alexandra Palace Charitable Trust. The survey was undertaken during December 2011 – February 2012 by Francis Maude and Heather Pavitt, and the research by Carrie Maude and Katrina Royall, all of Donald Insall Associates. The intention of this document is to inform the Alexandra Palace Charitable Trust by providing: • an analysis of the history and construction of the building. • an assessment of the significance of the building and of its various component elements. • a conservation briefing for the future usage of the building. ii. CONSERVATION PLAN METHODOLOGY – HOW THE DOCUMENT WORKS The Conservation Plan seeks to both guide and advise proposals for the future usage of the building, and is divided into nine parts: 1. The Buildings This section gives a basic introduction to Alexandra Palace, including chronology of development and use. 2. Assessment of Significance This section addresses the aspects of Alexandra Palace which contribute to its significance, and the hierarchy of the significance of its different parts and areas. A key part of this analysis is the Gazetteer, which is included in Section 6. 3. Vulnerability This section addresses the various issues which make the building and particularly its most significant elements vulnerable, highlighting global issues such as the changing requirements for entertainment and function spaces, the service requirements of modern places of public assembly and kitchens and the need to maintain the use of the buildings in the light of particular matters such as fire safety, access requirements, and changing climate conditions. 4. Conservation Policies This section sets out a series of policies which are aimed at informing the process of change and at guiding future building management decisions. 5. Implementation (not included in the Draft Document) Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 4 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX This section is prepared following consultation with the stakeholders about the provisions of the draft document, and details how the conservation policies are to be implemented. 6. Gazetteer This section provides a description of the building part by part, room by room, giving an assessment of the construction, finishes, date of execution and significance in relation to the whole building. 7. Bibliography This section gives a list of the key secondary sources consulted in the preparation of the Conservation Plan. 8. The Plate List and Plates This section contain illustrations key to an understanding of the site and buildings. 9. The Drawing List and Drawings This section contains current plans of the building, colour coded to show the date of construction and subsequent alteration. iii. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are indebted to the staff at the Bruce Castle Museum, for providing such ready access to their collections of archive material; to John Hutchinson and Richard Loren for sharing their knowledge of the 1980s post-fire restoration and subsequent works of repair; to John Thompson of the Alexandra Palace Television Society, who provided us with a copy of his earlier review of the BBC occupied areas; and to Mark Hopson and Helen Cole at Alexandra Palace, for facilitating access throughout the building. Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 5 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX 1.0 THE BUILDINGS 1.1 Introduction and Outline History of Alexandra Palace The first Alexandra Palace was built as a “People’s Palace”, re-using the building from the 1862 Great International Exhibition in South Kensington, designed by Alfred Meeson with John Johnson. It took some time to fit out, due to financial difficulties, and was completed in 1873. Two weeks after opening, it burnt down. Despite inadequate insurance, the Palace was rebuilt (the second Alexandra Palace) within two years. Apart from the main north and south entrance porticos, and their associated basements, none of the fabric of the first Palace was re-used. Opening in 1875, it contained a central Great Hall with a Willis organ, able to hold 12,000 persons, a Theatre and Concert Hall (3,000 persons each), exhibition galleries, a covered “Bazaar” for the sale of merchandise, extensive banqueting, dining and light refreshment facilities, and many further attractions in the Park. Recurrent financial difficulties led to periods of closure. During WWI the building was used first for the housing of Belgian refugees and later for the internment of German prisoners of war. The concert hall was turned into a roller skating rink, while the Theatre was kept going by concurrent use as a cinema, and was remodelled in the early 1920s. Eventually, the BBC leased the eastern part of the Palace for their TV studios, and built the transmitter mast. While the TV uses moved to White City in stages after WWII, the Open University remained on site until 1981, leaving after the 1980 fire which destroyed the Great Hall and the western part of the Palace apart from the Palm Court. The Palace was restored 1980-88 by the Alexandra Palace Development team led by Dr Peter Smith, and is now used for large live music and sports events, as well as containing an Ice Rink. Parts of the Palace, including the Theatre and former BBC studios, remain unused and in near-derelict condition. The Palace is listed Grade II due to: the historic interest as a rare survival of a large-scale Victorian exhibition and entertainment complex, and for the surviving BBC studios where the world’s first high definition television programme was transmitted in 1936; also the complete set of Victorian stage machinery in the Theatre. Architectural interest is associated with the surviving Victorian fabric and internal spaces. 1.2 The Basis of the Research Desk top research has been undertaken by Donald Insall Associates in December 2011 and January 2012 using secondary sources. A limited amount of primary research has been undertaken thus far using material held by: − The Bruce Castle Museum − The London Metropolitan Archive − The Victoria and Albert Museum − The Illustrated London News Picture Library − The British Library − The National Art Library Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 6 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX 1.3 A Building Chronology Drawn from Key Secondary Sources Chronology Abbreviations APTS Notes prepared by the Alexandra Palace Television Society, unpublished, 2011? LB Laurie Brettingham “Beam Benders” 1997. Bldg “Building” – periodical. BS “Building Services” – periodical. CL Country Life – periodical. CN “Construction News” – periodical. JE John Earl “Alexandra Palace Theatre Conservation Statement”, 2009. JH Janet Harris “Alexandra Palace: A Hidden History”, 2005. KG Ken Gay “Palace on the Hill: A History of Alexandra Palace and Park”, Hornsey Historical Society, 1992. PS Peter Smith “Alexandra Park and Palace”, (ND) held by Bruce Castle Museum. RC Ron Carrington “Alexandra Park & Palace: A History”, 1975. SB Stevan Brown “The People’s Palace: Alexandra Palace & Its Changing Role In Society”, AA Quarterly, April 1970. WT “The Wireless Trader” – periodical. Donald Insall Associates February 2012 Conservation Management Plan Page 7 ALEXANDRA PALACE ALX 1858 Publication of prospectus for a “People’s Palace” of the northern heights. [JE] 1859 Design for palace by Owen Jones announced. [JE] 1860 Muswell Hill Land Co created. [JE] 1863 Alexandra Park opened to the public. Contract signed for erection of a building using material salvaged from the 1862 South Kensington Exhibition. [JE] 1865 Liquidation of company and formation of Muswell Hill Estate Co and Alexandra Palace Co Ltd. Work well under way but financial difficulties caused continual delays. [JE] 1873 Johnson’s plan for the re-built palace included the large hall which had been originally envisaged by Owen Jones. It was 386 feet long and 184 feet wide and designed to seat 12,000 people with 2,000 more in the orchestra stalls below the organ. The Willis organ was a great feature of the palace, built by Henry Willis who had established organ works in Camden… the new organ was the principal organ in the country in size, design and equipment.