Endangered Essex library among key heritage sites saved from ruin
Historic England have published their annual Heritage at Risk Register
Lots of endangered buildings in the East of England, including a public library in Maldon which is one of the oldest in the country, have been saved from ruin.
That's according to Historic England, who've published their annual Heritage at Risk Register, which gives an annual snapshot of the critical health of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Over the past year, 21 historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register in the East of England because of their deteriorating condition and 39 sites have been saved, with their futures secured.
Historic England say heritage partners and dedicated teams of volunteers, community groups, charities, owners and councils have worked hard to rescue important buildings.
Historic England awarded £1.08 million in repair grants to 28 historic places and sites, including conservation areas, on the Heritage at Risk Register in the East of England over the past year.
Three historic places at risk have together benefited from close to half a million in grants from the heritage at risk strand of the Culture Recovery Fund during 2021/2022.
Sites added to the register in Essex include:
Woodfield Cottages, Maldon (Grade II listed in a Conservation Area)
Built in 1873 by the industrialist E H Bentall as homes for the employees of his Agricultural Works, the 41 single-storey cottages are a pioneering example of mass concrete construction.
These experimental dwellings were accompanied by generous gardens, outbuildings including privies, and a communal water supply. The lanes, gardens and borders that surround the cottages add to the area’s special character. Until 1918, the cottages and outhouses had flat roofs and were known as the ‘Flat Tops’.
Although the cottages were Grade II listed in 1971, several have been altered in ways that detract from their traditional character and some have fallen into a poor state of repair.
The cottages have been designated as a conservation area, and Maldon District Council have prepared a Local Listing Building Consent Order, which simplifies and streamlines the consent process for owners who want to carry out sympathetic and restorative building alterations.
The potential for a Conservation Area Partnership Agreement between Maldon District Council and Historic England is also being explored, which, if successful, would make grant funding available to cottage owners for historically sensitive repair and restoration work.
Sites rescued and removed from the register in Essex include:
Church of St Mary Magdalene, Wethersfield
The Church of St Mary Magdalene dates mainly from the 12th to 15th centuries, with evidence of the original Anglo-Saxon building by the north aisle. It has a distinctive low tower which stretches the full width of the nave.
Patrick Brontë, father of the Brontë sisters, worked at the church from 1806 to 1809. There is a plaque to his memory near the south door.
Over the past five years, the spire and roof of the church have needed complete repair. The spire repair was completed three years ago. The roof had been patched up many times but was suffering from damp and the structural 13th century timbers were rotting.
The church team requested that the church was added to the Heritage at Risk Register, to raise attention to the serious problems that they were facing. Despite the Covid-19 lockdown meaning that no services or events were possible, the local community rose to the challenge and raised around £300,000 to enable the roofing project to be completed.
The Harwich Treadwheel Crane
The Harwich Treadwheel Crane is believed to be the only surviving double-wheeled enclosed crane in the medieval tradition in England.
It had long been thought to date from 1667 but recent dendrochronological (wood) sampling dated the wall fabric to 1738-70 and the crane’s external jib to 1792-1824. This matches Admiralty records which refer to the construction of a new crane in 1745 after its 1667 predecessor was dismantled following storm damage.
The structure was moved to its present location in 1932 for public display when the dockyard area was redeveloped. Despite being relocated and rebuilt, the structure is substantially authentic.
Following completion of research funded by Historic England and Tendring District Council, a grant of more than £140,000 was awarded as part of the Government’s Heritage Stimulus Fund (part of the Culture Recovery Fund) for the restoration of the Treadwheel Crane.
Works to the structure included the repair of a failed ground slab which was causing subsidence, and sensitive repair of the roof, timber frame and crane. The traditional technique of using Swedish Pine Tar and sail cloth to weatherproof the conical roof was used for probably the first time in around a hundred years.
Thomas Plume’s Library, Maldon
Thomas Plume’s Library is one of the oldest public libraries in England, containing more than 8,000 volumes dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Purpose-built libraries of this period are extremely rare.
The library was built on the site of the former church of St Peter of which only the 15th century west tower remains following the collapse of the church nave in around 1665.
By 1699 Dr Thomas Plume (1630-1704) had built a two-storey brick and timber library building to house his collection of rare and important 16th and 17th century texts. In contrast to the church tower, Plume’s new building was domestic in character, built of red brick with stone dressings, coved cornices and a slate roof. On the first floor of the library, original 17th century fittings can be seen including beautiful wooden panelling.
Urgent repair work has been completed to the room that contains Plume’s collection, including the replacement of the ceiling and works to the library floor, external masonry and windows. The restoration work has protected Plume’s rare books, manuscripts and paintings and has ensured future public access to the collection in its original setting.