Project involved reinstating a lost or damaged historic feature
No. 45-53 Green Lane
No 45-53 Green Lane is an unlisted former Primitive Methodist Church, now known as Green Lane House. The building is situated at the junction of Green Lane and St. Peter’s Churchyard and is a major landmark within the St. Peter’s and Green Lane conservation area. It was originally constructed in 1878 and designed by the architects Giles & Brookhouse in the Romanesque style. The building is highly decorative in both street-facing elevations, making excellent use of yellow “gault bricks” and terracotta detailing.
During the Twentieth century, significant harmful alterations were made to the building, most notably at ground floor level. Above, there were damaged and concealed windows, deteriorated detailing, and issues with the roof and rainwater disposal systems, including substantial vegetation growth. The remedial works have primarily involved the removal of the render and later accretions, followed by the reinstatement of lost or covered windows, the reinstatement of an appropriate entrance, and repairs to the terracotta, stonework and brickwork detailing, to match the existing. Repairs have also been made to the roof and rainwater disposal systems to prevent future water ingress.
The project was identified as a key priority through the Townscape Heritage Initiative and a grant of £300,000 was offered to undertake the works necessary to improve the building. Prior to the works, the building had been vacant, but is now aimed at functioning as a multi-use arts space.
Nos. 30-33 & 37-38 Queen Street
This row of shops occupies a prominent corner position at the junction of Queen St and Cathedral Road. Although unlisted, it retained a number of historic features which contributed to the character of the wider conservation area. The property dates to the 1930’s, and prior to the grant had been subject to decades of neglect and damage. In order to return the building to its former glory, a comprehensive schedule of works was devised to repair the existing bronze shop fronts and reinstate the associated oak doors. The property continues to be occupied by a mix of independent local businesses, following the completion of the works.
Nos. 49, 51, 53, 55 & 57 Wardwick
This parade of Grade II listed shops is at the centre of an attractive row of historic properties, located in Wardwick in the centre of Derby. Numbers 49-55 occupy a mid eighteenth-century building, which was converted to commercial use in the nineteenth century. Number 57, despite being of a later date (1890s), unlisted and in a completely different architectural style – was connected to its earlier neighbour through the surviving details of their historic shop fronts.
Through the PSiCA scheme, the unattractive, modern features of each property were removed. The surviving details of the late-Victorian/Edwardian era shop fronts were used to inform the design of the whole row. A continued mixture of commercial businesses continued to occupy the premises after the completion of the works.
Nos. 41, 43, 45 & 47 Wardwick
Located on Wardwick, this Grade II-listed building features three separate retail units and a separate access to the upper floors. The property was originally constructed as a dwelling, likely around the late-seventeenth/early-eighteenth century, before being adapted for retail use during the late-nineteenth century. Prior to the scheme, the units had a variety of problems which needed to be resolved, including the installation of inappropriate shop fronts and signage during the twentieth-century, advanced decay on a surviving historic door and its surrounds, and the deterioration of the upper floors of the property.
Through the PSiCA scheme, the original Victorian-era shop fronts were reinstated, based on historic evidence, as well as the historic door. The surviving shop surrounds, including pilasters and fascia, were repaired where possible, or reinstated to their original design. The issues within the upper floors were also resolved, including repairs to the render and a reconfiguration of the rainwater goods.
Nos. 3, 4 & 5 The Strand Arcade
This small parade of shops is located within the Strand Arcade, which connects The Strand to Sadler Gate. The Arcade was constructed between 1874 and 1878 by Sir Abraham Woodiwiss, and designed by John S Story. It was the first arcade to be built in Derby. The arcade itself is not listed, however the entrance in the Strand is Grade II, as part of the wider street group.
The roof of the arcade had recently been repaired in 2006 during the Townscape Heritage Initiative, however a number of the retail units had been altered during modern times and suffered from years of neglect, resulting in missing stone pilasters and capitals. Using surviving historic details from nearby units as a reference and details which were uncovered beneath later alterations, new shop fronts and a lost pilaster were reinstated to return the units to their previous grandeur. Although the units had been vacant prior to the works, they were soon occupied by a mix of new retailers.
No. 29 Sadler Gate
No 29 Sadler Gate is situated at the western end of the street, close to the site of Sadler Gater Bridge. Though unlisted, the property appears to date to the late-eighteenth/early nineteenth century, and is surrounded by buildings of similar historic value. The shop front retained a number of historic details, with a number of twentieth century alterations and changes. This was also the case at first-floor level, where a large window which extended the width of the building, had been installed in the 1920s, replacing the earlier sashes.
Through the PSiCA, the traditional shop front was reinstated, based upon historic evidence. The historic shop surround was repaired, with any decayed timber spliced with new hardwood. At first floor level, the picture window was removed and three sash windows were reinstated, based upon the historic layout. The property was not vacant at the time of the work, but continued in the same use following its completion.
No. 22 Iron Gate
This timber frame of this property in Iron Gate may date to the sixteenth century, though it features a number of additions from later centuries. The property is Grade II-listed, and at the time of the grant had had its original lead pipe stolen and was suffering from deterioration of its building fabric. A small grant was offered through the PSiCA to reinstate the lost lead pipe and to conduct urgent repairs to the visible cracks in the render, in order to halt any further deterioration of the structure.
The Royal Building, Victoria Street/Cornmarket
The Royal Building is a Grade II-listed landmark property, located at the corner of Cornmarket and Victoria Street. It was designed between 1837-9 by Robert Wallace, to be constructed after the culverting of Markeaton Brook, which previously flowed along the route of Victoria Street. The building was functioned as a hotel, known as the Royal Hotel, until 1951. It was also the meeting place of the Athenaeum Club, which occupied much of the Victoria Street elevation, and as a post office.
The building, required a multitude of repairs at the time of the grant, and had been subject to numerous inappropriate modern alterations. The repair schedule include works to the timber windows in the upper floors and the restoration of the building fabric, including stonework. The works also included the reinstatement of some of the 1930s-style timber shop fronts to replace the inappropriate modern frontages that had been installed in their place. The property was vacant prior to the works being undertaken, but is now occupied by a national restaurant chain at first floor level. A number of additional shop front reinstatements have been undertaken along the Victoria Street elevation as part of the Townscape Heritage scheme.
Nos. 10-32 The Strand
This stunning parade of Grade II-listed shops was constructed in 1881 by Sir Abraham Woodiwiss, as part of the redevelopment of this area of Derby, following the culverting of Markeaton Brook. When originally constructed, each shop had followed a consistent typology of matching frontages. Over time this had gradually degraded through alterations and been lost. The upper floors of the property and some of the stonework detailing had also fallen into disrepair, with some features also being lost.
Some works had been undertaken through a prior THI scheme. The PSiCA sought to extend the regeneration work to more of the units in order to realise the lost consistency of the parade and create a vibrant and attractive shopping precinct. In order to achieve this, a number of shop fronts were reinstated, based upon their historic designs, featuring awnings and blind boxes. Stonework repair and reinstatement was also undertaken to remedy the damage which had occurred to a number of decorative features in the lower and upper floors of the building. Following works conducted through the PSiCA scheme, vacancy in the Strand and Strand Arcade dropped from 9 units to 0.
No. 19 Iron Gate
This Grade II-listed building dates to the late-eighteenth/early-nineteenth century. Although it had retained its historic shopfront, a number of repairs and remedial works were required to ensure its longevity. A ground floor sash window had also previously been removed on the St Mary’s Gate elevation, replaced by a modern casement which was covered with signage.
Through the grant, the cement render was removed from the stall riser and plinth, and repairs were then made to the underlying stonework, including the introduction of ventilation holes. Localised repairs were made to the shop front, which was then repainted. In the St Mary’s Gate elevation, the signage and later casement window were removed and a sliding sash was reinstated, using the profiles of the surrounding windows. The property continued in the same retail use once the works were completed.
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