The property was vacant before works began, but is now occupied
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.
No. 35-36 St. Mary’s Gate
These Grade II* listed buildings are located in St. Mary’s Gate, in the centre of Derby, and date to the early-mid eighteenth century. Both properties had sustained damage to their roofs and building fabric, resulting in water ingress. The historic rainwater goods were missing and an inappropriate cement-based render had been also been applied to to the rear and the roof parapet.
Repairs were made to the fabric of the building where necessary. This included the replacement of the cement render to the rear of the property with lime, the repair of the stone parapet and roof covering, the reinstatement of cast iron rainwater goods and repairs to the timber windows and stone sills. Though previously vacant prior to the scheme, the buildings were soon used as offices following the completion of the works.
No. 21 Sadler Gate
This Grade II-listed property is located in Sadler Gate and dates to the mid-nineteenth century. Prior to the grant-funded works, the building was vacant and held back by an unappealing, modern frontage with a visibly tired-looking appearance. The existing, recessed frontage was removed in its entirety and an appropriate historic shop front was then reinstated, featuring decorative pilasters and suitably-proportioned fascia. The recess was restricted to the entrance way, bringing the remainder of the frontage forward. The side entrance was fitted with a suitable new door. The property was occupied by a barbers soon after the works were completed.
Nos. 59 & 61 Wardwick
This pair of shops on Wardwick was constructed in 1898, with shop fronts part of the design as opposed to a later addition. Despite being unlisted, the building has a significant positive impact on this historic row within Wardwick. Despite some surviving details in the shop surrounds and beneath later additions, many of the historic features of each retail unit had been lost. Through the grant scheme, the resultant inappropriate, modern shop fronts were to be removed, and suitable designs based upon historic evidence were to be reinstated. The historic surrounds, including pilasters and fascia, were also repaired where they had been damaged by later works or had deteriorated.
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. 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.
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.
Nos. 19 & 19a Sadler Gate
This Grade II listed property is located on Sadler Gate, with a front elevation which dates to the early-nineteenth century and potentially older fabric internally. It forms a distinct group with the surrounding properties, which make a very positive contribution to the historic character of the conservation area. Prior to the grant the building was in a poor state of repair, with a leaking roof, damaged render on the front elevation, boarded windows at first floor level and an inappropriate modern shop front at ground floor level.
The PSiCA enabled works to repair the fabric of the building and ensure its water-tightness. This included the roof, render on the upper floors and the reinstatement of the first floor windows. A traditional shop front was reinstated at ground floor level, incorporating the surround of the side passageway. Following the completion of the works, this once vacant property found a new use as a bar/restaurant.
No. 33 Wardwick
The stunning, Grade II* listed property is located in Wardwick and dates to the seventeenth century. The property is believed to be the first brick-built building in the city and was designed by Robert Smythson, who also designed Hardwick Hall. It was known as Gisborne House for a number of years, in reference to the local landowning family who originally owned it, before later coming to be known as Jacobean House. It was originally wider, being of five gables as opposed to two, but was shortened in 1855 to create Becket Street. The grounds which were once found to the rear have also been developed in the ensuing centuries.
Prior to the PSiCA the building had been intermittently vacant for a number of years, and had gradually fallen into a poor state of repair. In order to ensure the continued longevity of the building, a number of repairs were made, including the sash windows, the roof, two chimney stacks and the lead work. The gutters were also replaced to protect the building from future water ingress.
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