A Victorian villa in Harrogate that was formerly a registry office and a Citizens Advice Bureau has been demolished.
Hornbeam Park Developments has planning permission to build new grade A offices on the site of Victoria Park House on Victoria Avenue.
The developer will rebuild the facade and some walls as part of the new building, which will include a two-storey extension.
It was previously owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which sold it for £1m in 2016 to help fund its move to new headquarters at Knapping Mount.
A report in 2017 said the building suffered from extensive subsidence, mould and was no longer fit-for-purpose.
Computer generated images of how the building will look.
A plan to demolish the villa and replace it with a modern-looking office block, submitted later that year, received an objection from Historic England.
The public body said the building, which was built in 1864, “epitomises the special character and identity” of Harrogate. It said plans to demolish it would “strike at the heart” of what makes the town unique.
Plans to build this modern office block on the site were scrapped after objections.
Following this, the council said it would no longer support the application and the developer withdrew it.
New proposals, which retained the facade of the existing building, were approved in November 2018 by the council’s planning committee.
Plumpton Rocks set for March opening after £700,000 restorationPlumpton Rocks is finally set to open to the public in March 2022 after several years of restoration works and investment of £700,000.
When people visit the site near Harrogate they will notice improved paths and dam as well as plenty more spaces and historic buildings to explore.
They will also notice that it is open more often. Rather than just weekends, it will be open for around 250 days in the year.
Robert de Plumpton Hunter, who inherited Plumpton Rocks from his father in 2010, has overseen a major turnaround in the attraction’s outlook.
More areas are now open to explore.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“To have an opening date of March 2022 is a great relief. Plumpton Rocks is now truly a place worth shouting about.
“The help we have had has been revolutionary. I never thought in my wildest dreams that we could do all of this work.
“My family are well-connected to Plumpton Rocks, it feels like it is in my DNA. The place has a great history which we are now able to play up to.”
A major catalyst for change came when Historic England added it to the “Heritage at Risk Register” in 2012.
In order to make much-needed improvements, Plumpton Rocks closed in 2013 for three years and in 2018 for two and a half years.
The time closed, as well as major investment from Mr Hunter, Historic England, Natural England and the Historic Houses Foundation has made a significant difference.
Not only did Historic England take Plumpton Rocks off its “Heritage at Risk Register” earlier this year but it also now closely resembles the 18th century sketches of JMW Turner.
A site in Harrogate painted by JMW Turner has been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register after long-term renovation.
Today, Historic England has published its annual Heritage at Risk Register. Plumpton Rocks is one of 17 in Yorkshire to have been removed from the list.
Considered one of the finest 18th century landscapes in the North of England, it was twice painted by JMW Turner.
It has been closed to the public for several years but is due to reopen in 2022.
The register is the yearly health-check of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost forever.
Plumpton Rocks is a Grade II* listed landscape designed in the mid-18th century. Local residents will recognise it for its large rock formations and man-made dam.
Over the years the site has declined, mainly due to the silting of the lake and overgrowing trees.
However, funding from numerous grants and the owner totalling more than £400,000 has allowed landscapers to restore the site to its former glory. The lake has been dredged, repairs have been made to the dam and work to manage the trees.
The site is now set to reopen in spring 2022 after closing for repairs in October 2019.
In future, it is hoped public access to the site can be improved and the local angling club have already volunteered to tackle invasive vegetation.
Trevor Mitchell, regional director for the North East and Yorkshire at Historic England said:
“The 17 sites saved this year in Yorkshire show what’s possible with strong partnerships investing together to secure public benefits. Agencies such as Natural England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England recognise the importance that historic places have for their local communities.
“It’s clear that restoring our heritage improves people’s lives.”
Over the past year Historic England has awarded £1.8 million in grants to historic places in Yorkshire, more than £800,000 of which came from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The Heritage at Risk register highlights the plight of a further 15 historic buildings or places in the district:
Plumpton Rocks is set reopen to the public in the spring of 2022 after several years of restoration works.
The Grade II* listed parkland and man-made lake fell into disrepair towards the end of the last century before Historic England added it to the “Heritage at Risk Register” in 2012.
Since then Historic England has worked with the current owners and pumped in more than £400,000.
The visitor attraction first closed for a major programme of repairs in 2013, which included works on the parkland, the dam and on the lake. It reopened three years later in 2016.
Plumpton Rocks closed again in October 2019 to do further work on the dam and bring it up to standard for the Reservoirs Act 1975.
However, the combination of extremely wet weather and heavy machinery forced the owners to pause the works until March 2020.
Coronavirus meant that the works were only able to restart in October 2020. Today the dam restoration is complete but remedial works remain for other areas of the site.
Robert de Plumpton Hunter, who inherited Plumpton Rocks from his father in 2010, told the Stray Ferret:
“When we started work on the dam in October 2019 the conditions were horrific. It was supposed to take three months but the conditions were so desperate.
“So we got to December and we had not made much progress. We were doing more harm than good so we stopped to restart in March 2020 but that is when coronavirus hit.
“The dam works finished in January 2021 but we need to do more work on the paths and the parkland before we reopen.
“I only want to let people in when it’s safe with coronavirus and when it is looking as good as it can be.”
Hopefully that would mean no more works would be needed for the next 100 years, he added.
A Kirkby Malzeard mother has raised concerns over the safety of a church wall near a school in the village.
Part of the wall on Church Bank, which is across from Kirkby Malzeard Church of England School, collapsed in February 2020 and is awaiting reconstruction.
Lynda English, who has children aged six and three attending the primary and pre-school, raised concern over the safety of a 30 metre section of the wall which she says is in need of repair.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“During the school term, I pass close to this wall six times a day.
“In addition to the section awaiting reconstruction, there’s a large part of it in a poor condition.
“It needs a long-term solution, that fully takes into account the safety concerns of local residents.”
Mrs English, who lives on Church Bank, added:
“I am nervous going past the wall, because I saw what happened in February 2020.
“Thank heavens, the collapse that occurred 15 months ago, came during the half-term holidays.
“I shudder to think what might have happened if the stone came crashing down while children and parents were passing by.”
The 30 metre section of wall on Church Bank in Kirkby Malzeard.
Mrs English pointed out that six families living on Church Bank have children at Kirkby Malzeard CE school and added:
“I just can’t bear the thought that the lives of children are being put at risk because of this wall and the deteriorating state it is in.”
The collapsed 10 metre section of the retaining wall for the churchyard of St Andrew’s Parish Church, is awaiting reconstruction by Harrogate Borough Council (HBC).
The stone fell onto the road below causing the closure of the principal route between Kirkby Malzeard and Masham. It has remained shut ever since.
Initially, HBC planned to reconstruct the collapsed section of wall and carry out repairs to an adjoining 30-metre section.
A spokesperson for HBC, said:
“The collapsed section needs rebuilding, which we are doing.
“We will then monitor the remaining section to see if there is any movement.
“If there is further movement we will then consider options for this area of wall.
“The section of the reconstructed wall and also the remaining wall will be regularly monitored through visual inspections, particularly during inclement weather to ensure that it remains in a stable condition.”
The spokesperson said reconstruction of the collapsed section will be completed by the end of autumn. The road will then reopen.
The cost for the work has not as yet been finalised.
HBC’s handling of this issue has been met with dismay by Cllr Jane Aksut, of Kirkby Malzeard Parish Council.
She said:
“We continue to call on Harrogate Borough Council to reconsider its approach.”
Cllr Aksut, pointed out:
“Their decisions have been made against the advice of the structural engineers, who consider that monitoring will not flag up a sudden collapse.”
Will Ripon Town Hall ‘Flake in Vain?’
Ripon City Council is determined to ensure that its headquarters is not allowed to ‘flake in vain’
In a nod to the wording “Waketh in Vain” on the Grade II* Listed Building, city council leader Andrew Williams, flagged up the deteriorating state of the decor.
He told a virtual meeting of the council:
“The exterior is flaking down to the stonework in places and is in need of a lick of paint.”
Cllr Williams, added:
“One concerned Ripon resident contacted me and asked ‘are we going to let this historic building flake in vain!.'”
As well as the poor condition of the paintwork, the council leader added that a Tourist Information Centre window vandalised in December, has not been repaired.
Ripon’s Tourist Information Centre is located in the town hall building and a window smashed by vandals in December has not been repaired
Cllr Williams said:
“It’s not a great advertisement for the city when this famous focal building and location for all key civic events, is in this condition.”
The city council is currently negotiating a new lease with Harrogate Borough Council (HBC), which has owned the building and other heritage assets in the city since local government reorganisation in 1974.
With lease discussions on-going, members agreed to approach HBC to seek redecoration of the town hall exterior.
When approached by the Stray Ferret about the negotiations, a spokesperson for HBC, said:
“The lease of Ripon Town Hall is still being discussed between the tenant (Ripon City Council) and the landlord (Harrogate Borough Council). Therefore we have nothing to add.”
Dating back to the early 1800s, the building was originally a town house for Elizabeth Allanson, the daughter of William Aislabie, whose family lived at Studley Royal and developed the world-famous water garden.
Members of the then municipality of Ripon, used a room in the building for meetings.
In 1897 Mrs Allanson’s heir, the First Marquess of Ripon, donated the building to the municipality to commemorate his mayoralty of the city.
A stand-out feature of the building is a frieze of golden letters on a red background that reads: ‘Except Ye Lord Keep Ye Cittie Ye Wakeman Waketh in Vain.’
The words relate to Hugh Ripley who was the last wakeman of Ripon in 1604 with responsibility for the safety of the city.
He subsequently went on become Ripon’s first mayor in 1605.
Ripley Castle awarded £343,000 to repair garden buildings
Historic England has awarded a grant of £343,000 to Ripley Castle to carry out a series of much-needed repairs of its garden buildings.
The money will go towards to repairs of the Grade II listed orangery and a number of adjoining buildings in the grounds of the 15th century country house.
The Fire Engine House, pavillions and bothies, shelters, will also be repaired.
This group of garden buildings are thought to have been designed in around 1785 by York-born architect William Belwood for Sir John Ingilby.
It is hoped, once completed, the works will ensure the buildings are removed from Historic England’s heritage at risk register. Owners say this will secure the buildings for future generations.
The castle owners have said specialist craftsmen and contractors will be used to complete the works. Once repaired, the buildings will be used for educational and leisure activities.
Sir Thomas Ingilby, owner of Ripley Castle, said:
‘‘The restoration of these buildings will be a big step forward in the ambitious programme to restore the walled gardens at Ripley Castle to their former glory.
We are enormously grateful to Historic England for their help and support for this project, which will, when completed, help a lot of people to overcome the financial and mental trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic’’
Giles Proctor from Historic England said:
£500,000 restoration of historic Ripon church begins“These handsome historic garden buildings form the centrepiece of Ripley Castle’s beautiful grounds. Their restoration will improve the experience of the tens of thousands of people who visit every year, as well as provide educational and leisure opportunities.”
Work has begun on the £500,000 restoration of St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church — one of Ripon’s architectural gems.
Years of fundraising by parishioners and awards from trusts, boosted by a £75,000 grant from Historic England, have made the project possible.
Parishioner and chair of fundraising, Barrie Price, said:
“After all our trials and tribulations of nearly five years, the contractors came on site to commence phase one of our restoration programme.
“This covers the whole of the central area of the church, excluding the rear section, and is expected to be completed by the end of March.”
St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church on Coltsgate Hill.
The grant from Historic England, awarded after a successful application from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, will enable the construction of a south porch extension, including toilets.
St. Wilfrid’s, which opened in 1862, is recognised as one of finest parish churches in England.
Its ornate reredos screens designed by Victorian architect Edward Pugin provide dramatic backdrops to the high altar and adjacent side altar, dedicated to St Joseph.
Both architectural works of art, sculpted from solid blocks of stone, provide focal points within the grade II* listed building.
In 1909 fittings from the private chapel at nearby Studley Royal were transferred to St Wilfrid’s following the death of the Marquess of Ripon — the city’s first mayor since the reformation — who had previously created the Lady Chapel within the church.
These include 10 stained-glass windows installed along the north and south aisles and dating from 1878.
Now, more than 50 years after the church’s last major refurbishment, the reredos, along with other parts of the building’s fabric, will be repaired and cleaned by specialists.
Mr Price, an accountant and former Ripon City and Harrogate district councillor, said:
“We were all ready to go earlier this year, but the first covid lockdown brought a temporary halt to everything, with the church having to close to meet the government’s social distancing requirements.”
A rare Grade II listed building, dating back to the days of horse-drawn hansom cabs and Hackney carriages, is coming back to Ripon.
Following refurbishment by specialists, the cabmen’s shelter will soon be ready for its return to Market Place.
Apart from times of restoration work, the distinctive craftsman-built Edwardian structure has stood there for 109 years.
It was constructed in 1911 by Boulton and Paul of Norwich – the company that also built huts for Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1910-13.
Paid for with a £200 legacy from Sarah Carter, whose father was a former mayor of Ripon, the shelter has been restored on a number of occasions, including in 1980, when the city’s Royal Engineers fitted a wheeled chassis, so that it could be moved.
The latest refurbishment work and re-installation in Market Place is costing approximately £22,000.
This is where the Grade II Listed Building will be located.
Councillor Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret:
“We believe that it is Britain’s only moveable listed building.”
He added:
“It’s extremely rare and the city council, which took ownership of the shelter from Ripon Civic Society in 1999, is delighted that this historically-significant structure will shortly be back on Market Place, adding to our numerous heritage attractions.”
In the days before motorised taxis, hansom cab and Hackney carriage drivers were exposed to the elements and in 1875 the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury formed the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, so that a place of shelter and hot food could be provided for drivers as they waited to pick up fares.
The charitable fund was used to pay for shelters initially in London, but they were subsequently paid for through other means as they were installed in cities and towns across the UK.
Ripon’s cabmen’s shelter was built predominantly from timber, with ironwork balustrade and guttering and a beechwood shingled roof. In addition to its benches, an internal feature is a decorative mini-balustrade of iron fretwork in Chinese Chippendale style.
At the time of its Grade II listing in February 2009, Historic England stated:
It’s time again for celebration in Kirkby Malzeard“It is a nationally rare and well-preserved example of a cabmen’s shelter, an important reminder of the importance of horse-drawn transport in the early 20th century, supplied by the well-known firm of Boulton and Paul of Norwich.”
The hands of time are moving once more in Kirkby Malzeard after the clock on St Andrew’s Parish Church was fixed by a horological specialist.
The village timepiece has been repaired and re-set, after being stuck on 11.38 and 30 seconds since the morning of August 18, when a failed spring caused its pendulum to drop and stop swinging.
Installed in 1909 as part of a major restoration following a fire that destroyed the 12th century church in the previous year, the tower clock has been chiming the hours for 111 years.
An example of Edwardian precision engineering, it was built by William Potts & Sons at their former Cookridge Street Works in Leeds and the company, now part of the Smith of Derby group, has been carrying out an annual inspection and service ever since.
Time to celebrate – specialist clock engineer Kevin Ireland (left) and Christopher Slater with the clock at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Kirkby Malzeard working again
For the past 18 years, much of the maintenance work has been carried out by horological engineer Kevin Ireland – who was on hand to get it working again this week.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s a flatbed clock designed for ease of maintenance and features a compensated pendulum made from metals that expand and contract depending upon changes in temperature, to ensure that an even swing is maintained.
“The pendulum is fundamental to accuracy of the time kept and this one also includes gravity escapements – parts of the mechanism that ensure the movement of the hands of the clock are not affected by weather conditions such as high winds.”
This same device forms part of the internal workings of the large Ripon Cathedral clock, also installed by Potts.
Seeing the St Andrew’s hands back moving again provided a moment to celebrate for parish sexton and verger Christopher Slater. He has been looking after the clock for half a century and spent 33 of those years climbing the 30 stone steps to the ring room twice each week, to carry out winding duties with a huge metal key.
In 2003, with support from the community, Mr Slater, his wife Mary and daughter Susan, raised the funds for an electronic mechanism to be added, which automatically winds both the clock and its chimes.
That installation was also carried out by Potts. Mr Slater, said:
“On behalf of all who live in Kirkby MaIzeard, I would like to thank Kevin and his colleagues for ensuring that we all know exactly what time it is.”