This month in the Civic Matters column, Gill Pawson, chair of Vale of Evesham Civic Society and a retired town planner, talks about the long-awaited reveal of the Grade I-listed Round House after four years of restoration and that The Almonry, another Grade 1-listed structure, is now under wraps and awaiting restoration.
By Gill Pawson
LAST week, the first signs appeared in Market Place, Evesham of the work to unwrap the historic Round House or as most of us know it, NatWest bank.
This magnificent 15th Century building has unfortunately been shrouded in scaffolding and opaque wrapping for far too long due to protracted restoration works.
For the last four years, it has been hidden from view, as firstly, the condition of the building was assessed by a range of experts.
Then, listed building consent for the repairs had to be sought and finally, suitably experienced contractors were found.
Finding the necessary replacement Cotswold stone slates for the roof and other specialised building materials further delayed the works.
Then a new lead contractor had to be found after IGS went into administration.
The main reason why the project has taken so long is that the building is a Grade 1 listed structure, by English Heritage, a designation which gives it extra protection.
Across the country, only 2.5 per cent of listed buildings are classified as Grade 1, and thus determined as being of exceptional or national architectural and historic interest.
In Evesham, however, an incredible 4.2 per cent of our 166 listed buildings are Grade 1 listed.
Once this iconic building starts to reappear, you may well ask, ‘What has changed?’ The answer is that you will see no obvious change, other than new paintwork, and if you look up, new stone slates on the roof.
To the untrained eye the building will look exactly like it did before, which is what Grade 1 listing requires, as most of the problems of the dilapidated building are internal.
Once revealed, the Market Square will look much improved, the black-and-white timbered building providing a fitting backdrop to the myriad of public events held there in this historic quarter.
Just down the road, our town’s other significant Grade 1 listed building, The Almonry – which houses the town’s museum – has just been fully shrouded in scaffolding and opaque wrapping too.
Unlike the Round House restoration, which was paid for by NatWest, this project is mostly funded by a grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).
Requests to have an image on the wrapping to improve the appearance of the area, but the extra cost cannot be met from the budget allocated.
The good news is that once the work on The Almonry building is complete, all seven of Evesham’s Grade 1 listed buildings will be in good condition.
The investment by NatWest Bank, MEND and the NLHF in these two buildings amounts to millions of pounds, and the Vale of Evesham Civic Society is very grateful for their investment in Evesham’s built heritage.
Last week also saw the announcement of the submission of planning and listed-building applications for the demolition of the Riverside Shopping Centre.
Once permissions have been granted and following a period of public consultation, we will again see yet another part of our town centre shrouded with scaffolding and hoarding.
As witnessed by the Round House saga, large-scale projects in the town have a disproportionate effect on our use and enjoyment of it, but without them, the long-term prosperity of the town would be seriously compromised.
