Ben Knaggs’ Post

Historic mill restoration in Wakefield underway “As a Wakefield-based company with extensive expertise in the restoration of important historical and listed buildings across the UK, we understand the significance of bringing Phoenix Mill back to its historical prominence.” Wakefield-based HENLEY RESTORATION & REMEDIALS LIMITED has been appointed to restore Phoenix Mill, the oldest building in the Rutland Mills complex in Wakefield, as part of the broader Tileyard North redevelopment. Read more about this major regeneration project that is breathing new life into one of Yorkshire’s oldest industrial landmarks: https://lnkd.in/eGRpJkuF Joseph Curtis Tom Cardoe Richard Butterfield Shaun Henley Historic England Wakefield Council City and Provincial Properties

Have you read Historic England's "Heritage Works for Housing"? The reports sets out how heritage can work for housing through repurposing and refurbishing historic buildings. Read online: https://lnkd.in/eTXbTnqF #Heritage #Housing #HistoricEnvironment

Heritage status has driven all sorts of bizarre behaviour. It’s got us fawning over buildings as architecturally significant as a concrete slab in a parking lot and given us rose tinted glasses for projects that make zero financial sense. The CAB building behind Town Hall illustrates this perfectly. How anybody considered this worthy of category A Heritage status is beyond me - a storage container painted beige would have more visual appeal. But, once inflicted with the sentence of ‘Heritage Building’ its fate was sealed. Council promptly sold this to a developer for the measly sum of $3 million, when in fact the cleared site would have been worth much more. Don’t get me wrong, New Zealand has a number of buildings with historic value and design prominence, and it would be mistake to disregard and demolish them. I personally have been involved with a number of restorations including NZ’s two oldest buildings, the Kemp House and the Stone Store in Kerikeri. The problem is we’ve seen an exodus of logic and reason when it comes to deciding which buildings are worth maintaining and restoring and which ones are only good for demo. I’m all for sensible restoration and repair of our valued heritage buildings, but we need more grown up conversations and some common sense when it comes to the sector. #auckland #buildings #heritage #repair #restoration #architecture #culture #design #history #city #nz #nzpol

The Post Vancouver is a mid-century landmark that has undergone a substantial transformation to include two modern sister towers. This landmark project was the first of its kind and required RWC Systems to preserve the old heritage exterior while constructing two new independent highrises in this project. Learn more about The Post Vancouver project here: https://ow.ly/tnsL50Uh8B4 #CommericialBuildings #HeritiageExterior #VancouverConstruction

The recent news about Exeter’s St Nicholas Priory and other listed buildings in the South West highlights a persistent challenge in heritage preservation: addressing urgent repair needs while planning for long-term sustainability. It’s encouraging to see organisations like Historic England stepping in with funding and expertise, but these stories are a stark reminder of how fragile our heritage can be. Restoration must be proactive, sustainable, and given the priority it deserves. Anything less risks allowing our history to crumble. https://lnkd.in/drvdRfQ7

Historic England published their updated guide this year to repurposing old historic buildings, including a roadmap and key technical considerations for each stage of the development process. As specialists at The Westcombe Group in restoring listed buildings to create beautiful homes and spaces fit for modern day life, we’re pleased to see these skills championed by such an important public body. Their platform ‘Heritage Works for Housing’ is available to view at https://lnkd.in/eTXbTnqF   #HistoricEngland #HistoricBuildings #Development #Housing #Property

Here's another great example where Sika helped with #specification, #CAD detailing and #construction site support. Using a combination of #waterproof sheet membranes and watertight #concrete. Follow the link below to learn more

New Historic England Guidance 'Heritage Works for Housing', published on Monday, sets out how retrofitting and repurposing historic buildings can deliver more homes! Very apt timing in my opinion!

What cultural value should we place on something like this, if any? It is in a grade II listed cottage of c.1700. In my experience, most of those people who move into and want to “do up” cottages of this type start from the proposition that unfashionable and dated tiled fire surrounds such as this should be ripped out and put on the skip forthwith. A more “original” fireplace supposedly better suited to Merrie England is then imagined and installed. But in round numbers this particular tiled fire surround has been in place for about a quarter of the life of the building. Is it now part of the special interest? Is it in the public interest that the private occupiers of this property should have to retain and learn to love this feature? Perhaps not the most acute heritage issue we face at this moment in time, but representative of a debate that is carried on daily on a case-by-case basis throughout the country, probably with little consistency. Maybe, in all the thousands of pages of guidance on heritage assets, there is a page that tells us the answer.