REVIT Heritage Report.pdf

Torfaen County Borough Council
REVIT: A Review of the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Assets on Brownfield Sites
interconnected by railway tracks. Today, only small sections of façades and
structures remain from the oldest buildings, mainly incorporated in later
buildings.
4.6.11 By the end of the nineteenth century the enormous growth of the complex had
resulted in a site characterised by a number of extremely large productions
halls, grouped around various production processes and centered on open
spaces, some with walled enclosures and a porter's lodge at the entrance.
The sites have a number of narrow industrial roads that are still typical for the
site. The industrial site was organised around a wide railway track with
branches accessing the factory halls via turntables and linked to the Stork port
on the Twente canal, which dates from 1930. This site will form the focus of a
complex of art studios, exhibition galleries, workshops, housing projects and
catering businesses.
4.6.12 The Stork brothers were active social reformers and one of their achievements
was establishing, in 1914, the 'Het Lansink'which is a model workers'village,
in the tradition of the English ‘garden villages’. The Lansink estate had large
gardens with white washed houses forming terraces of no more than six
dwellings with dormer windows and Dutch or stepped gables. The village, with
its curving lanes, focused on a central square with houses, shops and a hotel
arranged around the square. The pioneering social element was continued in
the 'Vereenigingsgebouw'(Social Club) and the Wilhelmina school, where
workers received in-house education and training.
4.6.13 The Dikkers site dates from before 1910, when the two main buildings at
Industriestraat, the iron foundry and accessory plant were built. The character
of the site is maintained by similarity of the design of the main elevations with
metal windows and iron structures infilled with which was 'characteristic'of
their period and their function.
4.6.14 At an early stage Hengelo took the important decision to seek statutory
protection for the most historic buildings. The Wilhelmina school, which will
house an industrial museum, the model-making plant and water tower, which
has become a fire station, along with the Association Building were all
designated as National Monuments. A number of other buildings have been
designated or proposed for Communal Monument status. This ensures the
most important structures will be preserved throughout the development
process and the area’s character is retained.
4.6.15 The quarter round the Stork building, near the station, defines the character of
the city and forms part of Hengelo. One approach has been to maintain the
site’s historic gird, which is formed by building plots and the railway lines that
ran through the area. However, many of the buildings are large warehouses
and are not considered suitable for residential use, unless the interior of the
building was stripped and the façade maintained. Unfortunately this form of
“facadism” would erode the historic character and integrity of the site.
Future re-uses
4.6.16 The development, named the New Stork City, aims to generate employment in
the area with the neighbouring areas offering attractive environments for
residents and businesses.
4.6.17 Some of the new accommodation will be taken by the ROC-Oost Nederland, a
regional educational centre and polytechnic, which is planning to set up a
Community College with about 8,000 students in the area. Initially the
vocational training department of the ROC will be accommodated in
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