Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
BRICKS AND MORTAR<br />
Pretty vacant<br />
<strong>Lewes</strong>’ ‘buildings at risk’<br />
<strong>Lewes</strong> has many<br />
buildings of historic or<br />
architectural importance,<br />
hundreds of them<br />
having the protective<br />
status of being ‘listed’.<br />
The town is inevitably<br />
subject to change<br />
- changes of use and<br />
new developments. For<br />
a number of reasons<br />
buildings may become<br />
‘at risk’, often for a<br />
short time, occasionally<br />
for very long periods.<br />
Being at risk may<br />
come about because<br />
of vacancy, changes<br />
of ownership or while<br />
redevelopment opportunities are explored and<br />
planning permission sought.<br />
A good example of the latter category is Canon<br />
O’Donnell Hall on Western Road. Many of<br />
us will have a memory of this place, be it associated<br />
with scouts, Western Road School, the Catholic<br />
Church or drama classes… and that is by no means<br />
an exhaustive list! After being empty for years, at<br />
last this building with its Arts & Crafts touches<br />
and in a prominent position, is being converted,<br />
albeit very slowly, into four town houses. Earlier<br />
plans by the owner to knock it down and build<br />
a block of flats were opposed by the Friends of<br />
<strong>Lewes</strong> and others on more than one occasion in<br />
an attempt to save it from demolition and preserve<br />
its exterior.<br />
More recently, Lloyds Bank on the upper High<br />
Street – a Grade II Georgian listed building - was<br />
empty for some years, with obvious neglect and<br />
deterioration, whilst development ideas were<br />
pursued. The eventual conversion to a Côte<br />
restaurant, with accommodation<br />
above,<br />
has preserved its fine<br />
interior and put it back<br />
into use.<br />
Fisherman’s Cottages<br />
off Foundry Lane were<br />
in a ruinous state for<br />
years before a radical<br />
conversion brought<br />
them back to a habitable<br />
state, albeit with<br />
the loss of some historic<br />
internal features.<br />
Castle Cottage, tucked<br />
away in Castle Ditch<br />
Lane, appears to be in<br />
a perilous condition:<br />
I believe uncertain<br />
ownership and squatters have been the causes of<br />
protracted delay in its redevelopment.<br />
Sometimes the vacancy is measured only in<br />
months, as with the old Turkish Baths in Friars<br />
Walk, soon to be returned to yet another period of<br />
use in its long history, but St Anne’s Special School<br />
has been empty and deteriorating for a decade<br />
now, with competing ideas for its future being<br />
aired, but the County Council as owners have been<br />
unable to resolve the complex issues involved: a<br />
dreadful waste of a large site with much potential.<br />
Buildings do not have to be historic to be at risk:<br />
Springman House at the top of North Street is a<br />
relatively modern office building which has been<br />
derelict for years, having become surplus to the<br />
needs of its previous Health Service owners. It is<br />
due to be demolished and redeveloped this year<br />
as part of the plan to relocate the fire station from<br />
the North Street Quarter. Marcus Taylor<br />
Marcus is Chairman of the Friends of <strong>Lewes</strong> /<br />
friends-of-lewes.org.uk<br />
92
Change language