Evelyn has been busy as ever, campaigning to save our built heritage, what follows is the text of a press release dated 1st August from SAVE regarding Paddington Span Four:
SAVED! THANKS TO SAVE CAMPAIGN
SAVE Britain’s Heritage welcomes Network Rail’s decision, announced today, to drop its plans to demolish Span Four at Paddington Station and to invest in its restoration.
The decision comes after Westminster Council had approved the demolition on grounds of railway need. SAVE continued the fight with a campaigning publication “Save Paddington’s Span Four: This engineering marvel must stay”. SAVE’s campaign gained support from leading engineers and leading figures in the railway world.
Span Four is an elegant and dramatic Edwardian extension to the station, dating from 1911-16, by the Great Western Railway’s New Works Engineer, W Young Armstrong. It both complements and enhances IK Brunel’s original work at the station. For the last thirteen years it has been hidden from the travelling public by a scaffold crash deck.
Network Rail had planned to demolish Span Four and replace it with an office on a deck over the rails, claiming that the development was essential to increase railway capacity at the station and that Span Four was a poor pastiche. SAVE argued that Span Four was a fine piece of architecture in its own right, and that the increase in capacity at Paddington created by the arrival of Crossrail would negate the need to demolish Span Four
Adam Wilkinson, Secretary of SAVE said “We are delighted at Network Rail’s decision to retain Span Four and excited at the prospect of it being restored. It will once again be a truly magnificent space, returning Paddington to its status as a world class station. Once Crossrail is completed there will be no operational reason to demolish this handsome Grade I listed structure.”
Notes
1. SAVE Britain’s Heritage is a charity that campaigns for threatened historic buildings, areas and designed landscapes across the UK. It is entirely dependent on charitable donations from individuals and receives no support from Government. Since its creation, SAVE’s campaigns have resulted in the rescue, repair and reuse of numerous historic buildings, both listed and in conservation areas, of all shapes and sizes.
http://www.savebritainsheritage.org
2. Network Rail’s position
“Network Rail Company Position July 2006
Network Rail has been developing a scheme to enhance facilities at Paddington Station which would have involved the development of Span 4 and Red Star deck structures.
Until the future of Crossrail is firmly established, it would be inappropriate to undertake such a capital project when its benefits cannot be quantified with any certainty.
Accordingly, Network Rail will undertake sufficient remedial works to the structures concerned to meet its current obligations. The repair works to be undertaken will include the restoration of the span 4 roof and structure. It is expected that during the course of Crossrail construction, taxi operation will move away from Eastbourne Terrace and the Red Stark deck. The works which will be undertaken by Network Rail (prior to the start of Crossrail construction, assumed to be on 2009) will compliment any requirement to relocate taxi operation at Paddington Station”
SAVED! THANKS TO SAVE CAMPAIGN
SAVE Britain’s Heritage welcomes Network Rail’s decision, announced today, to drop its plans to demolish Span Four at Paddington Station and to invest in its restoration.
The decision comes after Westminster Council had approved the demolition on grounds of railway need. SAVE continued the fight with a campaigning publication “Save Paddington’s Span Four: This engineering marvel must stay”. SAVE’s campaign gained support from leading engineers and leading figures in the railway world.
Span Four is an elegant and dramatic Edwardian extension to the station, dating from 1911-16, by the Great Western Railway’s New Works Engineer, W Young Armstrong. It both complements and enhances IK Brunel’s original work at the station. For the last thirteen years it has been hidden from the travelling public by a scaffold crash deck.
Network Rail had planned to demolish Span Four and replace it with an office on a deck over the rails, claiming that the development was essential to increase railway capacity at the station and that Span Four was a poor pastiche. SAVE argued that Span Four was a fine piece of architecture in its own right, and that the increase in capacity at Paddington created by the arrival of Crossrail would negate the need to demolish Span Four
Adam Wilkinson, Secretary of SAVE said “We are delighted at Network Rail’s decision to retain Span Four and excited at the prospect of it being restored. It will once again be a truly magnificent space, returning Paddington to its status as a world class station. Once Crossrail is completed there will be no operational reason to demolish this handsome Grade I listed structure.”
Notes
1. SAVE Britain’s Heritage is a charity that campaigns for threatened historic buildings, areas and designed landscapes across the UK. It is entirely dependent on charitable donations from individuals and receives no support from Government. Since its creation, SAVE’s campaigns have resulted in the rescue, repair and reuse of numerous historic buildings, both listed and in conservation areas, of all shapes and sizes.
http://www.savebritainsheritage.org
2. Network Rail’s position
“Network Rail Company Position July 2006
Network Rail has been developing a scheme to enhance facilities at Paddington Station which would have involved the development of Span 4 and Red Star deck structures.
Until the future of Crossrail is firmly established, it would be inappropriate to undertake such a capital project when its benefits cannot be quantified with any certainty.
Accordingly, Network Rail will undertake sufficient remedial works to the structures concerned to meet its current obligations. The repair works to be undertaken will include the restoration of the span 4 roof and structure. It is expected that during the course of Crossrail construction, taxi operation will move away from Eastbourne Terrace and the Red Stark deck. The works which will be undertaken by Network Rail (prior to the start of Crossrail construction, assumed to be on 2009) will compliment any requirement to relocate taxi operation at Paddington Station”