Penners
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I just couldn't be arsed to watch.
- Thread starter DERYN
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LadyArowana
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Interesting website about the Martello towers http://www.martello-towers.co.uk/index.html lots of pictures, and easy to compare the state of the converted/ not.
JoceAndChris
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Well I'll defend dreamers and romantics. I just watched it. When purchasing a property, agents and sellers never point out the pitfalls. The public awareness of lime, or correct repair techniques for historic properties and the ensuing large costs of that specialist work, is pretty much non-existent. The public awareness of EH may or may not allow is also zilch I'd say. Without knowledgeable friends or family to advise who is to say "don't do it, it won't work"?
Both owners had clearly taken on something that was far too much for them, but how could they possibly know that before embarking?(and in the case of the Martello tower that lady seemed to have hit hard times financially from her little comment that things had got much worse for her, which probably accounts for her lack of concrete plans)
With the right kind of hand holding, there is hope that both those towers could be made into homes that would please everybody, probably on a smaller and simpler scale than their initial idea. Some arrogant TV team turning up once every 7 months and demanding "what have you done?" is not the right kind of hand holding at all. They'd be better off joining this forum.
And what's going on with George Clarke? If he's so altruistic and passionate as the TV programme makes out, why didn't he give Barry a set of drawings that would do instead of just damning the ones he had? I don't think he gave Barry particularly good advice. If the Scottish Heritage people have been rejecting plans for extension over and over, and even rejected some rather nice looking plans of a previous, more expertful, owner, then any numpty could surmise that giving up the extension idea is the logical thing to do.
Both owners had clearly taken on something that was far too much for them, but how could they possibly know that before embarking?(and in the case of the Martello tower that lady seemed to have hit hard times financially from her little comment that things had got much worse for her, which probably accounts for her lack of concrete plans)
With the right kind of hand holding, there is hope that both those towers could be made into homes that would please everybody, probably on a smaller and simpler scale than their initial idea. Some arrogant TV team turning up once every 7 months and demanding "what have you done?" is not the right kind of hand holding at all. They'd be better off joining this forum.
And what's going on with George Clarke? If he's so altruistic and passionate as the TV programme makes out, why didn't he give Barry a set of drawings that would do instead of just damning the ones he had? I don't think he gave Barry particularly good advice. If the Scottish Heritage people have been rejecting plans for extension over and over, and even rejected some rather nice looking plans of a previous, more expertful, owner, then any numpty could surmise that giving up the extension idea is the logical thing to do.
Feltwell
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I did watch it end to end.....
The chap with the Scottish tower was quite clearly way out of his depth and had absolutely no idea what he was doing, nor any willingness (and probably finances) to engage the right professionals to do it for him. I predict he will spend another £20k (on top of the £30k he's already spent) on plans that will be turned down, and in 5 years time he will sell the tower for a loss - and by that point it will have deteriorated markedly due to lack of proper maintenance.
The Martello tower I have a bit more sympathy for. The lady in question was clearly not in the real world, that I fully accept. However, she did have a vision for the building and I suspect that with the right professionals she could do something with it - although I'm sure she would be a nightmare client! EH's position on the roof terrace struck me as being totally unrealistic, and quite likely to make the difference between the building being maintained and preserved for the future or it being allowed to decay completely.
I fully accept that other Martello towers have been unsympathetically converted and they do not wish see a repeat of that. I fail to see what is wrong though with a sensitively done, reversible solution that is not visually intrusive. It will make the building far more attractive as a residence, which means it is far more likely to have money & time spent on it to preserve it for the future.
As it is the building is left hanging in the balance - either it will be converted and she'll take the risk that she may never get the roof enclosure, or (I suspect more likely) it will be left to decay.
The chap with the Scottish tower was quite clearly way out of his depth and had absolutely no idea what he was doing, nor any willingness (and probably finances) to engage the right professionals to do it for him. I predict he will spend another £20k (on top of the £30k he's already spent) on plans that will be turned down, and in 5 years time he will sell the tower for a loss - and by that point it will have deteriorated markedly due to lack of proper maintenance.
The Martello tower I have a bit more sympathy for. The lady in question was clearly not in the real world, that I fully accept. However, she did have a vision for the building and I suspect that with the right professionals she could do something with it - although I'm sure she would be a nightmare client! EH's position on the roof terrace struck me as being totally unrealistic, and quite likely to make the difference between the building being maintained and preserved for the future or it being allowed to decay completely.
I fully accept that other Martello towers have been unsympathetically converted and they do not wish see a repeat of that. I fail to see what is wrong though with a sensitively done, reversible solution that is not visually intrusive. It will make the building far more attractive as a residence, which means it is far more likely to have money & time spent on it to preserve it for the future.
As it is the building is left hanging in the balance - either it will be converted and she'll take the risk that she may never get the roof enclosure, or (I suspect more likely) it will be left to decay.
Penners
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And therein lies the nub of this frequently encountered problem. There are many endangered buildings that can either be converted by the rare individual who comes along with enough cash to do the job - but who often has unsympathetic plans for the building - or they can be left to crumble to dust.Feltwell said:
You win some, you lose some.
I lied about the winning bit.
Matt Green
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Re: 18/04
restoration [ˌrɛstəˈreɪʃən]
n
1. the act of restoring or state of being restored, as to a former or original condition, place, etc.
Nasty mean old planners.... :roll:
restoration [ˌrɛstəˈreɪʃən]
n
1. the act of restoring or state of being restored, as to a former or original condition, place, etc.
Nasty mean old planners.... :roll:
masochists-r-us
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I don't know about everyone else, but I was infuriated by last night's programme. First by the Southport (I think) Planning Committee for rewarding someone who had done a sterling job of preserving the remains of an unlisted 17th C field house with a refusal to allow an extension needed to accommodate his family.Secondly, by George who I felt as a professional Architect might have a better understanding of how to manage the planning process and finally by the guy himself for parting with a fortune to save the place before getting a commitment from the planning authority. Anyone interested in setting up a petition ?
skier-hughes
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I saw a few minutes of it and turned off as it was boring me. Man wanted to do what he wanted to do and everyone was against him, it was the thatcher's fault that Scotland had had terrible weather so couldn't harvest the reed, the bank wouldn't lend him any money and now I find he bought a house too small for his family and people are blaming the planners for this............
Penners
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Glad I didn't watch. It sound as though it wouldn't have been good for my blood pressure.
Gareth Hughes
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Penners said:
Talking of blood pressure (and going rather off-thread)
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.b...eritage-fruitcakes-from-bonkers-ville_19.html
JoceAndChris
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Oh dear. ((((()))))) A level of Internet nastiness I don't often see, thankfully. It reads like the deranged spittings of a madman I have to say, whatever Evelyn did or didn't say to provoke it.
Penners
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Good grief! That looks to me like an untrained and unlicensed user of the English language*.
Gareth Hughes, a "Heritage Fruitcake from Bonkers-Ville"?
Wear the epithet with pride, Mr H!
* Or a vague approximation thereof.
Gareth Hughes, a "Heritage Fruitcake from Bonkers-Ville"?
Wear the epithet with pride, Mr H!
* Or a vague approximation thereof.
JoceAndChris
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Penners said:
Now you come to mention it, he did once suggest I remove my flagstone floor and replace it with knucklebones - but that's just one of his loveable quirks.
Gareth Hughes
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What I did to provoke it was to send him an email asking how one joined the Liverpool Preservation Trust, as all I could find were quotes from him as its Chairman, and his blog - no evidence that it exists as a society like all the other Preservation Ttrusts I've ever come across.
He is now threatening to report me to my employers because in blogging as "Conservation Officer" clearly everything I say has their blessing :shock:
Unfortunately blackmail works best if you keep your victim's "dirty secret" to yourself when making your threats, rather than broadcasting it to all and sundry before doing so.
He is now threatening to report me to my employers because in blogging as "Conservation Officer" clearly everything I say has their blessing :shock:
Unfortunately blackmail works best if you keep your victim's "dirty secret" to yourself when making your threats, rather than broadcasting it to all and sundry before doing so.
Penners
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Well, no wonder he descended on you like a ton of Flettons. That's naked provocation!Gareth Hughes said:
Flogging's too good for you.
JoceAndChris
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:lol:
If you need any nice letters writing to your employers as well, just say the word. I like writing letters, and could pretend to be all sorts of different characters...
I don't think your employers are likely to take him very seriously anyway.
If you need any nice letters writing to your employers as well, just say the word. I like writing letters, and could pretend to be all sorts of different characters...
I don't think your employers are likely to take him very seriously anyway.