Restoration or demolition?

[plumbers mate]

Oh dear, it's a sad day.

My pet project - the Pen yr Orsedd Quarry workshops didn't win the Restoration pot of gold. I blame Griff Rees Jones' awful pronunciation!

No one will do anything to that site without a big input of cash to make it a viable building for a business so the whole site will just fall further and further into decay. There's no way the local people can raise the money for it and their is no alternative use.
Quite heartbreaking.

Many of the buildings in the programme have active support groups which can raise money for an existing project or repairs but this was a scheme to restore buildings and, by creating the business in them, create jobs where the local job opps are zero.
It wouldn't create another heritage centre or village community centre but jobs.
Pic taken in 1995 and it's awful how it's deteriorated since then.
Very sad.


[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]

 

[Nemesis]

I've just said all that in another thread ... but I do hope they will carry on and seek funding for the project, not give up. There are plenty of places to try ... the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Prince of Wales Trusts, plenty of others.

http://www.princes-regeneration.org/index.php

The Architectural Heritage Fund may help with funding a Project Officer...

http://www.ahfund.org.uk/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/nantlle/pages/penyrorsedd.shtml

 

[Nigel Watts]

If I had voted, this would have been the one I would have gone for.

Incidentally, can you tell me anything about the Nantll railway? I have been researching a Liverpool merchant family who were involved in Stephenson's Liverpool to Manchester railway. One of them owned shares in the Nantll railway, so may have been involved more generally with the quarry and workshops.

 

[plumbers mate]

The best book on the history of the Nantlle railway is probably the one
by J.I.C. Boyd
NARROW GAUGE RAILWAYS IN NORTH CAERNARVONSHIRE - VOLUME ONE, THE WEST
ISBN 0853612730

There is a copy on abebooks.co.uk (put Boyd in the author and narrow gauge railways in the Keywords boxes and it should be no 40 - or it is at the moment) Health warning - abebooks can seriously damage your credit card.

Boyd isn't without fault but is generally very good.

 

[Nemesis]

I add however - the reasons why many have community use for the building at risk is because that's what attracts funding.

Heritage Centres can attract visitiors and create jobs too of course, as can community buildings. Those of us who live in rural areas know how important they can be, and again, funding can be sought for that sort of use.