some pictures

[Mark]

Not mine I hasten to add.

I stumbled across this site today - the title is a little misleading as there are lots of other things in there as well but some nice pics of buildings.

http://www.lancashirechurches.co.uk/album/index.html

 

[WelshDecorator]

Pitty one of my favorites is not there, mind you it won't be, it's in Wales not Lancashire

Just a pitty that two brianless morons set fire to it in 2005 :? . Haffodunas Hall.

 

[Nemesis]

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/casework%20apr%202005.htm#haf


2005:

Hafodunos, Llangernwy

The burning of Hafodunos Hall is possibly the worst news we have heard in the last six months. The fire was started by a couple of young men with little better to do. Their crass ignorance and wanton act of vandalism has resulted in the near loss of a high Victorian work of art. Listed at Grade I, Hafodunos has been on our radar for many years, with a series of owners promising much and doing little other than letting it rot. The house and park were subject to a planning application for the construction of ninety holiday chalets in the grounds. Naturally the house was also uninsured and there was no adequate supply of water nearby for the fire brigade.

We reacted swiftly, dispatching all-round conservation hero, engineer Brian Morton, to inspect the ruins. An initial walk through and a more thorough inspection revealed the gutted shell of the main house (the servants' quarters survived) to be in fair condition but in need of propping up and roofing over with a temporary scaffold. Cadw have offered grant aid toward his fees. The local authority, Conwy County Borough Council, does not have an outstanding record with major buildings at risk - Gwrych Castle is also on their patch. Together with the Victorian Society we are pushing the local authority to act to secure the building before it is too late. A visit by the Welsh Culture Minister has helped keep up the pressure: the planning application for the chalets has been withdrawn and the Council is apparently working with the owner on a new scheme.

http://www.btinternet.com/~bevbaker/Hafodbook.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/history/pages/hafodunos.shtml

 

[Nemesis]

It's a lovely site though Mark - thanks.

Here's a link for Gareth:

http://www.lancashirechurches.co.uk/album/slides/52%20Lytham,%20Lancashire,%20%20windmill.html

 

[WelshDecorator]

As far as I am aware, it is still wide open to the elements! :shock:

Crying shame, I worked there in 1983 for close on 9 months, and what a place it was, fair comment, a lot of it's 'original' stuff was missing, but what a building it was.

When I heard the news of its destruction, I was heart broken, if it is possible to have a building as part of your family, this was mine, and I could almost feel it's pain.
I just wish that I had the money that it needs to restore it, even the wooden stucture on the clock tower that the RAF took down with a Seaking helecopter because it was in danger of falling off.


Ah, found memorys.

 

[Nemesis]

http://www.hafodunos-hall.co.uk/

http://www.gtj.org.uk/item.php?lang=en&id=26101&t=10

http://www.rhyljournal.co.uk/news/Council-urged-to-act-to.3933042.jp

Not cheering, is it?

 

[Nemesis]

However:

http://www.victorian-society.org.uk/

28 April 2008
Reports that one of North Wales's foremost country houses is up for sale have been welcomed by the Victorian Society, which hopes that the right owner will give Sir George Gilbert Scott's devastated masterpiece a new lease of life.

 

[Nemesis]

More about the sale, for those amongst us with wads of cash:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7373099.stm

 

[Gareth Hughes]

More about the sale, for those amongst us with was of cash:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7373099.stm

It's Hafodunos' misfortune to be situated just away from the more "desirable" holiday parts of north Wales, and nearer to some of the grot spots (much the same story with Gwrych Castle, plus a useless owner and a council that seems not to want to do much about [spending its militant pensioner taxpayers' money on] the more esoteric [post 1400] heritage - Cadw look after the "significant" stuff). The pre-fire proposals for holiday flats and 70 holiday "lodges" (one step up from static caravans lining the coast from Colwyn Bay to Prestatyn) suggest that the country house hotel ideal probably didn't have much chance of success.

Ten miles further into Wales, and it might have been different.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

It's a lovely site though Mark - thanks.

Here's a link for Gareth:

http://www.lancashirechurches.co.uk/album/slides/52%20Lytham,%20Lancashire,%20%20windmill.html

V. peculiar restoration after a fire in 1919 - here it is before:

 

[Nemesis]

Yes - not quite the same...

I belive Hafodunos will be SAVE Building of the Month when it gets uploaded to the website very soon.

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org

 

[WelshDecorator]

Must admit there are some grot spots close by, the biggest being Rhyl! What a hole!

If any body is interested Haffodunas is very easy to find, just turn left opposite Woolies in Abergele, and drive past the outskirts of one village, follow the road to the next village, turn right and it's about half a mile up on the left.

If you do go there, I can thourghly recomend the Stag pub in the village, (it's on the left as you turn right) very good food and drink, with good prices, and the best bit, it's hardly changed since I was working there in 1983!

Might try and find some time to visit and get some pictures of the work that the richard heads did! :twisted:
Fingers crossed that a buyer can be found, there was a price of £800K but that was through a developer how was no doubt after a quick buck.

What I would not give to go back and work on it again.

 

[Nemesis]

Rhyl - Save Dreamland campaign rescues the working bits of the waterchute from there.


http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/ppuk_discovering_save_botm.shtml


Now BoM.