The North West is a very busy region for English Heritage. A flavour of this activity is given below and includes grants awarded, an update on our involvement in the response to the recent flooding in Cumbria, the awarding of a prize to West Lancashire Local Authority for their work on conservation areas, as well as examples of the joint working with organisations such as the North West Development Agency.
Award for West Lancashire
West Lancashire Local Authority was awarded a prize by English Heritage in recognition of the way they manage the 28 conservation areas in the district. Each has a management plan and an appraisal which has involved public consultation.
The authority has an easily accessible website which has historical information on each conservation area, as well as maps showing the main places of interest and also their condition. The conservation officer was pleased to accept the award at the Heritage at Risk conference organised by English Heritage in July 2009 to coincide with the launch of the new register. You can find more information on heritage in West Lancashire by using the link on this page.
The Economic Value of Heritage
English Heritage staff assisted the North West Development Agency which, as part of its evidence gathering to inform their new regional strategy (RS2010), commissioned research into the scale and nature of the economic value of heritage to the region. This assessment examined employment and levels of investment and also the wider economic effects on tourism, construction, skills, businesses based in heritage buildings and property market values.
Amongst the key findings emerging from the study are that; some 50.5 million visits to the region are motivated by heritage, resulting in expenditure of some £1.96 billion to the economy, supporting around 20,400 jobs and generating an annual Gross Value Added (GVA) of £804 million.
A further 8,500 jobs are in heritage management and operation generating an annual GVA of £226 million. Around 10,772 jobs are supported by conservation and maintenance of heritage assets in the construction sector generating a further £584 million GVA.
This gives a total direct use employment figure of 39,680 jobs in the North West and around £1.6 billion generated by heritage in GVA to the regional economy. Clearly the heritage sector plays an important role in the regional economy. The full report can be found at the NWDA's regional intelligence unit.
Gaskell House, Manchester
English Heritage awards grants to repair historically important buildings. In 2009 we spent just over £2,000,000 in the North West. An example of these awards is £260,000 given to the Manchester home of the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell as part of a major repair programme.
The grant will cover the repair of the roof to prevent leaking, repair of rotten windows and cracked walls as well as removing the dry rot which is eating its way through the house. These critical structural repairs will arrest the house’s decay and ensure that it is weatherproofed. The house is currently owned by the Manchester Historic Buildings Trust which cares for it and intends to open it to the public.
The author of Cranford and North and South moved to the Italianate villa at 84 Plymouth Grove, Ardwick, Manchester in 1850. Announcing the move in a letter to a close friend, Elizabeth Gaskell declared, “And we’ve got a house. Yes! We really have. And if I had neither conscience nor prudence I should be delighted, for it certainly is a beauty.” The house had seven bedrooms, two large reception rooms, a study (for Elizabeth’s husband, William Gaskell, Unitarian minister of Cross Street Chapel), and two big attics. There were also kitchens, a scullery, pantry, outhouses and a large garden.
She lived there with her husband and four children until her death 15 years later in 1865 and wrote most of her novels in the house. As her fame and reputation grew, Gaskell welcomed to the house Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Gaskell’s friend Charlotte Brontë stayed there three times, describing 84 Plymouth Grove as “a large and cheerful, airy house”. Brontë was so shy that, on one occasion, she hid behind the curtains from the other guests. Charles Hallé, founder of Britain’s longest established symphony orchestra, regularly visited and gave music lessons to Gaskell’s daughter, Marianne.
Quite apart from its literary connection, 84 Plymouth Grove is, architecturally and historically, particularly significant. The ornate Italianate villa is a relatively rare survival of an early Victorian villa in Manchester. Built in about 1838, the Grade II* listed house shows a remarkable degree of survival, with the main ground floor reception rooms virtually intact.
Further information can be found at the Gaskell Society website and at the Gaskell House link on this page.
English Heritage involvement in the Cumbrian flood recovery work
English Heritage has been heavily involved in the flood recovery work for Cumbria, particularly in the Cockermouth area. Since the initial aftermath of the flood one of the NW Region’s architects has been working closely with Allerdale Borough Council to assess the extent of damage caused and what remedial action should be taken. EH’s Structural Engineer has also been available to give guidance and advice where necessary.
English Heritage is also represented on the Cumbria County Council’s (CCC) Environmental Recovery Group which addresses the wider issues to the county including the effects of land slippage on Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and the integrity of designated bridges throughout the region including the Lake District National Park. These meetings are held weekly and are chaired by CCC’s head of Planning and Sustainability.
