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Creevela Works Walkley Impending Demolition


duckweed

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http://walkleyhistory.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/creevela-works-barn/

Yet another total lack of understanding about Sheffield's heritage they are now considering the demolition of one of the oldest buildings in Walkley. Please post your objection. I do not know if it will work but there is an argument that protects a building under the building being of importance to the local community. What I have found looking for Sheffield's heritage buildings is that places that have had their old historic buildings demolished have also lost their community identity to some extent to and it is very difficult to rebuild that sense of identity.

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It was a request from Walkley not from me direct. I think they are hoping there might be enough objections posted to have permission refused. The social asset is a new part of planning law but usually applies to a pub or a shop. To some extent the law is untried on this but the Barn is not listed so anything is worth trying. Regards listing People in Norton tried for some years to get Cowmouth Farm listed without any result despite it being an important part of Norton History and having medieval framework so listing isn't foregone conclusion.

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I have walked around this street and area as is it chock-full of late 1890s drain covers, but i cannot picture the building referred to. I will support the preservation attempt and must 'look up' more often on my travels!

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I have walked around this street and area as is it chock-full of late 1890s drain covers, but i cannot picture the building referred to. I will support the preservation attempt and must 'look up' more often on my travels!

This one I think Calvin

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Guest walkleyalison

This application is now live again after a survey which confirmed it's local archaelogical importance (and moderate architectural and historical importance more generally) despite many alterations over the years. If you haven't yet lodged an objection I urge to to do so. The details are here:

http://publicaccess.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N22OTRNY0IS00

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Guest walkleyalison

That's very interesting stuff. I've looked into getting things listed before and the people at English Heritage are very helpful. I've never heard about protection of a community asset, but I'm not an expert so that's not to say it doesn't exist. It might be worth getting in touch with the team over at Portland Works to find out what tactics work best when trying to get a building preserved. I've been over there a couple of times and they're a friendly bunch and very helpful.

If you need to get a campaign going then let us know and we'll do something about it on Sheffield Live. I'm all for using a bit of leverage to preserve the city's heritage.

Yes please. I've sent you a PM.

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Guest walkleyalison

Thanks to Andy for the slot on his show last week. I made a mistake when I said the farmhouse hd a Georgian staircase. It is a Georgian stone doorcase, not staircase! In an article in the Star/ Telegraph on the 23rd Clear-line were making out that the building was of no importance, even suggessting that it was almost falling down! Summary of findings of the archealogical / historical report:

Below is a list of mainly direct quotes and summaries from the report. At the time of the site visit by ArcHeritage, the ground floor interiors were inaccessible and they had to rely on descriptions given by one of the Clear-line directors. This obviously raises the possibility that something may have been missed that a trained archaeologist would have spotted if access had been possible. Additionally, as no previous archaeological investigations have been undertaken at the site there is no geotechnical data, so ArcHeritage were unable to determine any evidence below ground.

  • The building is a rare surviving example of a late 18th century or early 19th century agricultural building.
  • Despite several phases of alteration, including the removal of the range to allow the construction of Parsonage Crescent in the later 19th century and 20th century additions, it is still considered to be of moderate architectural and historical significance, and of local archaeological significance. This contradicts the statement made recently by Clear-line in the Sheffield Star that the assessment showed that the building had little or no significance.
  • The associated farmhouse, Primrose House, is ‘a known cultural asset’, with a late Georgian stone doorcase.
  • It stood within 500m of Walkley Hall (I remember reading several weeks down at the archives about a possible link to the Hall. Will have to try and find the reference).
  • Unfortunately old maps either do not cover the area or in the case of a later map of 1817 Yorkshire, are not of a suitable scale to show the farm buildings so it is difficult to ascertain the exact age, but evidence from the farmhouse suggests a date of between 1790 and 1820. The first map to show the buildings is the 1840 OS map.
  • The 1853 OS map shows a typical late 18th / early 19th century courtyard farm design, the principal building a probable threshing barn.
  • Large sandstone quoins are present at corners and around openings. The southern elevation contains a sandstone half ellipse arch. Quoins on each side of the area are continuous from the ground floor, suggesting that this was the original entrance to the building.
  • Directly above the ground floor entrance a large sill supports the arch.
  • Several straight joints in the Parsonage Crescent elevation mark the locations of now blocked features.
  • The majority of the original oak beams remain exposed. The south west bay possesses a king post roof, with the tie beams, struts, principal rafters, purlin cleats and the king posts themselves clearly visible.
  • Several features are visible in the exposed stonework of the Parsonage Crescent gable including the upper parts of a doorway and window and three former wooden tie beams.
  • In the south east bay, a room that overlooks the works’ south yard contains a partially exposed tie beam and principal rafter.
  • The foundations of the former farmyard boundary wall could be hidden beneath the current concrete and tarmac surfaces in the north yard. If present these would be of local significance.

The full report, including photographs and maps can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/ps6yf7x

We don't know if the farmhouse or Creevela works themselves are older, but these are the 2nd and 3rd oldest buildings in Walkley. Only the old Heavygate inn is older. We also recently lost another part of Walkley's history nearby, the Sportsman inn on Walkley Bank Road which was a lot older than I realised (early - mid 19th Century).

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EDIT: Topics Merged - vox

I have just received an email from the planning dept to say they have refused planning permission for the demolition of the building. This is not because they have recognised this buildings unique history in the area but only that there is not enough parking space.

I really don't think Sheffield Council understand heritage or its significance to local people.

My next question is how can we get the Creevela Works protected from further applications to demolish it? Unless something is done this ancient building will be gone forever.

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My experience of English Heritage listing things is not good. Much of their decisions are based on external appearances. So you may have a medieval farmhouse and even have documentary evidence to that but if it has a more modern external frontage they will date it according to that. I think this is the case with the Creevela works in that they could not get full inspection of the interior to make their case that these were very old buildings. If anyone can find any more documentation about the works that could help. Generally a lot of buildings that EH would list elsewhere are not listed in Sheffield and many are listed lower than their importance should merit.

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Guest walkleyalison

After successfully seeing off the appeal, Clear Line have again submitted a new application to demolish the building and put up some apartments.  Objections must reach the council by December 14th.  Details are on the planning portal here: http://publicaccess.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=NY0KEUNYFY000

 

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