The Work of A Buildings Historian

Park Street, Mayfair 1901 (Survey of London)

I came to researching historic buildings by accident. All I knew was that I wanted to work with old buildings and play a part in their conservation. I had always loved history; I had always been interested in old buildings and always enjoyed the process of research. But it was only when I studied for a post-graduate in building conservation at the Architectural Association that I realised that there could be a career incorporating all these elements.

I started at the deep end, researching buildings for a firm of conservation architects. I was and am ostensibly an historian but my post-graduate in building conservation gave me that depth of knowledge required by architectural professionals.

Today my clients include architects, property developers, planning consultants as well as private home owners. The latter call on my services for many reasons; mostly just to find out the story of their house, but at other times it is to support a planning application or help settle a boundary dispute.


A house historian will look at dates, people and any stories surrounding the house and occupants. In my work, I also look at what was on the site before construction, who built it, how was it constructed, for whom and why? What was the building used for, what alterations had been made in the decades / centuries since construction? I scrutinise architects’ plans, identify alterations and piece together how the building has evolved. This kind of research aids the restoration, conservation and building process. For instance it can determine the historical importance and relevance of architectural features and whether they can or cannot be altered or removed. Particularly if a building is listed, an in depth knowledge of the building’s fabric is crucial.

One example of my work involved a house in St John’s Wood that had been lived in by a famous artist in the 19th century. It was assumed he had designed it himself and had had the entire building built in 1888. However, my research involving visual inspection and later documentary searches revealed the grand late Victorian house was built partially around a more humble but equally fascinating structure dating to 1825. The conservation / architectural result was that the intended extension had to be modified but in the end the owner achieved what he wanted without disturbing the earlier fabric of the building.

Another example was, a homeowner who had purchased a listed house in Cumberland Terrace in Regent’s Park, built in 1828 and wanted a swimming pool dug in the basement. The opinion was that the listed status was mainly for its external structure and appearance and that the house had been heavily altered internally and therefore the pool should be permitted. However, research revealed the basement floor to be virtually untouched since the late Georgian period and so the owner had to rethink his pool plans. My work is balanced between wanting to conserve the historic fabric of buildings and trying to achieve what the client wants. Ultimately, though, I can only report the facts and from that decisions can be made.




Cumberland Terrace 1938 (Survey of London)

While I work all over the country, I have often been asked to research a Georgian or Victorian townhouse in Belgravia or Mayfair with a view to converting the building back into a single residence (having been converted into flats in the 1950s). In these instances, I would be required to find out the original layout of the building in order to reinstate the plan form, its walls, doorways, windows and sometimes floor levels.

When I research the history of a house I begin by inspecting the premises and getting a feel for the structure. I will then source information at local libraries and archives e.g. maps, parish records, manorial records, electoral rolls, census returns and archived photographs of the building site or area. Depending on the building, a visit to the National Archives at Kew may be needed. In the case of an in depth architectural search, I always visit the Royal Institute of British Architects Library as well.

From these example sources, and many others I call on, I can build and write a history of the building, for the architects or owners. I often liken it to doing a jigsaw puzzle (but without a picture to guide you). Each piece is important, but it is only when you put them all together that the full historical picture of the house is finally revealed.

(This blog first appeared on http://www.francoisemurat.com)



Dead Interesting Building!



The Station Today




In honour of Halloween, I thought the following building may prove appropriate!

In London - if you drive down Westminster Bridge Road - on the south side of the river Thames, near Waterloo Station, you will pass an ornate but unremarkable Victorian building that may not encourage a second glance. But this red brick, terracotta and granite Grade II building had a remarkable purpose. It was once a necropolis railway station.






In mid 19th century London burial space was becoming scarce. In response to this grim demand, 1854 the London Necropolis Company opened a cemetery at Brookwood, in Surrey. Together with the London and South West Railway company they ran funeral trains between London and Brookwood carrying both coffins and mourners.

The LSWR line was used for most of the journey but at both ends of the route the Necropolis Company had their own sections of lines and their own stations. The London terminus was on York Street (now Leake Street), next to Waterloo station. When the LSWR needed this land for development in 1902, a new Necropolis terminus was built at 121 Westminster Bridge Road. The design is credited to Cyril B Tubbs, general manager of the Necropolis Company, and a Mr Andrews, engineer, of the London and South West Railway.

Despite the new building, though, the use of the service from London to Brookwood steadily declined in that first half of the 20th century. Slowly the cemetery line fell into disuse, not helped by the railway lines serving the station in London being heavily bombed in 1941. It never recovered from that attack. The building didn't close though. It continued as offices for the London Necropolis Company until the 1970s.




1941: Bomb Damage Behind the Necropolis Station

 
So next time you find yourself in London, south of the river heading into town – give this building a little thought, solemnly standing there as if waiting for a train .....

10 Trinity Square and Sir Edwin Cooper - Civic Pride

 



10 Trinity Square



Last month it was confirmed that the 490,000 sq ft 10 Trinity Square in the City of London was ear-marked for redevelopment into a hotel, spa and flats. The building is located on a diagonal plot on Tower Hill, overlooking the Tower of London and the Thames. Designed as the headquarters of the Port of London Authority by the architect Sir Edwin Cooper, the building was opened by the then Prime Minister Lloyd George in 1922. This iconic building’s finest hour was when it housed the reception for the inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1946.

It is without question a truly striking building in the Beaux Arts style. The elements of this style of architecture can include; an imposing grand stairway, large arched openings, a variety of stone finishes, monumental columns, a classical ornamental entablature topped with a tall parapet, a balustrade or attic storey, a pronounced cornice and decorative swags, medallions, cartouches, and sculptures.

 

Sir Edwin Cooper



Initially I was horrified to hear that the redevelopment plan for 10 Trinity Square was to completely replace the rotunda that dominates the centre of the building, leaving only the facade (which I personally see as a lazy and ill-informed attempt to preserve the historic environment).

However, further research has revealed that due to significant bomb damage during World War II, the rotunda is in fact a post-war replacement and essentially it is only the exterior of this building that can be credited to Cooper. But not only is the building something of note – so is Sir Edwin Cooper. I researched one his other landmark buildings a couple of years ago – The Council House (otherwise known as Marylebone Town Hall) on the Marylebone Road, in London. In my opinion his architectural legacy is over-looked in the 21st century.



Marylebone Town Hall

Sir Edwin Cooper was born in Yorkshire in 1873. He studied architecture in Britain as well as France and Italy and was in professional practice from the 1890s. He became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1903 and was knighted in 1923. In 1931 he received the Royal Gold Medal from the RIBA.

It has been said that Sir Edwin Cooper designed more buildings in the City of London than Sir Christopher Wren a few among them including the Old Lloyd’s Building in Leadenhall Street, No 1 Princes Street and No 40 St May’s Axe.

 

No 1 Princes Street

He was also the architect of the Royal Star and Garter Home in Richmond, Surrey, the Kingston-upon-Hull Guildhall and Law Court, The South London Hospital for Women (opposite Clapham South Tube Station), Devonport House, Greenwich and St Hilda’s College Oxford. As you can see, his reputation was in civic and public buildings. If his renown had extended to private residences he could well have been celebrated today as readily as his contemporary, another Sir Edwin – Sir Edwin Lutyens.

In 1937 he succeeded Lutyens as President of the Incorporated Association of Architects and Surveyors. The irony with such an impressive career record was that he was unable to describe himself as a registered architect owing to his refusal to pay the annual subscription of 6 shillings and 9 pence to the Architects Registration Council. Sir Edwin Cooper died suddenly “with his boots on” in his office in June 1942.

So while only the facade of 10 Trinity House is to be retained. It would appear we weren't meant to have it in its original entirety anyway. And at least we will continue to see Cooper's amazing Beaux Arts facade in the years to come, when the building has been given renewed purpose.