Chair's introduction
Dear Supporter
We are delighted to announce our major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund toward the conversion of Wingfield Station into a sustainable long term use – outlined in the exciting report on current progress in the newsletter.
BUT, there is just one snag – we have to raise £250,000 of match funding from our Friends, supporters, sponsors and other charities.
Please visit our website and consider contributing as much as you can. Perhaps you would like your name amongst others on the fundraising pyramid to be displaced in the Station Booking Hall?
In any event, we welcome your continued interest and support; attending events, volunteering or helping us to raise desperately needed funds. Thank you.
Yours ever,
Derek Latham, Chair of DHBT
Cover Photo: ASBC contractors at work at Wingfield Station (May 2022 - Paul Thompson)
wingfield station - funding success!
We are delighted to announce a £667,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We have received the grant for our project to convert the Grade II* Wingfield Station to office use. Built in 1839-40, the building near Alfreton is one of the first purpose-built railway stations in the world, and one of a tiny number from that era that remain. It was one of originally sixteen stations on the Derby-Leeds line developed by George and Robert Stephenson, and parts of that line are still in constant use today.
Wingfield Station had been in private hands and at risk for many years. Now, with money raised thanks to National Lottery players, the project can focus on the repair and conservation of the historic fabric of the Station and adjacent Parcel Shed, enabling a sustainable long-term use of the building as office space.
The project, which will start within the next few weeks and run until August 2023, will provide meaningful heritage training and skills development opportunities as well encouraging local people to learn about, share, and celebrate their heritage. Alongside an 8 week public opening period, a range of planned activities will be delivered at Wingfield, including a volunteer programme, public events, wildlife conservation activities, and on-site interpretation. Following occupation, the offices will be open to the public for at least 6 days each year and the grounds will be accessible at all times.
The building works themselves will start in November this year, and will be undertaken by a suitable conservation contractor who will incorporate heritage skills training into their approach. Students will gain experience of working on a real construction site and develop trade/subject specific skills.
In 2020/2021 Historic England awarded the DHBT funding for the urgent repairs that were necessary to prevent further loss and damage to this significant building. Through this latest support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are now able to secure a long-term sustainable future for the site.
Commenting on the award, Peter Milner (DHBT Trustee and Project Lead) said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. Not only will it mean this significant building, which is a surviving example of a very early rural railway station, is restored, but it will also incorporate exciting engagement activity and future access.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Area Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“We’re delighted to announce this funding for Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, to restore and re-purpose this important Grade II-listed building. It’s great to see the inclusion of funding for the heritage training programmes because this helps ensure that the community will be able to be involved in preserving Derbyshire’s heritage into the future. Thank you to National Lottery players for making projects like this possible.”
We desperately need your help to raise £250,000 of match funding from other sources, including sponsorship packages for businesses, donations from individuals and people becoming a 'Friend of Wingfield Station'. If you are able to donate, encourage a business to sponsor us, or just become a Friend, then please do so and help us to achieve our goal and rescue this unique historic asset.
For more information on supporting Wingfield Station by becoming a Friend or through sponsorship, please visit our website or contact Lucy - wingfieldstation@gmail.com
Thank you to EVERYONE who has already supported us - it really is appreciated.
urgent works are 'on track' at wingfield
ASBC Heritage & Conservation Specialists are now entering their last few weeks on site at Wingfield in order to complete the urgent repair works, primarily funded by Historic England. This coming weekend (14th/15th May) will see the return of the overnight working to dismantle the scaffolding on the track side elevation of the building. As before, this work has to take place overnight during a 'possession' of the line and involves close liaison with Network Rail.
The photos above are from the end of March and show the terne-coated stainless steel (stainless steel that is continuously hot dip coated with a lead-tin alloy) being cut and shaped on site in preparation for lining the guttering. Below are the decorative soffit brackets that ASBC have produced, based on the existing design.
Below are some images showing the timber splicing and resin repairs to the existing windows and doors. There has been minimal paint removal and the existing hinges have cleaned up nicely too!
The new Welsh slates from Penrhyn look fantastic on the roofs!
Prior to starting this phase of work, in conjunction with Historic England we commissioned detailed investigations to help establish what size slates were on the roof and which were fixed previously, as well as determining the methods of fixing including any evidence of underlay. The investigation concluded that the roof covering of the booking hall and ticket office was contemporary with the boarding and covered with natural Welsh slate from Penrhyn quarry. The slates were laid directly to the boards with no underlay. Surprisingly, the poorly and/or unfixed repairs to the slating had appeared to remain secure. The nail spacing in the sarking boards proved that the original slates at Wingfield were not graduated.
ASBC have also undertaken some superb timber work on the roof and eaves of the Station building at Wingfield over the past few weeks.
The photos below show an example of a repaired existing soffit rafter and the newly shaped ones as well as the stainless steel powder coated soffit panels and the new fascia, which was ’templated’ from the original.
Some of the new boundary fencing is now in place. Originally, the space between the station building and the parcel shed would not have been fenced, as this was obviously the platform area and was open and accessible. However, as we are no longer dealing with an operational station, a boundary to the Network Rail land is required.
We liaised closely with Network Rail to ensure the design is appropriate for the land usage and future maintenance requirements. Throughout this project we have needed to balance the legal agreements for the sale of the property and Network Rail requirements along with the significance of the site and our conservation approach.
Much of the work to the internal areas will be undertaken as part of the next phase of work, primarily funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. However, ASBC have worked on internal masonry repairs and oak lintel replacements, the installation of a new internal concealed wall-plate and timber repairs/replacement to the ceilings, retaining as much historic fabric as possible.
The side lights to the Booking Hall window have been reinstated and have been painted to match the original 1840s colour scheme (cream). The central opening lights are still being repaired and will be returned to site soon.
We can't wait to show you around the site again in the period between these works finishing and the next phase of capital works starting.
Forthcoming events
The Historic Almshouses of Ashbourne, 12th June at 2pm
The Georgian market town of Ashbourne possesses a rich topology of historic almshouses. From the early 17th century to the late 18th century and beyond, the story of their construction, and that of the local patrons who helped build them, provides an interesting account of the town’s history, as well as its architectural legacy.
We're offering a walking tour of these unique buildings at 2pm on the 12th June. Led by DHBT Trustee, Mark Somerfield, the tour will include placing the almshouses in the context of other significant buildings in the town.
Priority booking for DHBT supporters - early booking via Eventbrite is recommended as places are limited.
Wingfield Station - Cycle Ride - 19th- 20th August 2022
Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in participating in a cycle ride (Friday 19th and Saturday 20th August) to help raise funds for our Wingfield Station project.
Please contact Lucy to register your interest if you haven't already done so.
The route we are planning is based on the Trans Pennine Trail to Chesterfield plus a route from Chesterfield to Derby. We will follow as closely as possible the 1840 Leeds to Derby North Midland Railway line, and the plan is to call in at as many of the 16 former station sites as possible.
For those who are not so interested in the cycling aspect, we are also in the process of confirming some associated events during the two days - more news to follow soon!
recent events
'Sunflowers in the Park'
'Sunflowers in the Park' - presented by Barry Joyce on the 20th March on ZOOM is now available to watch via our YouTube channel.
Sunflowers in the Park' is the second in the ‘Architectural Oddities’ series presented by DHBT Vice Chair Barry Joyce and Toby Ebbs, Senior Tutor at Nottingham Trent University.
It is an investigation into the reason behind why a number of houses in the Duke of Newcastle’s Park Estate in Nottingham display, in plaster and terra cotta, the sunflower emblem.
Barry introduced the film and answered questions afterwards.
Visit to Oakhill and the Vicarage, Cromford - houses of c.1840 built by the Arkwrights
On the 10th April DHBT Vice Chair, Barry Joyce, led a group visit to Oakhill and The Vicarage, Cromford.
The house which came to be called ‘The Vicarage’ was built by Richard Arkwright II to provide the Revd Robert Morgan Jones, perpetual curate and minister of the Arkwright built chapel in Cromford, with an appropriate dwelling following his marriage in 1841.
The earliest definite fact known about Oakhill is that in 1847 William Melville, a cotton spinner and cotton merchant from Nottingham, died there.
It would seem that by the mid-1830s Melville was tenant of Masson Mill and Cromford Mill. It seems likely that he moved to Oakhill in 1841 or 1842 and that the house was built for him.
Find out more about these two Grade II listed buildings by reading Barry’s research paper.
Oakhill is now a hotel, bar and events venue, which also opens for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and The Vicarage is in private ownership.
news from belper mill
Many Friends will be aware of the long running saga of Belper Mill. Purchased two decades ago by First Investments, in full knowledge of a condition survey undertaken by Adam Bench Associates revealing the enormous cost of its repair. Despite this, with very little spent upon it, the mill complex has steadily deteriorated and is a pitiful sight. A scoping study undertaken for the Belper North Mill Trust around 2015 (funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund), showed there would be a significant conservation deficit if the building was converted (ie upon completion the building would be worth little more than half the expenditure needed to convert it.)
The Trust met with First Investments and offered to assist them in securing a Heritage Enterprise Grant from the Heritage Fund. They refused. The Trust then suggested to Amber Valley Borough Council that they serve a Repairs Notice, and if the repairs were not undertaken follow this with a Compulsory Purchase Order. To support the Borough the Trust offered to ‘Back-to-back’ purchase the mills from the council if they had to purchase it. The Trust would then have sought grant aid to cover the cost of the Conservation Deficit in order to creatively re-use it as a world class visitor and business centre. First Investments said they were going to submit their own proposals for re-use and AVBC waited for these.
Two years ago, First Investments submitted a planning application for conversion of the mill. The Trust asked the local planning authority to ensure that any proposals were viable before they issued any approval. Analysis indicated the proposals were not viable. The applicant responded with schematic changes to their proposal, with less damaging intervention to the fabric, which they said would be more viable. Details of these proposals have yet to be submitted despite considerable time having passed.
The Belper North Mills Trust, which occupies the historically most significant North Mill has now had its lease terminated
The Trust persuaded Pauline Latham, MP for Mid Derbyshire, to bring this to the attention of the minister, who came to look at Belper Mills and see for himself. And subsequently Pauline Latham called together a meeting of all interested parties – Historic England, Derbyshire County Council, Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, Amber Valley Borough Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Belper Town Council, and of course DHBT. AVBC were the only invitees who did not attend (they considered attending such a meeting might prejudice consideration of the application).
The outcome of the meeting was an agreement to prepare an alternative proposal, harnessing the potential for grant aid to ensure a robust sustainable future for the mills that could benefit the whole community.
Subsequent to the first meeting a community group ‘Save Our Belper Mills’ was established, supported by the DHBT. That group have now set up a meeting to gather the opinions and ideas from the community on 21st May 10am – 1pm at the Strutt’s Centre Belper. All those interested are welcome to attend.
Carol Brewer of ‘Save Our Belper Mills’ has written this poem as their ‘call to arms’
The East Mill Speaks To Me
Graciously goading the tests of time
Belper’s silent East Mill speaks to me
Dogged. Determined. Defiant.
Handsome heritage and history
Once purposeful, productive, progressive
Inspiring inventions and brave pioneers
Chaotic clatter, chatter, commotion -
Packed with people for hundreds of years
The beams and the bales and the bobbins
The ‘Jenny’, the ‘Mule’, ‘Loom’ and ‘Gin’
Carding and twisting, shuttles, and spindles,
Winding the wealth, the workforce would spin
Resplendent, retaining her radiance
A structure that shaped skyline sights
Resilient and regal. Redundant.
As she faces her flawed final fight
At the core of the great Revolution
Merchants made mighty from cotton
Now windows no longer frame faces
Façade failing, folorn and forgotten
Rustic red brick and reflections
Of her industrially glorious past
The hardworking heartbeat of history
Like its people – built strong to last
Dutifully dominating the Derwent
This magnificent, majestical mill
Deserves recognition and restorative justice
There’s mill life in this proud lady still
Precious and patiently waiting
To find what her future will be
Preserve and protect her posterity
Belper’s silent East Mill speaks to me
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