Tag Archives: Historic Building Surveys

Northamptonshire Archaeology: Gaol to Art Gallery

TEP’s Senior Historic Environment Consultant Amir Bassir has been published in the newly released county archaeological journal Northamptonshire Archaeology. Volume 41 of the journal, ‘The Archaeology of Medieval Northampton’ features an array of interesting articles focussing on the archaeology of the town of Northampton from the prehistoric through to the medieval period.

Amir’s article is titled ‘The history and development of the Northampton County Gaol and Northampton Museum and Art Gallery’ and provides an overview of a detailed historic building survey carried out ahead of its recent renovation.

Northamptonshire Archaeology - Gaol to Art Gallery_Wing
Northamptonshire Archaeology - Gaol to Art Gallery_ cell

The gaol was opened in 1846 and, following the Pentonville model, was set out as two galleried wings of four-storeys each, with rows of narrow cells along the walls, accommodating about 150 prisoners. Each cell had a small, barred window and was fitted with a water closet and metal basin. However, the gaol was short-lived and closed in 1865. In 1884 the building was taken over by the Salvation Army who carried out significant alterations, removing many of the cells. A mineral water business also operated out of the basement level. An archaeological watching brief in the gaol car park found large numbers of old mineral water bottles buried below the modern levels. In the late 1920s, the building was repurposed for use as Council offices by the notable local architects J W Fisher and Talbot Brown.

Northamptonshire Archaeology - Gaol to Art Gallery_ 1860 Building Plans

The creation of public museums and the move away from private antiquarian and curio collections began with the 1845 Museums Act and a small collection was held at Northampton Town Hall. In 1899 an extension to the prison was built to house a library, which was then repurposed as a museum. The museum and art gallery later took over part of the adjoining gaol wing. The recently completed Northampton Museum and Art Gallery redevelopment project saw significant refurbishment of the old gaol, doubling the size of the museum and providing modern visitor facilities and activity spaces.

To learn more about Northamptonshire’s history or to read Amir’s article, you can order a copy of the journal by visiting the Northamptonshire Archaeology website: https://www.northants-archaeology.org.uk.

Teesworks: A Snapshot of Our Industrial Past

TEP’s Historic Environment team record a wide range of historic buildings and last year was no exception. The team recorded a substantial industrial site, which was among the largest such types of recording undertaken by archaeologists. The site included the Redcar Iron Works and the Lackenby Steelworks and plant at South Bank. An area collectively referred to as the Teesworks Industrial Zone, the largest and most connected industrial zones in the UK. Tees Valley Combined Authority commissioned TEP to produce an archaeological record of the site, including the various processes of materials movement and manufacturing that took place at the different areas of the works.

The extensive site is over 5km from one end to the other and the larger buildings can be hundreds of meters in length with multiple levels. The scope of recording encompassed several substantial buildings and plant including a blast furnace, which at the time of construction was Europe’s largest such facility, standing at a height of 104 meters and capable of producing up to 11,00 tonnes of iron per day.

The 104m tall blast furnace, formerly the largest in Europe

Producing a comprehensive record of the site including all major buildings as well as the associated networks of conveyors and stockyards presented the team with a logistical challenge due to time and safety constraints. Over 4000 high-resolution photographs were taken over two weeks including main exterior elevations, views of principal rooms and spaces and details of plant and equipment. Interviews were carried out with key plant operators and site managers to provide technical information regarding the operation of the site. An archive visit was also carried out to help provide a comprehensive historic background and aid in understanding the social significance of the site to the local area.

The areas of Middlesbrough and Redcar have a long-established tradition of iron making dating to the mid-19th century. However, much of the recorded facility dated to the late 1970s at which time British Steel undertook a significant programme of construction to produce a modern high-capacity facility. A common theme noted by the project was that at every stage of the works, major efforts were put in place to ensure the site ran at optimum efficiency. Recycling waste material wherever possible, collecting and cleaning non-usable waste products, and reducing environmental impact.

The works process began at the purpose-built ore terminal on the Tees Estuary, which was commissioned in 1973 and was capable of unloading ships at a rate of 2,000 tonnes per hour. The raw materials primarily comprised iron ore and coal as well as fluxes such as lime and dolomite and were transported to substantial stockyards and conveyed around the site via a complex network of conveyor belts and weighing hoppers. The iron ore was distributed to the sinter plant for processing and used in the blast furnace. While the coal was sent to the coke ovens to be carbonised for coke.

The Sinter Plant where iron ore was converted to sinter

The role of the Sinter Plant was to process raw materials to create nodules of a consistent size and composition for use in the blast furnace. In essence, the sintering process consisted of mixing raw materials which were fed onto a 185m long continuously moving conveyor, where they were baked, then crushed, cooled and screened.

One of the three converter vessels

The coke ovens were designed to convert raw coal into coke, which served as fuel for the blast furnace. The coal was heated in a series of ovens in low oxygen, to produce coke of consistent composition. The two oven batteries each had 66 ovens operating continuously, with each charge cycle lasting up to 18 hours and producing 20,000 tonnes of coke per week.

One of two batteries of coke ovens

The sinter and coke were conveyed to designated stock bins for storage and transported to the top of the blast furnace by using a single conveyor over 400m in length. This is where the material was deposited in controlled layers into the 42m tall, 14m wide furnace. Hot air was blasted under force into the furnace causing the coke to combust and melt the iron, which percolated to the base of the furnace where it was tapped and channelled and conveyed into special locomotive cars called ‘torpedo ladles’.

One of the two blast furnace cast houses where the molten iron was tapped
One of three ladle cars used in the continuous casting process

In addition to the iron-making facilities, the ironworks site included an array of supporting plant including a dedicated Power Plant, which was among the largest in Europe at the time of construction, gasholders and by-products plant where waste products were cleaned and processed and useful materials reclaimed for re-use or sale, as well as offices, stores, workshops and laboratories.

The Power Plant turbine hall

The Teesworks site included a dedicated rail network which allowed the molten iron to be quickly conveyed to the steelworks. The Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) Plant received the molten iron, which was transferred into 240-tonne capacity converter vessels where oxygen was blown in and additives included to convert the iron to high-quality steel. The steelworks building was made up of a series of steel-framed bays measuring up to 700m in length and with the larger bays being up to 70m in height. Large overhead cranes were employed to carry heavy ladles filled with molten metal around the various stations. The molten steel was poured into continuous casting moulds where it was formed into straight ingots for immediate use in adjacent rolling mills or for sale as raw material.

View of the steel works

The final report included a full historic background, as well as technical descriptions of all the main buildings, including all principal plant and manufacturing processes. The document, once submitted, will be available to the public through the Archaeological Data Service.

Preserving National Trust

TEP’s Heritage Team has been instructed by The National Trust to carry out a programme of historic building recording of the Grade I Listed Stables and Orangery and the Grade II Listed Barns, Mill and Gardener’s Cottage at Tredegar House Newport.

The Tredegar estate had been the seat of the Morgan family since the early 15th century and remained their home until the mid-20th century. The Morgans were a wealthy and influential Welsh family and one of its major historic landowners.

The Grade I Listed stable block and orangery are described as ‘exceptionally fine and architecturally distinctive’ and were constructed in 1670/71.  The architect is unknown but it has been suggested that it may be the work of Roger and William Hurlbutt, master carpenters of Warwick.

In the years following the purchase of the property by the Newport Corporation in 1974, a number of renovation and restoration works were undertaken. The National Trust began caring for Tredegar House in 2012, beginning a 50 year lease agreement with the council. The Trust are now working in partnership with local organisations to position Tredegar House as a hub of the community, with an ambition to bring genuine benefit to the local community and everyone who visits. These surveys will help them to better understand how to use the site to its full potential, whilst still preserving its important history. 

Our work will include visits to the National Library of Wales, the Tredegar House archives and library and the Gwent Archives to examine relevant documentary and historic map evidence, which may shed light on the buildings’ history and development. We will undertake a comprehensive photographic survey of the buildings, produce measured drawings of architectural features, and record any evidence for changes and alterations to the structures.

The results of the survey will serve as a baseline for the production of a detailed report, which will set out our findings and will assist the National Trust with the management of the buildings and inform any future conservation and redevelopment.

Planning With Built Heritage

Built heritage is an important resource that underpins our relationship with our towns, cities and rural landscape. It is also vital to the economic and social success and regeneration of these areas.

Working with historic buildings requires specialist knowledge and experience and an understanding of planning and conservation issues.  Recording historic buildings can inform property management, conservation and development, and promote an understanding and appreciation of the history and significance of a building and its setting.

A building record examines a structure’s physical form, fabric, and decorative features, identifying evidence for alterations.  It relates these to phases of development, and highlights features which contribute to the building’s significance. It includes a desk-based assessment which draws upon archival map and documentary evidence to place the building into its local or national historic context.

Site surveys will include photography, measured or sketched drawings, written notes, and can also include photogrammetric surveys. Recording may also call upon external specialists such as conservators, art historians, and dendrochronology specialists. A summary report will outline the findings and conclusions of the work.  Where relevant, it may make recommendations for further work or material sampling.  In most cases, the final record will be deposited at the relevant County archive or museum.

TEP is a registered member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and our work is undertaken to the highest standard in accordance with CIfA guidelines and relevant Historic England, Cadw and Historic Scotland guidance documents.

Our team has experience on a wide range of sites and building types including urban and industrial, military and infrastructure, rural and agricultural, as well as ecclesiastical and educational buildings. We work for the National Trust, National Grid, local authorities, housebuilders and architects.

For example Lenborough Barns near the village of Gawcott in Aylesbury Vale District, needed a Level 3 historic buildings record. The agricultural buildings dated back to the 18th Century.  For the Local Planning Authority to grant planning permission for a sympathetic conversion, the building needed to be documented.

At a Garden Village on the outskirts of Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, TEP supported Redrow Homes in securing planning permission for a scheme, which contained a 1941 blister hangar that was used by the RAF in World War 2. The site needed a Level 2 historic building record to ensure this part of local history was documented prior to commencement of the new development.

If you would like any more information on Historic Building Surveys and applying for planning permission, please contact the heritage team who would be happy to discuss your project.

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