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By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Does anybody ever get the impression that this country couldn't give a damn about its heritage? :(
Regards,
Dan
By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Have been driving past them (from a distance) on a relatively regular basis recently to and from visiting the Viscount and they are impressive buildings even from a distance. Can only imagine how impressive they would look close up.
Am I right in thinking one of the pair is in much better condition than the other? possibly as a result of it still been in use?
By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Dan - I think the problem is that the buildings are of a scale that continual maintainance is incredibly costly and needs to be paid for . Very difficult when one of them doesn't appear to have a use.
By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I’ve got a feeling that both hangars are clad in asbestos.
Can anybody confirm?
By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Dan I think probably per mile this country has preserved more of its heritage than any other, we do seem to specialise in preserving the past. I think it would be a shame for them to disappear but without a realistic plan I would expect at least one will go. They do appear to have a bit of a niche due to there size though as they seem to regularly appear on TV being used for various purposes. I wonder if one of them would make a good indoor event arena after restoration?
By: - 24th July 2007 at 22:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I have visited the Hangars more than once and as has been said 1 was restored by the company who lease it but it did not cost them £15 million (the figure was on the news at the time and no way was it £15 million) and this work was only done a few years ago and this hangar is now used as a sound stage (currently shooting batman begins 2 ), but how complete the restoration was i cant recall.
The hangar that is at risk used to be used for testing by a body similar to the BSI as at one time it had a full sized house in it, and also stored cars for a while.
Internally the buildings looked ok but they have always had a definate Pigeon problem which due to the construction of the upper works has caused problems in the past, as last time i was in this hangar you had to wear a hard hat.
But the Second hangar (looking from the A421) definately needs a spruce up and lick of paint like Hangar 1 had.
curlyboy
By: - 24th July 2007 at 23:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Get a nice juicy HLF grant - re-roof the poorer one and then glaze the lower portions - then move the Science Museum collection of airframes in from Wroughton and add a few more airframes . A national air museum to go !
By: - 24th July 2007 at 23:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yes, perhaps my post was a bit harsh. As a country we do have a lot of heritage structures that are an important part of our history. It is just a shame that new uses cannot be found for a lot of them.
Regards,
Dan
By: - 24th July 2007 at 23:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The hangar that is at risk used to be used for testing by a body similar to the BSI as at one time it had a full sized house in it, and also stored cars for a while.
curlyboy
It was the Building Research Establishment, and at least in part, the work there consisted of undertaking fire test research on buildings.
By: - 25th July 2007 at 10:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I regularly look at the English Heritage buildings at risk register, and the hangar at Cardington has been on there a while, it's not a new thing.
Some of these buildings linger on the site after work has been done, for instance I visited the Camelia House at Wollaton Park Nottingham a few months ago and it looks magnificent, but remained on the heritage site for a while, despite being restored.
What gets up my nose is the programme called Restoration that has been around on the BBC, it ensures vast sums of money being chucked at a building voted for by the public, with respect, what do they know, it seems to be the area with the greatest population and voting power that wins every time, Cardington has no chance.
The first building to win it, Victoria Baths, Manchester, is a classic case, large population, lot's of votes, but has it been opened and restored after 5 years, no, people don't want that sort of thing, they want water parks but are keen to vote for an out of date building because it's in their area.
I think that because of their rarity and quirkiness, and wow, don't they dominate the skyline, the Cardington Hangars should be saved, unlike that bloody useless tent in East London, could be a good venue for all sorts of things, the accoustics must be wierd, any bands ever played there.
Is it the one that was moved from Pulham that is particularly at risk, if so there should be a national outcry, at the very least, they would make good mosques, a few minarets added might look well cool.
By: - 25th July 2007 at 10:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just a few ideas:
Would it be acceptable to save one to the detriment of the other?
It is a vast space - could it be turned into something else - the largest single span aluminium hangar in Europe (at Hatfield) is now a Gymnasium...
There have been instances of things being built inside historic structures (e.g. Churches), which dont affect the fabric of the original building, but allow their use as private dwellings. Given that you could get a number of private dwellings inside this one, would that be an acceptable use?
Any thoughts?
Bruce
By: - 25th July 2007 at 10:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just a few ideas:Would it be acceptable to save one to the detriment of the other?
It is a vast space - could it be turned into something else - the largest single span aluminium hangar in Europe (at Hatfield) is now a Gymnasium...
There have been instances of things being built inside historic structures (e.g. Churches), which dont affect the fabric of the original building, but allow their use as private dwellings. Given that you could get a number of private dwellings inside this one, would that be an acceptable use?
Any thoughts?
Bruce
At Speke Hangar 1 is now a David Lloyd sports centre and Hangar 2 is a call centre. Would have been nice to keep them as hangars (so we could put our toys inside :diablo: ) but at least the fabric of the building has been preserved for future generations to enjoy.
By: - 25th July 2007 at 12:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Its the hugh size of the Cardington hangars that are the problem. Any repairs that need to need carried out, even a simple inspection or repaint, is a costly, specialist job. If a restoration plan is to be considered it must be centered around the Engineering proffession, these structures were ground breaking when built, and even today structures of this size are few and far between. I really hope that both can be saved but it would be a massive duplicated effort, how many aviation museums would try to preserve two Vulcan's at the same location ?
DOUGHNUT
By: - 25th July 2007 at 12:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bear in mind that as well as being hugely impressive, these buildings are among the most historically significant in Britain's aviation history.......
...they are also ideally placed in the centre of the UK, close to major road and rail routes between London and the Midlands.
...they also are in sufficiently close proximity, to offer an "Aviation Heritage Trail" which could extend across the country including Old Warden and Duxford to name but two.
If some of the senior names in our larger museums were a bit more courageous imaginative and dynamic, there'd be a strong case for proposing that:
1. From the 1960s-designed and failing buildings at Hendon, the RAF Museum's collection could be rehoused in exciting multi-level presentations in the Cardington hangars. Some of the cost could even be reclaimed by selling off some of the high-value real-estate the museum buildings are standing on.
2. The scale of the Cardington buildings would also allow the Science Museum's Wroughton aircraft collection to be rehoused and made more publicly accessible. Once again, Wroughton's expensive to keep and rarely opened facilities could be sold to generate revenue.
3. A number of other historically significant large aeroplanes (Concordes, Shackleton, Britannia, Vulcans), currently destined for external storage, could be easily accommodated and presented indoors in a building of Cardington's size.
Of course it would take imagination, money and a degree of courage to propose such a controversial idea.
But if we can get a Vulcan to fly...it can't be that impossible!
And think of how much was spent on the other "tin triangle", the building at Cosford which might win some architectural accolades but has no heritage value whatsoever!
By: - 25th July 2007 at 19:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
[QUOTE=low'n'slow;1142013]But if we can get a Vulcan to fly...it can't be that impossible! QUOTE]
We havent yet:diablo:
By: - 21st March 2015 at 17:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Drove past Cardington last Sunday after visiting OW, and was pleased to see the huge airship hangars looking good after receiving some much needed attention
Rob[ATTACH=CONFIG]236137[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]236138[/ATTACH]
By: - 21st March 2015 at 19:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That's nice to see.
Posts: 23
By: tyler - 24th July 2007 at 21:41
Colossal airship hangar on at-risk list
By Peter Griffiths Reuters - Tuesday, July 24 10:35 amLONDON (Reuters) - A giant airship factory three times longer than a jumbo jet has been placed on a register of endangered buildings that face ruin without massive public spending.
Built towards the end of World War One to house some of the world's biggest flying machines, the colossal shed dominates the skyline near the village of Cardington, Bedfordshire.
In an annual report published on Tuesday, English Heritage said repairs to the 812ft-long (247.5 metres) structure would cost five million pounds more than the value of the refurbished building.
The conservation body named 15 other buildings that face an "increasingly bleak" outlook without massive state investment to make up the shortfall in repair bills.
They include a record-breaking 19th century colliery in Staffordshire, a Victorian pier in Somerset and two ornate Byzantine-style sewage pumping stations in London.
"These are some of the nation's most monumental sites and buildings, redolent with history and human interest, beauty and grace," said English Heritage Chief Executive Simon Thurley.
"But compared to other buildings at risk, they present enormous challenges because of the huge cost of their repair.
"Even if they are fortunate enough to be taken on by a trust, no amount of goodwill or voluntary effort can make up for the fact that they need massive sums spent on them which are never likely to be recouped."
Among the threatened buildings that need most public spending are:
* Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, Staffordshire. The historic pit was the first in Britain to raise one million tons of coal in one year in 1937. It boasts Art Deco pithead baths where 1,000 men could shower (needs 25 million pounds)
* Abbey Mills Pumping Station, east London. Built from 1865 by the engineer Joseph Bazalgette, this elaborate Victorian building has been described as a "Cathedral of Sewage" (2 million pounds)
* Birnbeck Pier, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Opened in 1867, it links the shore with Birnbeck Island. It suffered severe storm damage in 1990 (4 million pounds)
English Heritage said there are 1,235 listed structures on its annual Buildings at Risk Register. The total repair bill for all these buildings would be 400 million pounds.
Last year, the government-funded body provided 4.4 million pounds for threatened buildings. Thurley said more money was needed to rescue crumbling national treasures.
"If we fail to act today, the cost of saving these buildings will continue to rise and their decay advance," he said.
The full 2007 list is at: www.english-heritage.org.uk/bar