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20
YEARS OF MISDIRECTION - THE TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN
FICTION
We
are now in the modern electrical age. We rely on
electricity for computers, to power our factories, run
our offices and our homes. This was all made
possible because of the electrical generating industry
which began with private landowners installing
generating equipment for their estates. Landowners
were encouraged by an Act of Parliament to lay power
supply lines and generate electricity for their area,
pending compensation in the event of absorption.
The practice soon spread as townships started up
municipal supplies, eventually absorbing the private
installations as they expanded so heralding the modern
age.
As
recently as 1995, English Heritage realised that all evidence of this important
stage in Man's development would be lost as the
archaeological remains of early installations were being
demolished unchecked. Local authorities failed to
recognise the importance of redundant generating
buildings, where their agenda was to allow these
perceived eyesores to rot away. For this reason English
Heritage commissioned a Monument Protection Program in
1995, as a means to identify and preserve the few
remaining examples of
different types of installation.
No
restoration until history recognised - ongoing 2004
One
such example that was nearly overlooked is the Old Steam
House at Herstmonceux, Sussex in England, the home of
Solar Navigator's designer, Nelson Kruschandl. The story of how
this building came to be recognised by English Heritage,
the East Sussex County Archaeologist and others is a lesson to
public authorities to tend to their duty to protect the
historic built environment and properly assess that on
their doorstep. In this case it was unfortunate
that several neighbours
with good connections wished to purchase this old barn
building to demolish it. However, Nelson had
purchased the building in 1982 from Nikolia Askaroff, to
restore it for use as his home. Naturally he
resisted neighbours offers,
knowing that if they were to acquire it, the rare building would be lost
forever.
After
several planning applications and appeals, the truth
about the history of this unusual building finally
surfaced. Nelson had not been familiar with the
planning system, guidance notes etc, and for this reason
relied on his local authority. Unfortunately, the
local authority did not apply themselves to the taks in
the mistaken belief the building was not significant
historically.
Hence
it was that on
Appeal in
1987 officers of Wealden District Council (WDC) told the Planning
Inspectorate this historic building: "held no history worth
preserving". When asked by the occupier, the
Secretary of State said they accepted WDC's evidence in
1987-88 and 1995-7 in good faith - but confirm their was no statutory right of
appeal as to the history (there is a right of appeal on
a point of law only) in any event even though this may
contravene the
Human Rights Act. In similar circumstances Lord
Mac Fadyen (the Scottish case) ruled the planning system
failed to ensure a right of appeal. Accordingly,
the last surviving building as evidence of private
enterprise supplying a whole village was kept at risk by
inadequacies built into the system.
As
with many true stories, it was just a stroke of luck
that later in 1997 Nelson was introduced to a gardener named Ron Saunders.
Ron had worked on the Lime Park Estate in 1936 and remembered
seeing the generating machinery and batteries in situ.
He went on to explain that his father was an engineer
who operated the equipment. Ron was so concerned
the history should be so maligned, he set out his
recollection in an Affidavit.
Armed
with this new information the occupier applied himself
again in 1998 to saving the building by means of a
conversion. This is the usual way old buildings
find a beneficial use and become restored. This
application was fudged by confused officers and
committee members who still believed the building was
without a history worthy of preservation.
Undaunted,
the occupier applied again in 1999 and this time sought the
advice of English Heritage and the
County
Archaeologist independently, where it was likely Wealden Council
were still in a confused situation. An article in
the Evening Argus netted the 1911
operating instructions missing from Amberley Museum,
when a member of the public realised what he'd bought at
a boot fair. Where the Royals
are not in a position to become directly involved in run
of the mill cases such as this, English
Heritage did what they could to persuade Wealden
Council to re-examine the case.
It
seems incredible that despite the efforts of English
Heritage and the above Archaeologists, to direct Wealden
District Council carry out their statutory function to
"protect the historic built environment," the
Old Steam House generating building remains (as we
write) without a reasonable or beneficial use as the
incentive to restoration. Nelson Kruschandl says:
"This is this kind of apathy that
shames us as a nation and at what cost to the ratepayer." Let this be a lesson
to us all to be vigilant when it comes to protecting our
heritage.
Herstmonceux
Electricity Generating Works Circa. 1900 - 1936
Links:
Introduction
| Instructions
| ISBN
| Batteries
| Boiler
Room | Floor
Plan | Ron
Saunders
Industrial
Revolution
| Lime
Park | Machinery
| Map
| Power
House | Argus
1999
Public
Supply | Roof
Construction | Rural
Supply | Sussex
Express 1913 |
Conclusion
Archaeology
South East
| East
Sussex CC | English
Heritage | SIAS
| Sx
Exp 1999
Memories
of Herstmonceux by Margaret Pollard
Herstmonceux
Links Page
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