KING'S LYNN CIVIC SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER February 2013

A society for people who think only the best is good enough for King's Lynn

www.kingslynncivicsociety.co.uk

King's Lynn Civic Society February 2013

From the Chairman by Alison Gifford We have a new secretary, Anne-Marie Sutcliffe, who introduces herself on page 11. Sally kept faith as acting secretary with the society much longer than she or we expected, and we thank her again for all her work over the years. But we must not forget to recruit new members. Very soon a new membership leaflet will be printed with updated contacts and an up-to-date look which new computer software and cheaper printing make possible. Anne Roberts has already redesigned our membership card and I have to thank her for the design of our last membership leaflet that is so familiar to all our current members. The Civic Society has been involved in positive initiatives including Living over the Shop and the Empty Homes Forum, which Ken tells you about on page 9, the Tuesday Market Consultation, the Old Post Office (see page 14) and the Townscape Heritage Initiative. But we are also downhearted about the missed opportunity at the South Gate to improve one of our entrances into town. No strategy seems to be in place for any of our town gateways. So at this important site very mediocre buildings, badly sited, with grass, shrubs and a car park most prominent have been agreed. It could be anywhere in the country and on any road. Imagine if our unique medieval town gate was properly set in an attractive area instead of a car sale forecourt, hoardings and empty lockups, and we had the confidence to demand high

.………………………………………………………………….. Cover picture: Purfleet House, Purfleet Quay, empty for more than twenty years. An eyesore despite the paintings applied to its windows by local artists. See page 8 for further background and a plea to get it used. 2 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

quality buildings to complement it? I don’t believe it can’t be done, despite the decades that have passed by with nothing happening except fiddling with the roundabout. But is there a better chance and a real desire to have a strategy in the future? Read Rick Morrish on gateways, page 12. We hope so. The continuing closure of High Street shops is worrying and distressing for the staff who will lose their jobs. Lynn has probably fared better that some towns, but Jessops, HMV, Laura Ashley, Stead and Simpsons, Past Times and small shops like Priors have all gone. It is partly due to the recession and internet shopping that we are seeing rapid change. But the town remains busy and I really expect that these units will find new uses; there are some things where on-line just won't do the trick. Haircuts and ice creams, coffee with friends, the real cinema. Don't be an anonymous out of towner or on-liner – be individual and support your High Street. Only 10 per cent of money spent in Tescos, for example, stays local. The Townscape Heritage Initiative is very positive. We hope the HLF will see the merit of the Council’s bid. The scheme is within the main shopping and heritage part of the town, including the southern end of High Street, Saturday Market Place, St James Street and Tower Street. It is in a vital location between the main retail, heritage and residential areas in the central area of the town. The area has experienced a decline in its retail vibrancy leading to a drop in customer footfall, a lack of investment, and a cycle of empty properties and short term tenancies. The aim is to strengthen the economic and social vitality of the southern part of the town centre by creating active streets, bringing back into use empty properties, raising the quality of the built environment and maximising the potential of the area's heritage assets. To achieve this the borough council team will work in partnership King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 3

with the property owners and long term leaseholders in the area to bring about sustainable improvements. The outcome should be a greatly improved retail and residential area. If the bid succeeds then local craftspeople will be used and there will be an element of storytelling through boards and guides. Other things to hope for this year are to have building work start on the corner of Baker Lane and to hope the owner of the ugly little building on the end of Purfleet Street will avail himself of the planning permission and plans which this society and Desmond and Richard Waite put in place for him. That the Town Hall Development Project will go through to round two of the HLF bid, which will do our wonderful town hall justice by improving what we have and opening it to visitors. That the riverside will be busy – and not just with cars. That the pontoons are agreed and in place, Marriott’s Warehouse will be reopened (read Paul Richards, page 7) and Hanse House will attract more visitors. Perhaps thought will be given to the traffic and parking on the South Quay? I do wish those pesky wall writers could be found and given a big sponge and a severe talking to. St Nicholas Chapel by Colin Johnston Many of our members will be aware of the plans for the repair and improvement of St Nicholas Chapel. When complete these should keep the fabric in good order for many years to come and will enable the chapel to be used more by the community (e.g. heating, toilets and kitchen). The current appeal had a target of £210,000 and was nearly reached by the end of December. The Civic Society committee agreed initially to give £500 to the appeal but later it was decided to double this by giving another £500. The committee felt that this project was so important to the heritage 4 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

St Nicholas Chapel picture by Anne Roberts

of the town that it deserved a sizeable contribution from our society and hopes that our members approve. King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 5

Since the community has shown its support for the project by raising this money, it is hoped that the Heritage Lottery Fund will now give its final approval for a grant of £2.5M to enable the work to be put in hand. As a separate project, the work on restoring the west doors of the chapel is nearing completion. About 21 years ago the eminent architect Sir Donald Insall gave a talk to our society and he was so concerned at the poor state of the west doors of St Nicholas that he donated his fee to start a fund for their repair. Since then we have been urging the Churches Conservation Trust to get this work started. After a great deal of research and discussion on exactly how this should be done, the work was started last year. Our society topped up Sir Donald’s gift to £1000 as a contribution to the cost of the work. The final decision on colour was red and green, as this is the earliest discernible colour scheme and is believed to date from before 1700. It is hoped that the work will be completed by April. We look forward to admiring the doors in their new (old!) colours.

Prison for lead thieves The most prolific church lead thieves in Britain – who targeted twenty churches across three counties – have been jailed for a total of more than twenty years. The six men, aged between 23 and 36, wrecked gravestones and monuments as they ripped the valuable lead off church roofs – costing the churches targeted over £1million in repair and restoration costs. The rising price paid for scrap metals has resulted in more thieves targeting historic buildings: from 20 cases between 2000 and 2004 to more than 14,000 cases between 2007 and 2011. Detective Inspector Keith Blakey of Lincolnshire Police, who led the investigation, said: ‘The convictions and jail terms represented the biggest success in the fight against heritage crime in Britain to date.’

6 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

East Rudham shows the way by Anne-Marie Sutcliffe

As Ken writes, (page 9) the BCKLWN served its first CPO on the owner of London House, East Rudham, known to all those who travel from Lynn to Fakenham as the derelict building opposite the Crown. A notorious eyesore in a conservation area, this is a grade II listed Georgian house with a former shop attached. At one time it had also been a garage, and dealing with the contamination was one of the first tasks for the new owners. They had put in detailed plans to create two houses from the derelict buildings and a garden on the land between the old shop and the path to the church (which has been used as informal parking for years). The plans also create access to the back garden of the neighbouring house, which will allow safe entry for cars to the three dwellings, and obviate the need for the owners to use the public parking area opposite the Crown. The work has already improved the streetscape, with the houses themselves almost finished, although there is still quite a lot to do. I hope to do a follow up piece in the next issue with photographs to show just what can be done with determination and a compulsory purchase order. BCKLWN were lucky in that there was some-one who wanted to take on the job and jump through all the hoops, but I am sure similarly willing buyers could be found for some of King's Lynn's eyesores if only the council would act. I have not spoken to anyone in East Rudham who is not delighted that at last something has been done.

Marriott’s return by Dr. Paul Richards, Green Quay Trust Chairman Members will be aware that the Green Quay closed on 30th September 2012 for financial reasons following several months of falling income. Bad weather, economic recession and the lack of resources to create a new exhibition were all factors. King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 7

Dedicated staff had worked hard to keep the Green Quay open since 2010 when the borough council’s annual grant came to an end. The trust inherited the Green Quay in 2000 as part of the BC’s Millennium Project. Natural England, RSPB, Norfolk County Council and the Wash Estuary Strategy Group were the other partners. They designed two exhibitions to promote local natural history and environmental science, with the focus on the Wash. To succeed, the Green Quay needed significant funding, and for several years the borough council’s annual grant was generous. However, both exhibitions had inherent problems, and visitor numbers were never great. The remaining trustees believe a review/change is necessary if Marriott’s Warehouse is to play a role to benefit the public and remain accessible to visitors and residents. We want to develop an interpretation centre that highlights Lynn’s exceptional historic built environment via exhibitions and lectures. To retain the building as a community centre providing facilities for local groups is also essential. Over three difficult and somewhat stressful months progress has only been possible with borough council support and finding a business partner to run the restaurant at a market rent. We hope to relaunch as the Marriott’s Warehouse Trust in April 2013, but the Charity Commission has yet to endorse our proposal or revised charity objects. A friends group will be established. If you can help, please contact Paul on p.richlynn9x@tinyworld.co.uk Purfleet House by Alison Gifford Members of our committee have been reminding ourselves about disgracefully empty Purfleet House and all those fantastic promises made in March 2009. Here are some really interesting paragraphs about owner Roger Gawn from an article in the Eastern Daily Press. 8 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

‘A DEVELOPER has dismissed claims that he is neglecting Lynn’s historic Purfleet House and says ambitious and exciting plans are afoot for the prominent riverside property. ‘Roger Gawn said he had discussed with West Norfolk Council the possibility of incorporating the house into a major tourist attraction to be created just yards from the landmark Custom House. ‘“The key issue is that we are involved in some sensitive negotiations at the moment. We are putting forward a very interesting project, which apart from a visitor attraction which I can’t reveal at the moment, will include a restaurant, wine bar and serviced accommodation. When people eventually hear what is being proposed, I think they will be equally excited about it,” said Mr Gawn. ‘He also referred his critics to the Custom House, which is leased by West Norfolk Council and has housed Lynn’s tourist information centre for ten years. ‘“My family trust still owns it and the reason it’s in the condition it is in is because of the conditions I imposed on the council when they leased it from me. It wouldn’t have a museum on the first floor if it wasn’t for me because that was one of the conditions,” said Mr Gawn.’ Why are we still waiting? Purfleet House has been empty for twenty years. Surely it is ripe and right for a Compulsory Purchase Order? An empty building is a building at risk

by Ken Hill This newsletter was prepared during the cold snap that started in mid-January, but hopefully will have passed by the time you read it. Anyone who owns an empty building, particularly if they cannot visit to check the water is off and the pipes drained, is taking their chances that all is well. That there isn’t a window King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 9

broken, allowing pigeons or squatters inside. That burglars haven’t been in and stolen the copper, the lead or anything with a resale value. King’s Lynn has its share of such buildings, and there are signs that our borough council is aware of them, and starting to ask the right questions of the owners. We have provided them with what information we have about the ‘empties’ in the town, and hope that measures can be taken to bring current legislation to bear on their owners. Our recent participation in a borough council event where landlords were made aware of sources of help in getting empty properties back into use has had some positive effects. Freebridge Community Housing, which manages the borough’s housing stock, tells us they will be getting in touch with the owners of two shops in the High Street, to enquire about helping them to let the empty dwellings above them. Another shop is now advertising its upper floors as office space. The borough council is also proposing to increase council tax on empty properties. Currently when a property becomes empty, no council tax is payable for six months, to give owners time to re-let it or sell it on. In future this period will only be three months. After that, full council tax will become payable. Currently only 50 per cent is payable until reoccupation. If a property remains empty for more than two years, a 50 per cent premium will be added to the tax payable. For houses that are uninhabitable, 50 per cent will be charged for 12 months and full council tax thereafter. A Compulsory Purchase Order has been successfully served on the owner of London House in East Rudham (see page 7), and we are lobbying the council to follow this up with additional servings, such as Purfleet House. The society is also looking into a government initiative 10 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

called Public Request to Order Disposal (PROD, appropriately) that invites people to request that the Department of Communities and Local Government, through a council, orders owners of problem buildings to answer questions about their intentions and convince the authorities that there is good reason for what is happening. If not, the property must be sold. Our new secretary by Anne-Marie Sutcliffe I volunteered to become secretary because it seemed an awful shame that for lack of a volunteer the group might have to do less. In fact I think the redistribution of responsibilities over the last few months, especially an expanded role for the planning sub-committee, has made it more possible for the society to run with a secretary who doesn't do nearly as much as Sally did. I am not the ideal person for the job because I spend quite a lot of the year in Greece, and although the internet is marvellous, it cannot, for instance, replace attendance at meetings. My interest in the society goes back, I suppose, to my childhood in Lynn. I went to school at St James' Infants, where I was taught by Dorothy Davison, who lives opposite my sister Helen Russell-Johnson in Hampton Court; then to the Servite Prep in Goodwin's Road; then for two years to the High School in King Street, where my mother taught French and Spanish, and Miss Beardsley cemented my love of history. My father taught at what I'm afraid I still call the Tech – Jean Tuck remembers him. We moved to the West Midlands in 1963 and I didn't really expect to return to Norfolk. Indeed, after four years at Cambridge in the late 60s, I never intended to expose myself to the chill winds of East Anglia again, not after cycling between Girton and the history faculty for years! I remember the mart of course – more cold winds; ice-bergs in the Ouse in 1962/3; watching grain ships by the Custom House; using the ferry sometimes, when we lived in King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 11

Clenchwarton; not being allowed beyond the Tuesday Market Place because it was too rough there; buses in Millfleet; shopping at Ladymans, Rivetts and the markets; buying coke from the gasworks; the smells from the Campbell's factory; seeing Dambusters at the Majestic; and most of all, being an earnest, bespectacled and nerdy child, the wonderful churches of Lynn and West Norfolk, which I visited on my bike from the age of ten, on my own. In the days before the safety elf, when I was in 2L at the High School, we had the detached classroom now part of the arts centre, and at break would sit on the sea wall of the restaurant, dangling gangly bottle green legs over the wall, entirely unsupervised. If anyone reading this was in 2L in 1960-61, please get in touch! So when I retired from London in 2004, and came to live in East Rudham, I found Lynn very changed in many respects. But King Street, Queen Street, the Saturday Market Place had the strange familiarity of a dream world. Despite the ghastliness of so much of what was done to Lynn in the 60s and beyond, its history and its buildings are still hugely important, as is the work of the Civic Society. Which is why I am, at least for a few months until someone can do the job properly, its new secretary. Gateways to Lynn by Rick Morrish As noted in previous newsletters, the planning team has been concerned about the presentation of 'gateways' to King's Lynn and has been lobbying BCKLWN to develop clearer policies to assist the development officers when they are negotiating with developers on sites at gateways to the town. We noted with interest an incoming address by the recently elected new mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, (an architect), who said that 'first impressions were everything' when arriving in a new place – and he intended to initiate projects to create more welcoming gateways to the city. We feel we certainly need to bear this in mind in King's 12 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

Lynn – where both retail and tourism need all the help they can get in the present economic climate. The planning committee has raised concerns about a number of recent planning applications that we feel have 'offered less than they might have done' to enhancing the general townscape on key routes and junctions in the approaches to the town. And there are many large projects in gestation that will have a great impact on perceptions of Lynn in coming months and years – not least the redevelopment of the massive Tesco (former Campbell’s) site; the Morston industrial extension next to Pinguin Foods; the ongoing development of NORA and large scale housing projects proposed at South Wootton and West Winch/North Runcton. We have recently met with Alistair Beales (BCKLWN portfolio holder for regeneration) and submitted some ideas on how such matters might be addressed in the long term. The watchwords for everyone at present are 'budget' and 'cuts'. But it is our view that with foresight and planning new development and prudent management of resources could deliver a distinctive and greatly enhanced setting for the town over a number of years.

Postscript to the Campbell’s Story by Liz James Imagine – it’s a whole year since the Campbell’s Soups water tower was demolished. There remained one thing for us to do: to put together all the papers and information that came into our hands in the course of the attempt to have the tower listed. This has all been compiled now into one album, to create an easily handled record for any future researcher. It contains:

• The listing application document itself which forms an illustrated description and history of the site, including maps, sketch plans of the factory as a whole, archive illustrations etc.

* English Heritage’s response explaining their decision not to list. King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 13

• The photographs taken on site before demolition and during the demolition of the tower in January 2012.

* Press coverage, beginning with an early statement from Tesco that they had no intention at the time of acquiring the site and running right through public responses to the proposed demolition * Responses to a questionnaire prepared by the society for visitors to the Friends of Hardwick Cemetery family open day, which asked for memories and experiences of Campbell’s during their time in King’s Lynn. There was a warm response to this – fascinating reading.

• And as they say in advertisements “much more”! This informative album is to be presented to the NCC’s archive service together with the correspondence that accrued during the listing process. These latter papers are more detailed and perhaps less rewarding to read for the general enquirer, but could be very important to someone researching in detail in the long term. Old Post Office status by Heather Bolt The old Post Office occupies an important and dominant site in the centre of King’s Lynn. Liz James led the brave attempt by the society to make it eligible for ‘listing’, but it was not successful. Nevertheless it remains an attractive and imposing edifice, with considerable historic interest. Five roads meet at the property, and it has the potential to be an introduction to the town for visitors arriving from the train or bus stations. The society has been concerned for its future, and welcomed the chance to discuss potential uses for the building with representatives from Telereal Trillium, (the property arm of British Telecom), and the Borough Council. 14 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

There was agreement that in order to keep the town centre ‘alive’, it was necessary to consider activities other than shopping for this building. The British Telecom spokesman was sympathetic to a development that did not include demolition of the main building so that it would maintain its importance in the street scene. He stated that BT would seek for a ‘decent’ end user, with the best possible outcome for the town. There was a wide ranging discussion on possible uses; including sports and educational activities, an hotel above a bar and restaurant, an arcade market in the centre, and domestic accommodation. The society is keen to see a use which would allow public access. Since the meeting the owners have been putting together proposals, which we understand will be discussed with the borough council in the near future. Shabby without the chic?

by Herbert Knights Our committee meetings are often concerned with small matters that are a headache to solve and take time, effort, and repetitive diligence, often for little or no reward. However, seemingly trivial concerns have a significant impact upon the visual perceptions of visitors and residents – not to mention the economic wellbeing of the town in hard times. From the rubbish and pathetic maintenance of the planting outside the railway station to the ten foot puddle as one leaves the bus station into the St Nicholas Precinct (caused by the removal of the roof canopy), the impression that Lynn is a `one horse town` is gradually established and then reinforced. When the visitor reaches Norfolk Street, negotiating the pavements is not the joyous shopping experience it could be, as the proliferation of illegal A frame signs have to be negotiated. I counted 24 in the summer in Norfolk Street alone. I regularly King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 15

move the CEX sign at the QD junction as it reduces the paving to half its potential width. Although the BC claim they have dealt with this, the sign is still put out most days. In several locations where traffic accidents have damaged pedestrian barriers they are not speedily repaired or replaced, but remain a crumpled mess – as at The Fenman pub greeting rail visitors, in London Road and John Kennedy Road. Pigeons are thriving As a town we seem to be at a loss in dealing with the `pigeon problem`. The 200-strong flock living on the rooftops over the High Street continue to foul the shops and the pavements. A single pigeon produces twelve kilos of corrosive droppings a year, damaging glass, brick, metal and stone in our historic town centre. This is bad for shoppers and businesses. Why can we not provide humane control methods? The card shop in the upper High Street, a fine historic stone building, is a particular pigeon magnet and is looking disgraceful. The seeds in the pigeon droppings lead to the kind of gutter weeds that now proliferate. Your committee has spent time in correspondence with the borough council over this problem and despite being guaranteed that a `cherry picker` would remove the weeds (perhaps a day’s work) yet another year has passed with no discernible action. Some shops have resorted to boarding over their dormer windows completely (without appropriate planning permission) to keep out the birds, while others have gone for unauthorised measures such as at the corner of Baker Lane and High Street, formerly the home of Henry Bell’s sister. Dodgy dormers In Chapel Street, adjoining Juniper House, dormer windows have not been replaced with proper frames and glass despite recent roofing work. During restoration at Whincop House in Tower Street, 16 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

a fine Georgian building, it was disappointing to see the dormer windows given no attention. A wasted opportunity. Our committee reported boarded up dormer windows at the Tuesday Market Place some years ago, but no action has ever been taken to uncover and restore the frames underneath. Neglect is more expensive in the longer term view. Another worrying trend in the town is the proliferation of huge bogus doors that are given planning permission on new developments (in London Road and Littleport Street) which are set to become eyesores of the future as they have no function whatsoever. It seems like overcompensation for the fact that they do not work. A discreet, well designed door would do far more to enhance these buildings. Unpalatable dishes Satellite dishes in our conservation areas continue to tax your committee. Recent cases include three on one building in North Everard Street, six reported again for the third time in Waterloo Sreet, and two in John Street. Two new ones in St John`s Terrace make a total of four there, on grade two listed buildings. The effective enforcement system previously operated by the BC seems to have gone by the board. Dish installers seem unwilling to fix dishes on rooftops if they can get away with not doing so, although they are perfectly willing to take the customers’ money. Neither do they appear to care whether a building is listed or in a conservation area. Your committee really does care and stand by the mission statement `Only the best is good enough for King`s Lynn`. Spring brings fascinating talks by Anne Roberts February on song Our spring lecture programme starts off on February 7th with an exciting presentation organised by Jill Bennett from Radio Norfolk, with our own Liz James and Alan Helsdon, a retired King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013 17

teacher and folk musician from Norwich. It used to be said that Norfolk had no music of its own, but this has been disproved as information has emerged about the visits of Ralph Vaughan Williams to King’s Lynn in the early years of the 20th century.

Echoes of some of the folksongs he collected can be heard in works such as his Norfolk Rhapsody. Not only shall we be able to hear about RVW’s visits, when he listened to singers in the North End, but also hear the songs performed. This is part of an ongoing research project which is of great interest as part of the history of Lynn.

Heritage crafts for March In March we look forward to welcoming Carol Heidschuster, who is in charge of the fabric and craft workshops at Lincoln Cathedral. This will be an opportunity to hear about her role as workshops manager or Clericus Fabricae in relation to the architectural heritage of one of our most important cathedrals, and also the unique opportunities to teach and preserve traditional craft skills.

Suffolk treasure As exhibitions in recent years – especially the Royal Academy’s Art Treasures of England in 1998 – have shown, some of our most interesting collections are held in provincial museums. In April Howard King, one of the guides at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, will be introducing us to the mansion, and its collections. Christchurch Mansion dates from 1547, and was later owned by the wealthy Fonnereau family, who were of Huguenot descent. As well as the historic interiors, the collection of paintings includes works by Gainsborough and Constable as well as more recent artists such as Philip Wilson Steer and Anna Airey. As always, we are grateful to all those who give of their time for us to learn about their research and expertise – and to inspire us with their enthusiasm. We look forward to having you with us at our lectures this spring. 18 King's Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013

King's Lynn Civic Society

Registered charity 298916

President: Desmond K Waite MVO

Vice Presidents:

Heather Bolt, John Van Dyke

Chairman: Alison Gifford

Vice Chairman: Jean Tuck

Secretary: Anne-Marie Sutcliffe

Treasurer: Ian Price

Membership Secretary: Margaret Worledge

Assistant Secretary: Ken Hill

Principal address: Mulberry Coach House, The Green, East Rudham PE31 8RD

Photographs reportedly from inside Purfleet House when it was briefly offered for sale about a decade ago. When purchased in 1989 this was a fully functioning family home. It has been empty ever since.

King’s Lynn Civic Society Newsletter February 2013