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Wed 11 October 2017
The Weavers’ Cottages in Horsefair, Kidderminster have been shortlisted as one of three finalists in the Best Rescue of a Historic Building category of the Historic England Angel Awards 2017
People urged to vote for the public choice award at Historic England Angel Awards
Annual awards supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation celebrate heritage heroes who have made a lasting difference to historic buildings and places
Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust is celebrating their successfully completed project to conserve the Weavers’ Cottages in Horsefair, Kidderminster being named one of three finalists in the Best Rescue of a Historic Building category of this year’s prestigious Historic England Angel Awards.
Long before Kidderminster was known for producing carpets, it was famous for spinning and weaving cloth. The three neglected Weavers’ Cottages on Horsefair might not have looked much to passers-by, but the modest buildings have always held an important place in the town’s history as a centre of the cloth industry. Their rescue has replaced a thread that connects Kidderminster with this distant way of life.
Kidderminster Civic Society successfully campaigned for the cottages to be given Listed building protection and after years of endeavour their rescue has been realised following sensitive repair and modernisation works carried out by Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust. They are now for sale, with the proceeds to be used to repay some of the costs of renovation.
Bob Tolley, a son of Kidderminster and Trustee of Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust expressed the Trust’s delight: “We are thrilled to have been short-listed for a prestigious Angel Award, and grateful to National Lottery players and other funders, in particular the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Pilgrim Trust, whose support enabled us to carry out this project to save these cottages that were close to collapse. They have been made fit for modern use, are now on the market and can serve again as family homes for present and future generations to enjoy.”
David Trevis-Smith, Project Organiser for Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust said: “The cottages are located on a busy road and even passing motorists have said how it lifts their spirits to see the transformation. Hopefully, that will encourage other ‘eyesore’ buildings to be looked at differently and refurbished rather than demolished,” and he added: “This project could be a model for abandoned buildings in other places to be refurbished to modern standards to help tackle the housing shortage.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber said: ‘I’m delighted to champion the people who protect the precious buildings and places around us. Everyone who has been shortlisted for an Historic England Angel Award has made a significant difference to our landscape and built environment. Congratulations to all of them! This year I am especially pleased that we are crowning an overall UK winner for the first time, showcasing the crucial work that is being done across the country by local heritage heroes.’
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “I am always impressed by the tireless commitment shown by our Angel Award nominees working together to care for our shared heritage. The variety of this years shortlists proves there are so many different ways to engage with our rich legacy of historic buildings and places and as ever, the judging panel will have their work cut out to choose the winners. It is essential that we champion the volunteers and heritage professionals whose work ensures we can continue to enjoy England’s wonderful historic sites for generations to come.”
Vote for us!
While the four category winners will be decided by a panel of expert judges, each project is now seeking the public’s support to win a further award. All 12 shortlisted projects – three per category - are in the running for the Historic England Followers’ and Telegraph Readers’ Favourite award chosen solely by the public.
Voting is now open. Cast your vote at HistoricEngland.org.uk/AngelAwards. Voting closes 5 November 2017.
Chaired by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the 2017 judging panel comprises historian Bettany Hughes, TV’s Restoration Man George Clarke, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Baroness Lola Young and Historic England’s Chief Executive Duncan Wilson.
The winners will be announced and presented with their awards at a glittering ceremony at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London on 20 November 2017.
2017 Overall Winner, Sponsored by Battersea Power Station
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation supports the Angel Awards scheme across the country. The awards launched in 2011 in England, followed by the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards in 2014 and the Northern Ireland Heritage Angel Awards this year.
For the first time, Andrew Lloyd Webber and a judge from each home country (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) that hosts an Angel Awards scheme will decide on an overall winner for the year. The 2017 Overall Winner, Sponsored by Battersea Power Station will be announced at the Historic England Angel Awards in London on 20 November 2017, following the Scottish and Northern Ireland Angel Award ceremonies.
ENDS
Further information from: Sue Whitehouse, Chair, Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust; tel: 07722 923907; email: sue.whitehouse@wbpt.org.uk
or
Robert Tolley, Trustee, Worcestershire Building Preservation Trust; tel: 01451 851701; email: bob.tolley@wbpt.org.uk
Please direct media enquiries about the Historic England Angel Awards ceremony on 20 November 2017 to the Historic England Press Office
020 7973 3250 / communications@HistoricEngland.org.uk
To view the full shortlist, visit: HistoricEngland.org.uk/AngelAwards
#AngelAwards17
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Historic England Angel Awards were founded by Andrew Lloyd Webber and are co-funded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. Since 2011 these annual awards have celebrated the efforts of local people, either individuals or groups, who have saved historic buildings and places.
Historic England is in its second year of a three-year funding agreement with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The three years of funding are for 2016, 2017 and 2018 and total £150,000.
For more information about the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards visit: www.scottishheritageangelawards.org.uk
For more information about the Northern Ireland Heritage Angel Awards visit: https://heritageangelawards-ni.org.uk
Award Categories
About Historic England: We are Historic England, the public body that champions and protects England's historic places. We look after the historic environment, providing expert advice, helping people protect and care for it and helping the public to understand and enjoy it.
About the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation was set up by Andrew in 1992 to promote the arts, culture and heritage for the public benefit; since inception Andrew has been the principal provider of funding for all its charitable activities.
In 2010, the Foundation embarked on an active grant giving programme and has now awarded grants of more than £16m to support high quality training and personal development as well as other projects that make a real difference to enrich the quality of life both for individuals and within local communities. Significant grants include £3.5m to Arts Educational Schools, London to create a state of the art professional theatre, £2.4m to The Music in Secondary Schools Trust, £1m to The Architectural Heritage Fund, $1.3m to the American Theatre Wing and over £350,000 annually to fund 30 performing arts scholarships for talented students in financial need.
In 2015, the Foundation awarded over £1.5million in 46 new grants to organisations, made 17 grants totalling £860k to projects in their second and third year of funding and provided 30 musical theatre scholarships worth over £300k to young performers on the brink of their careers. In addition, the Foundation pledged a further 3 years’ funding to the Historic England Angel Awards and established the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards with the Scottish Civic Trust and Historic Environment Scotland.
About The Telegraph: The Telegraph is the media partner for the Historic England Angel Awards.
About our sponsors: Founded in 1966 and granted a Royal Warrant in 2004, Selectaglaze is the leading designer, manufacturer and installer of secondary glazing in the UK.
Starting off with just four members of staff, the company has expanded over the years to 90+ and has continued to evolve its secondary glazing systems to meet the varying needs of a vast range of clients. Selectaglaze has had the privilege of working on notable projects from the Hoover Building to Windsor Castle, the Supreme Court to Banqueting House. By installing its systems, it has aided the buildings in becoming warmer, quieter and safer.
Battersea Power Station: batterseapowerstation.co.uk
The Three Weavers' Cottages are also for sale individually and can be viewed by contacting our Stourport Office on 01299 822060 or stourport@phippsandpritchard.co.uk.
The guide prices are as follows:-
20 Weavers' Cottages - 'Offers Around £115,000'
21 Weavers' Cottages - 'Offers Around £115,000'
22 Weavers' Cottages - 'Offers Around £120,000'
Virtual Tours - Available as follows:
20 Weavers Cottage - https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=4U7baiX9iZd
21 Weavers Cottage - https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=76PyApnynWD
22 Weavers Cottage - https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=oqv91cN16MD
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