4990 x 3416 px | 42,2 x 28,9 cm | 16,6 x 11,4 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
2008
Altre informazioni:
Barlaston Hall is an English Palladian country house in the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire 5 miles south of Stoke-on-Trent. It was built by architect Sir Robert Taylor in 1756-8. In 1931 the 380-acre (150 ha) estate was put up for sale and was bought by the Wedgwood pottery company. In 1937 a new electric pottery and model village for its employees were built in the grounds. The house had been built across a geological fault, and 4-inch (100 mm) wide cracks had opened in its walls. In 1981 Barlaston Hall was offered to the architectural conservation charity SAVE Britain's Heritage for £1. Barlaston was in a state of decay, having been left to rot for over twenty years. No repairs or maintenance had been carried out for a considerable period of time and the building had suffered water ingress. What was of even more concern however, was the danger of subsidence. SAVE decided to buy the house. The deal took place at a public inquiry when Wedgwood, (Barlaston’s owner), was applying for a second time for consent to demolish. SAVE managed to draw up a scheme that showed how the house could be both protected from the effects of coal mining subsidence and restored. The terms were simple - SAVE had to complete the restoration within five years. If they didn't meet this deadline, Wedgwood would have the option to buy the building back for a pound. The first step in restoring Barlaston was to set up an independent trust to repair the building and secure the roof so that it could begin to dry out. Over the next four years, with the help of grants from English Heritage, the Historic Buildings Council, the Manifold Trust and a loan from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, work was undertaken. The whole of the red brick exterior was successfully restored and the octagonal windows were also repaired. The scheme has been one of the most successful in Britain in restoring such a dilapidated building. The Hall is now in private ownership.
