Protecting the waterway heritage
The Canal & River Trust are owners of, and are responsible for, a large number of historic buildings and structures, many of which are designated heritage assets. Indeed, the Trust is the third largest owner of such assets.
Not all of these are operational structures such as locks and bridges. There are many examples of non-operational buildings which are listed and/or have heritage value which must be managed in an appropriate manner.
Some of these buildings fall within our development portfolio where the opportunity exists to refurbish and find exciting new uses for these buildings, which secures a sustainable future for them.
In everything we do we employ the skills of our team and apply our own high standards to ensure delivery of projects that protect the intrinsic heritage value of our properties and generate sustainable future uses for them.
Calder & Hebble Navigation Warehouse, Wakefield
This development project secured the restoration and refurbishment of an extremely important Grade II* listed building, a former 'Building at Risk', that is situated in the Wakefield Waterfront Conservation Area. Working in partnership with a carefully selected developer and contractor to a design and programme agreed in advance, this scheme has now successfully delivered a finished product of outstanding quality. The project is now currently in the process of being occupied by a number of tenants. The Canal & River Trust has been involved in extensive and time-consuming negotiations to ensure that the end result was deserving of the inherent qualities of this superb historic waterside building.
- Part of the regenerated Wakefield Waterfront quarter;
- Building now removed from English Heritage's BaR register;
- Retention of internal & external heritage features, such as hoist features and loading bay plaques, that reference historic uses of the building;
- Employment of traditionally skilled craftsman and their attention to detail, such as a stone by stone assessment of the building, with new stones hand dressed to match historic stonework.
Sowerby Bridge
This project achieved the sympathetic refurbishment of two listed buildings on a Canal & River Trust-owned site at the terminus of the Calder & Hebble Navigation in Sowerby Bridge. The grade II listed Salt Warehouse, dating from 1796, was derelict, having suffered significant fire damage. The other, Warehouse No.4, which includes an internal wet dock and is Grade II* listed, c1775, was also in a state of disrepair.
The two warehouses are part of a group of buildings which together formed a major trans-shipment point supporting the regions textile industry and today are still an important destination on the waterway.
This award winning regeneration scheme, completed in 2004, delivered:
- total restoration of two derelict, unused listed buildings
- creation of refurbished workspace for boating related activity and commercial space for local businesses
- generation of an income stream to the Trust from occupiers of the buildings which will be used to help fund its wider activities
Mayors Quay, Wigan
The restoration of a very dilapidated 19th century warehouse of noted waterway heritage value at the former Mayors Boat Yard in Wigan was achieved by this project, sensitively bringing the building back into sustainable use. The site is located within the Wigan Pier Conservation Area and was restored using a combination of Canal & River Trust capital together with Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) amounting to £360,000. The property is now fully occupied by a local business and generates a rental income to the Trust.
In addition the project has:
- sensitively improved a prominent canalside site in Wigan
- retained the ability for the site to be used in part for future waterway related use
- enhanced our reputation with private and public sector partners by demonstrating our ability to successfully deliver a project of this kind
