Register of Buildings of Local Interest Review of
12 Hilgrove Street, St. Helier.
This report has been prepared by the Jersey Heritage Trust as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the registration of historic buildings and sites.
The Planning and Environment Department requested in February 2008 that the Jersey Heritage Trust assess the architectural, historical and other interests of 12 Hilgrove Street ahead of discussions with the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.
Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Curator of Historic Buildings
Date of report: 5 March 2008
File ref: HE0269
Relevant interests of the site (also see assessment form)
12 Hilgrove Street is currently registered as a Building of Local Interest.
12 Hilgrove Street has historic interest as an c.1830/40s shop that was part of the unprecedented expansion of the town from its small historic core in the early 19th century. It appears to have been built as an infill building between Nos.10 and 14. The building straddles Le Grand Douet and the resulting odd-shaped site gives a narrow 1-bay frontage and unusual floor plan, with only 1 room on each floor and a staircase placed across the full width of the plot at the rear. This very simple plan form survives on the upper floors, although the ground floor has been significantly altered.
The façade is constructed of locally-made brick - now overclad with cement render on timber framing battens and metal lath. There are early-mid C19 sash windows without horns on the first and second floors, and a later sash window on the third floor. The external envelope of the building is substantially as originally constructed from the ground floor to the 2nd floor although the 3rd floor appears to have been raised from a pitched roof to flat roof in the later 19th century. The chimney stack survives. The section of the west wall of that returns to No.10 is supported by new blockwork, and it is also apparent that modern structural restraints have been introduced through the upper floors.
The ground floor has been remodelled with a late 20th century shopfront and little evidence of surviving interior historic fabric. The lower flight of the original staircase has been removed and a late 20th century replacement relocated within the front room to provide access to the first floor.
On the upper floors, most of the floor structures and boarding date to the original. The fittings and joinery are of 2 main eras - the earlier sash windows, some of the skirting and doors, the first floor fireplace and the surviving staircase date stylistically to the early-mid 19th century. The other principle joinery is characteristic of the last quarter of the C19 - perhaps contemporary with the raising of the roof.
12 Hilgrove Street has group value with the adjacent No.14 and with neighbouring historic buildings - the market entrance and Prince of Wales - as well as the cobbled lane itself. The building continues to make a positive scenic contribution to the streetscape and surviving historic character of the area.
A report prepared by Jonathan Carey, on behalf of the owners, in 2002 concludes, “it must be agreed that Nos.12 and 14 Hilgrove Street and No.12 Halkett Street still make a contribution – albeit significantly reduced – to the character of their respective streets. Their unsophisticated form, scale and simple architectural detailing are pleasant reminders of an earlier age, and in walking around St Helier, I have found few other surviving examples of this sort of 19th century ‘secondary’ shop”
Advice received (MRLAG or others)
The Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group carried out an external and internal inspection of the property on 25 February 2008.
Members noted the historical and architectural interest of the building as detailed above, and acknowledged the alterations to the building - in particular the remodelling of the ground floor. 8 members advised that SSI would be appropriate based on the level of survival of the interior such as the upper staircase, first floor fireplace and joinery; 2 members advised that the alterations to the building both internally and externally should result in its removal from the register; 1 member remained undecided.
JHT recommendation
12 Hilgrove Street has a very simple internal layout and it is proposed that the substantial changes to the ground floor - including the loss of the original stairs to the first floor - and other alterations such as the removal of the original pitched roof, preclude the building from consideration as a Site of Special Interest. It is therefore recommended that 12 Hilgrove Street be retained on the Register as a BLI.
Justification relating to criteria
Registration as a Building of Local Interest is justified as 12 Hilgrove Street is of historical and architectural interest as an early 19th century shop with living accommodation above – a building type that is becoming increasingly scarce in St Helier.
12 Hilgrove Street makes a positive contribution to the streetscape and character of the area, and has group value with the adjacent No.14 and with neighbouring historic buildings - the market entrance and Prince of Wales - as well as the cobbled lane itself.
Registration as BLI is in accordance with the selection criteria which states that any building which survives in recognisable form from before the middle of the 19th century will normally be of registerable quality for its historic interest.
Attachments
Report on the history and significance of Nos.12 & 14 Hilgrove Street by Jonathan R Carey, Dip.Arch., RIBA, of Donald Insall Associates, dated November 2002.
Report on the findings of intrusive investigation on the front elevation of Nos.12 & 14 Hilgrove Street, by Hartigans, dated March 2007.
Assessment form and photographs, February 2008
Board of Trustees
Chairman: Jurat John de Veulle OBE Vice-Chairman: Philip Le Brocq
Rowland Anthony, Geoffrey Crill, Connétable Simon Crowcroft, Blair Gould, Clive Jones, Deputy Carolyn Labey, Paul Nicolle, Jane Stubbs,
Jonathan Voak
gov.je