PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT
Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance
Appeal against the registration of warehouses at
21 Commercial Buildings, St Helier
Purpose of the Report
The purpose of this report is for the Minister to consider an appeal against the registration of the two warehouses at 21 Commercial Buildings, St Helier as proposed Sites of Special Interest, having regard to the States strategic objective ‘to protect the best of the Island’s architectural heritage’ and a key objective of the Island Plan 2002 to protect and promote Jersey’s built, cultural and archaeological heritage.
Background
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 buildings and sites. It incorporates the views of the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group (MRLAG) - a group established to provide independent, expert advice on matters relating to the protection of buildings and sites of cultural interest.
No.21 Commercial Buildings was included as Grade 1 in the Historic Buildings Register published in 1992. The Jersey Building Heritage Sub-Committee retained No.21 as a proposed Site of Special Interest during its review of historic buildings in St Helier in November 2002 (although a full internal inspection was not possible at that time).
An appeal by Norman (Holdings) Limited against the registration of the company’s Commercial Buildings properties was received by the Planning and Environment Department on 26 April 2005. Norman (Holdings) Limited subsequently commissioned the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) to carry out a standing building assessment of Commercial Buildings. The resulting report was completed in December 2005 and submitted to the Planning and Environment Department in February 2006.
As a result of this, the Planning and Environment Department requested that the Jersey Heritage Trust undertake an assessment of the buildings ahead of discussions by the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel. An inspection of the properties was carried out by the Curator of Historic Buildings on 28 April and by the Panel on 15 May 2006.
It was evident from these inspections that two historic warehouses to the rear of No.21 had not been adequately addressed in the MoLAS report. Norman (Holdings) Limited consequently commissioned MoLAS to undertake an additional standing building assessment of the two warehouses. This report was completed in August 2006 and submitted by MS Planning Ltd for consideration on 8 September 2006.
A report by the Jersey Heritage Trust - incorporating the views of JHAP – was submitted to the Minister for Planning and Environment on 9 November 2006 recommending that the two warehouses at 21 Commercial Buildings merit retention on the Register as pSSI. The Minister deferred a decision on this matter and asked that the newly formed MRLAG visit the warehouses to re-assess the architectural and historical interest of the buildings.
The Group carried out a detailed internal and external inspection of the warehouses at its meeting on 11 December.
Discussion
MRLAG unanimously agreed that the 2 warehouses at 21 Commercial Buildings have special historic and architectural interest and merit inclusion on the Register as pSSIs (M Waddington declared an interest and withdrew from all discussions on this matter). The following cites and then addresses in turn each of the points that are raised in the 'discussion and conclusions' section of the MoLAS report and details how the warehouses meet the criteria for designation as SSIs:
· The MoLAS report states that: Both the warehouses behind No 21 resemble those to the rear of Nos 30 and 31. The main difference in the case of the warehouses at No 21 is that the buildings are intact and still being used for storing goods. Similar warehouses existed at the rear of other premises, such as No 18, but have since been replaced or much modified.
The warehouses to the rear of Nos. 30-31 are granite shells with no floors, staircases or machinery surviving. In contrast, the warehouses to the rear of No. 21 substantially retain their historic interiors and thereby merit consideration as pSSIs. The fact that most other warehouses on Commercial Buildings have been lost or modified gives the survival of those at No. 21 greater significance and rarity value.
· The MoLAS report states that: In materials, style and method of construction the buildings to the rear of No 21 appear probably to have been built at some time in the third quarter of the 19th century. They may both have been constructed at the same time, but if not, the logic of access and their functioning would suggest that Warehouse B was built first, at the east end of the plot, and Warehouse A was added, partially infilling the remaining space on the plot.
· The report further comments that: Documentary evidence is rather indefinite. The Le Gros map of 1834 shows buildings at the east end of several of the plots in Commercial Buildings, but none of these appears to be on the site of Warehouse B, and warehouse A, which is constructed very similarly to Warehouse B, is certainly absent.
It is proposed that the use of materials, style and method of construction cannot be used to specifically date the warehouses to the third quarter of the 19th century. Crucially, there is documentary evidence that strongly supports the existence of both warehouses by 1844 and earlier evidence that suggests the warehouses had been built by 1832 (although it is agreed that the buildings are not shown on the Le Gros map published in 1834, the fact that the map would have been surveyed at an earlier date may explain their absence).
The documentary evidence is found in the West of England Insurance Company, Fire Insurance Registers (Jersey Archive ref: L/A/20/A/4). An entry dated 8 July 1844 records, “Messrs John Brodie & Co, Distillers. Item: stock of spirits deposited in a store, stone and slated, marked A; situate No 21 Commercial Buildings on the Pier, St Helier aforesaid. Item: similar property in a store marked B behind the above but detached therefrom, stone built and composition roof.” Although brief, this description matches the warehouses that survive today, including the two different types of roof form. A nineteenth century photograph (Société Jersiaise Photographic Collection ref: SJPA/011406) appears to show the original roof forms of the warehouses.
An e-mail submitted by MoLAS on 23 October 2006 acknowledges that this document seems to be good evidence for the warehouses having existed in 1844.
Subsequent to this, Mr C Aubin (a member of MRLAG) identified a contract of sale by Philippe Le Brocq to Charles François Ramié, dated 10 March 1832 (RP153/267) for 21 Commercial Buildings describing the property as Magasin, Edifices & Terrain (shop/store, outbuildings (plural) and land). Mr Aubin advises that the description, from a contract point of view, would describe what is there today (save for the modern roofs). An earlier contract shows that P Le Brocq purchased the site, land and outbuildings in 1827 (RP144/101) from Philippe Janvrin who had acquired the site in 1817.
· The MoLAS report states that: The original external walls of both warehouses still exists, with slight modifications. The survival of these warehouses of this date and in this condition, as part of Commercial Buildings, would definitely qualify them to be registered as buildings of local interest, as in the case of similar good examples of 19th century warehouses to the rear of Nos 30 and 31.
· The report goes on to state that: Unlike Warehouse A, which has been much altered internally, the floors, staircase and a crane in Warehouse B appear to be in large part original, or at least likely to be 19th century in date. The crane is interesting enough to be worth preserving in some way. The other features, however, are not in themselves particularly remarkable, and the mere fact of their survival together in this condition would only be important enough to qualify the building for designation as a site of special interest, according to the applicable official guidance, if they were demonstrably older than 1840. This is not the case, and therefore neither Warehouse B nor Warehouse A should be considered worth designating as a site of special interest.
The extent of survival of authentic fabric, plan form and interior features is an important consideration when assessing whether a building merits protection as a pSSI. The description of the interiors of the two warehouses contained within the MoLAS report acknowledges that the interior of Warehouse B is substantially intact and original. However, the MoLAS description of the interior of Warehouse A contains some factual errors, which have a bearing on the assessment of the building. Most notably, the MoLAS report describes the warehouse floors as having been remade in steel and concrete where they are in fact mostly timber, refers to a modern staircase but omits reference to the surviving nineteenth century staircase, and claims that the internal granite dividing walls have been removed where in fact they still exist on two out of three floors. It is agreed that the interior of Warehouse A has undergone some alterations, in particular a modification of the roof form from pitched to flat, and later twentieth century interventions on the ground floor. In conclusion, both Warehouse A & B remain substantially intact and the survival of nineteenth century warehouse interiors in this location is remarkable in a Jersey context.
The MoLAS report is somewhat selective in its application of the guidance contained within the Interim Policies for the Conservation of Historic Buildings and focuses attention on the criterion for assessing the architectural, artistic or cultural interest of an interior - intended principally for domestic interiors. In full the criterion states, “The survival of substantially complete domestic rooms from before 1700, the major elements of historic interiors from before 1840, and domestic interiors of particular quality and interest of later date, are likely to justify designation, as are the existence of works of art which are integral and fixed elements of the design or decoration of historic interiors.”
The report fails to include other guidance contained within the interim polices on the selection of specific building types, including warehouses, on a thematic basis. Para 7.7 states “warehouses were once characteristic of the waterfront area of St Helier, and their functional redundancy and large scale replacement and conversion has given the survivors rarity value. Most which retain the characteristic massing and at least one substantially intact street elevation will warrant registration. Those with heavily framed or other characteristic or innovative internal construction will, in addition, normally warrant designation.”
Planning Law also allows for a building to be designated as a Site of Special Interest by reason of its special archaeological, architectural or historical interest. This is reflected in Para 6.1 of the Interim Policies, which states “the essential criterion for the designation of an historic building as a Site of Special interest is that its special interest extends substantially to its authentic fabric, plan form, interior features, or historical associations of the interior”.
Para 6.3 goes on to outline other criteria that are relevant for assessing the warehouses including the historic interest of the buildings, the archaeological significance of the fabric and the architectural interest of the structures.
Summary
The two warehouses at No.21 Commercial Buildings have special historic interest as rare examples of early nineteenth century harbour warehouses (dating to perhaps as early as the 1830s) located in the historically significant area of Commercial Buildings. Warehouse A has undergone some alterations - in particular at ground floor level - but both warehouses have substantial survival of authentic fabric, plan form and interior features with granite facades, heavily timber-framed interiors including continuous newel-post staircases and sturdily joisted flooring. The structure of these buildings therefore contributes significantly to their special interest and it is recommended that these warehouses should remain as pSSIs.
Recommendation
The 2 warehouses at No.21 Commercial Buildings should be retained on the Register as pSSIs.
Reason(s) for Decision
The two granite warehouses satisfy the published criteria for registration as pSSIs.
The grade of pSSI for these buildings is in accordance with Interim Policy HB2 which states ‘Designation of buildings of architectural or historical importance as Sites of Special Interest will normally be limited to those whose authentic fabric, plan form, interior features or historical associations of the interior contribute to their special archaeological, architectural, artistic, cultural, historical, or traditional interest.’
Action Required
Notify the appellant of the decision
Notify Development Control - Urban Section of the decision
Prepare relevant papers associated with the proposed designation of the two warehouses to the rear of 21 Commercial Buildings as Sites of Special Interest, to be the subject of a further report to the Minister.
Written by: | Roger Hills Curator of Historic Buildings - Jersey Heritage Trust |
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Approved by: | Janet Dore Principal Historic Buildings Advisor |
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Endorsed by: | Kevin Pilley Assistant Director: Policy and Projects |
Attachments:
Photographs of warehouses at 21 Commercial Buildings, September 2006 (internal photographs exempt under 3.2.1(b))
Nineteenth century photograph of Commercial Buildings roofscape
Standing Building Assessment of two warehouses, 21 Commercial Buildings, prepared by the Museum of London Archaeology Service, August 2006
E-mail from MoLAS, dated 23 October 2006
Contract of sale by Philippe Le Brocq to Charles François Ramié for 21 Commercial Buildings, dated 10 March 1832 (RP153/267)
02 January 2007
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