Dreamland gets the cash! Woooo!

Pic: copyright Nick Laister, Save Dreamland Campaign

No time for a long blog, and the whole story would take some recounting, but just to say that, after all the 'roller coaster ride' (groan) of the long running campaign ('heritage battle'?) to try to save Dreamland, Margate, it was announced at one minute past midnight that the government has awarded 3.7 million pounds to the Dreamland Trust, to begin the work of bringing the historic Dreamland Amusement Park back to life, and hopefully hugely help the revival of Margate, Kent. Like so many historic seaside towns, it is sorely in need of regeneration.  Many thought the closure and building a 'mixed use development' and flats on the site not a great idea...  Some you win...

This means that the Grade II listed Scenic Railway woodie roller coaster (1920), so badly and sadly damaged in an arson attack, can be repaired, the Grade II* Dreamland cinema and organ can be begun to be brought back into productive use, and a start can be made on the plans for the Heritage Amusement Park, incorporating the rescued important historic rides from places such as Southport Pleasureland (grrrr... but another blog another day...) and Rhyl.

Earlier this year the Dreamland Trust was awarded a stage one Heritage Lottery grant, to work up towards a major funding application, and the Princes Regeneration Trust has also been involved, so hopefully, in the not too distant future, a full Lottery application can be made for many more millions. The jigsaw puzzle of 'match funding'  is often a hard one to negotiate, but with this large sum of Sea Change grant aid, that's one huge chunk of jigsaw completed.

I'm a long time committed supporter of the Save Dreamland Campaign, and this morning is the best of news for me, and no doubt so many others.

Nick Laister and the team - thank you for all the hard work, over so long and through so many dark days, dreams can come true!

Thanks too to all at SAVE Britain's Heritage, http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/ which has supported this campaign throughout, recognising that 'heritage' is wide and encompasses so much, not simply 'grand' buildings but the quirky too, and maybe the Scenic can be taken off the national Buildings at Risk Register before too long!  It featured as a 'scandal' in last year's Buildings at Risk book, Cherish or Perish,  also.

That fire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuB6-76IC4&feature=related

Pathe footage, pre-war:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oDGpXcacvY


For my past blogs on this a quick search of the site (see search box in right hand column, under blog archive) Dreamland will bring the posts.

BBC news report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8361781.stm


I shamelessly steal Nick's words from the news page of the Save Dreamland Campaign today:

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

so much to read on that site!

The latest news from the Save Dreamland Campaign:


Monday, 16 November 2009

Dreamland Margate awarded £3.7m by UK Government

In the most important landmark in the six-year campaign to save Dreamland Margate, the Government has today announced that it has awarded £3.7m to the project. This is the largest grant in the 2009 Sea Change programme, funded by DCMS (Department for Culture Media and Sport), which is designed to invigorate England’s seaside towns through investment in culture and heritage.

It will allow the Grade II-listed Scenic Railway roller coaster, built in 1920 and the oldest roller coaster in the UK, to be restored to its former glory. As well as securing the long-term future of one of the best-loved seaside structures in the country, the funding will allow the creation of the world’s first amusement park exclusively comprised of thrilling historic rides.

CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) Chief Executive Richard Simmons, who has led the project on behalf of the Government, commenting on the seven coastal resorts that will be receiving a grant, said:

“These seven projects all demonstrate how culture can be a catalyst to recapture the flair that these places enjoyed in their heyday. I especially like the plan to regenerate Dreamland in Margate, and showcase the country’s oldest rollercoaster, a listed scenic railway. It is ambitious projects like this, creating new national attractions, that can rekindle the English love affair with our seaside.”

Dreamland Margate has been awarded the largest grant in the Government's 2009 Sea Change programme, one of only two large grants issued this year.

The Dreamland Margate project is being led by The Dreamland Trust, a not-for-profit company born out of the Save Dreamland Campaign. The £3.7m grant will help to create an exciting theme park from the past on the Dreamland site, giving visitors the chance to enjoy spectacular historic amusement park rides. Many of these have been rescued by The Dreamland Trust from amusement parks across the UK over the past decade and many are the last surviving examples of their type.

The rides will be built around the centrepiece of the park, the Scenic Railway, the oldest surviving roller coaster in the UK and the fourth oldest in the world. Restoration work will also be carried out on the Grade II*-listed Dreamland cinema building, creating a major new visitor attraction of international significance.

Nick Laister, who set up the campaign to save Dreamland and is now chair of The Dreamland Trust, said: "This is fantastic news and is yet another very positive step to delivering this world's first visitor attraction. We are very pleased that CABE and English Heritage share our view, and that of the people of Margate, that this proposal has the ability to create an outstanding, 21st-century attraction at Margate, capitalising on the resort's unique heritage in a way that will make a huge contribution to the regeneration of the town.

“The Scenic Railway roller coaster has not operated since 2006 and was badly damaged by fire following an arson attack last year. This grant should now secure the future of this remarkable structure and allow work to start on rebuilding it next year, along with all the other rides that we have rescued.

“On behalf of the Dreamland Trust, I would like to thank our partners in the bid, and in particular Derek Harding of the Margate Renewal Partnership, Peter Beck and Toby Hunter of Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and Nick Dermott of Thanet District Council. We simply could not have achieved this without them. I very much look forward to working with them over the coming months as we reinstate Dreamland at the heart of Margate."

Pic: c Nick Laister

Design for the Heritage Amusement Park, Dreamland c Dreamland Trust

More about the future on the new website:

http://www.dreamlandmargate.com/


http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/heritageamusementpark.htm


Nem

Heritage Counts?

Today's blog title is nicked from the English Heritage annual surveys of the same name. The 2008 one can be found here:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/hc/

As it says on the tin:

Heritage Counts is an annual survey of the state of England’s historic environment. It looks at principle changes in the historic environment. This year there is also a focus on Climate Change and the part the historic sector is playing in tackling this very important issue. More information on the Heritage Counts series

However, at times I have heard some shorten the title a little when describing English Heritage. Lost vowels can have quite an effect. I do wonder just how much heritage actually counts at government level. Although the current economic climate has meant several building schemes which would be destructive of the 'historic environment' have been shelved, at least for the short term, many more will still be pushing ahead, such as the ghastly Pathfinder related demolitions of so many homes (see http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/04/two-heroines-against-pathfinders.html).

The demise of the Civic Trust, reported in the blog on Monday, and also featuring in today's Building Design:

Two former RIBA presidents are among those expressing sadness over the demise of the Civic Trust, which went into administration today after more than 50 years of campaigning to improve the quality of the built environment.

George Ferguson and Paul Hyett both spoke of their regret after the trust folded due to lack of funds, with Hyett calling it a “great tragedy”...

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3138845&origin=BDdaily

is a sad symptom of the current collapse of financial security. It's difficult to know what the ramifications of that will be for the regional civic trusts. I wrote and posted a web album too of Gayle Mill on Monday, one of the buildings featured in this evening's Restoration Revisited, presented by Griff Rhys Jones.

Set The Video: Restoration Revisited, BBC Two, Wednesday, 22 April, 9pm

One thing Britain is really good at is Old Stuff. That's why all Americans think we live in Gothic caves filled with antiques and maps made from human skin. Of course, they're completely correct. The Swedish however, think we're all sexually backward. Of course, they're correct too. Mercifully, it's the former we're focusing on here as we're treated to Restoration Revisited (BBC Two, Wednesday, 22 April, 9pm) which will see Griff Rhys Jones going back to Old Stuff and seeing if it looks like New Old Stuff.

Over three series, the Restoration team became the architectural equivalent of The Campaign For Real Ale, celebrating the old way of doing things... shouting from the rooftops about how great some British buildings are and how we should give them a cuddle and a spit-wash.
Through the television and phone votes (pre-scandal), Griff Rhys Jones helped us all decide which buildings got restored to former glories, which knackered old gems should be revived and breathed back to life. Everyone cheered as the fireworks went off at the close of each series... however... what happened next?

Well, this show will tell us that loads has happened, with a staggering £100 million being raised for 72 buildings. As swell as that is, it's the transformations that we'll be shown which will be the real pay-off. Should be very nice and pleasant viewing.

http://www.tvscoop.tv/2009/04/set_the_video_r_35.html

Gayle Mill was one of those, which benefited from the cash and the publicity, and I urge all to visit - an unsanitised and tea shoppe free zone, aspiring to be a working sawmill using some rather wonderful old machinery, and with a room for community use thrown in (although it's only a very short walk from Hawes and indeed only a short stroll from the Wensleydale cheese factory and visitor centre,

http://www.wensleydale.co.uk/

with a decent caff for those in need of a cuppa after all that culcha oop at t'mill).

Gayle Mill's 'restoration' (or repair if you are a SPABie) was masterminded by Graham Bell and team at the North of England Civic Trust, which owns the building. From the NECT website it sounds as though that organisation at least is safe for now:

http://www.nect.org.uk/

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-woodfuel-yandh-gayle-mill-cs.pdf/$FILE/eng-woodfuel-yandh-gayle-mill-cs.pdf

Indeed, here it is again - Heritage Counts 2006, with a picture giving a flavour of the fine interior to be enjoyed, and no gifte shoppe flogging Yorkshire pot pourri in sight either (although some suspiciously clean overalls):

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/hc/upload/pdf/YORKSHIRE_20061110144551.pdf?1238405029

So the failure to thrive of the Civic Trust (President: Griff Rhys Jones) may not immediately bring national shock waves, but the withdrawal of its valuable work (such as the annual Civic Trust Awards and National Heritage Open Days) and expertise will be a sad loss to all who value the built environment.

About Us

http://www.civictrust.org.uk/

The Civic Trust is the independent nationwide charity dedicated to helping communities make better places in which to live, work and play. The Civic Trust has campaigned for better places for people since 1957, and continues to be a powerful, definitive and distinctive voice which helps communities to imagine, shape and deliver inspiring places and an enduring future. The Civic Trust is the umbrella organisation for 700 Civic Societies across the country, representing a quarter of a million people, who care passionately about their environment. Each year it organises Heritage Open Days where over a million people celebrate and explore their cultural and architectural heritage during a long weekend in September.
Through its activities, the Civic Trust raises the standard of our parks, towns and cities. The Civic Trust’s Award schemes reward the best in our environment, and develop and define best practice. Education, consultancy and coaching programmes help others to understand and achieve excellence in designing, creating and campaigning for better places.

The 2009 Civic Trust Award winners can be found here:

http://www.civictrustawards.org.uk/

Heritage Open Days 2009:

http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

The picture at the top of today's blog is of another bit of Britain's heritage, indeed it's part of Edinburgh's Royal Mile in the Old and New Town World Heritage Site.

The Director of Edinburgh World Heritage seems to have managed to leave behind the current woes of Caltongate and the Haymarket Tower and hotfooted it to Penang and the World Heritage Site of Georgetown earlier this month.

http://eastasia.britishcouncil.org/public/event.aspx?country=Malaysia&eventname=Managing%20a%20World%20Heritage%20Site:%20Lessons%20from%20Edinburgh&Event_ID=969a781d-e11a-41a6-a796-d03a2f897975

When Secretary of SAVE Britain's Heritage, Adam was hardly shy of publicity for the cause. Indeed he made a guest appearance in SALON again this week (along with a certain Conservation Officer and blog, which I thankfully note has resumed in fine style):

http://www.sal.org.uk/salon/#section13

and mention of Paddington Span Four brings me to a previous blog in which he features:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/overhead-paddington-station-span-four.html

Here he is again then, meeja tarting for Britain halfway around the world, in a newspaper interview published for World Heritage Day (last Friday, in case it had passed you by) with useful things to say about his aspirations for Edinburgh (inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/728) and giving sound advice to those experiencing teething troubles with managing Georgetown WHS (inscribed 2008 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223):

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/4/19/lifeliving/3703375&sec=lifeliving

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/4/19/lifeliving/3703356&sec=lifeliving

Penang Heritage Trust:

http://www.pht.org.my/

For those not lucky enough to be invited to see the World Heritage Sites of Melaka and Georgetown for themselves, these two videos give a flavour of what you are missing:

http://www.tourmalaysia.com/2009/03/27/videos-melaka-georgetown-world-heritage-part-1/

http://www.tourmalaysia.com/2009/03/28/videos-melaka-georgetown-world-heritage-part-2/

Meanwhile back home, sad news from the Save Dreamland Campaign that what remained of the historic River Caves at Pleasureland, Southport went up in flames last night:

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1817

As one of those heavily involved in the attempt to save Pleasureland from the bulldozer it's particularly poignant; a listing attempt was thwarted by what can only be described as cock ups by those supposedly in charge of our heritage. Heritage counts indeed.

River Caves, with their fantastical voyages through tableaux of scenes round the world, were a form of education and entertainment for the masses, in the days when flying halfway round the world to visit in person would only ever be a dream. Thankfully, some of the parts from Pleasureland were rescued by Nick Laister and the Save Dreamland team, and hopefully and, yes, we are back to that ever diminishing pot of lottery funding again, a new/old River Caves will arise again at Dreamland, Margate. For more of those plans, and news updated yesterday evening, and the proposed Heritage Amusement Park:

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

There's even a Youtube video, featuring amongs other joys the River Caves and the Waterchute rescued from Rhyl, another mad last minute escapade, funded by those for whom heritage really does count - ie members of the Save Dreamland Campaign (donations always welcome!).

For more heritage news, including posts on the worrying threat to the Leas Lift at Folkestone, as first reported on the Victorian Society website, do join and join in on the Heritage Forum:

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

Nem

PS Fame or notoriety?

http://www.bajr.org/BAJRforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2264

(Water Mill: http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/chilterns-water-mill-grand-designs_07.html)

Conservation Areas - too little, too late?

English Heritage has launched a campaign about Conservation Areas.

It's too late just to announce a survey, English Heritage – launch a cull.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/mar/19/doors-english-heritage-conservation-areas

Simon Thurley, English Heritage's chief executive, mused...

"Are sash windows still gracing house-fronts or are conservation areas suffering from a plague of plastic ones? Are front gardens being lost to car parking? Are the hearts of our most historic towns and suburban high streets under threat from the wrong kind of change?"

Sorry Dr T, it's all too little too late in my opinion, and certainly I have already joined up and joined in with news of what's happened to diminish the attractiveness of my local Conservation Area, including the spoiling of listed buildings.

A start would have been for you to press really, really hard for the overturning of the Shimizu judgment of course. It has been used by many a developer and local authority, seemingly unable to read the details thoroughly, to allow all manner of destruction short of total demolition.

Not that total demolition seems to be much of a problem with historic buildings in Conservation Areas in my neck of the woods, either, just claim 'community need', pay a surveyor/ 'historic buildings consultant' to say the building is rubbish, and there you go.

Or claim that a housing development which will ruin the green setting is needed as some will be 'affordable' and permission pings back with little fuss.

First National Survey of Conservation Areas at Risk

England has some 9,300 Conservation Areas, historic parts of cities, towns, suburbs and villages designated by local authorities to protect their special character. But what condition are they in? Are they cherished through a close partnership of council and residents? Or are they at risk from neglect, decay and inappropriate development?

Conservation Areas vary enormously. They include, for example, the Belgravia Conservation Area in central London, the industrial heritage of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the fishing village of Clovelly in North Devon and the Victorian People’s Park Conservation Area in Halifax. The heart of a historic town might be a Conservation Area. So too might be a street of well-preserved 1930s semi-detached houses or an isolated group of farm buildings. Details of local Conservation Areas are held by councils and can usually be found on their websites.

English Heritage has asked every Local Authority in the country to fill in a questionnaire for each of their Conservation Areas as part of the first nationwide census of the condition of this important element of our heritage. The results will be announced and a campaign will be launched on 23rd June to help councils, communities and individual residents to care for these special places.

Conservation Areas identified as at risk will be added to the Heritage at Risk register, published annually by English Heritage. Each year new categories are added to the register in an attempt to create a Domesday Book of every aspect of England’s threatened heritage. The register helps everyone to prioritise action, direct resources to areas of need and focus attention on saving the best of the past for the future. Eventually it will make England the first country in the world to have a comprehensive picture of its heritage at risk and the necessary understanding to save it.

Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Conservation Areas play a vital role in protecting the most important historic places in England from ill-considered change. Designated by local authorities after widespread local consultation, millions of us live in or near one, go to work or shop in one or visit them for leisure. Thanks to help from hundreds of Local Authority Conservation Officers all over the country, this survey will give us a true picture of the condition of these important, historic places.

“Are sash windows still gracing house-fronts or are Conservation Areas suffering from a plague of plastic ones? Are front gardens being lost to car parking? Are the hearts of our most historic towns and suburban high streets under threat from the wrong kind of change? Does the existence of an active local amenity society make a difference?

“We will be analysing the results carefully so that we can help to provide answers to questions like these and propose solutions where Conservation Areas are in decline. This is a strategic, national campaign and English Heritage won’t be able to get involved in individual issues at a local level. However, we will be providing residents and local groups with information and advice and explaining how they can help by working constructively with local authorities to manage the places they value most. There is a lot that residents can do themselves and we will support Conservation Officers in their tireless work to halt decay and inappropriate change before it is too late.”

Are you a member of a local amenity society or residents’ group?

Many Conservation Areas have local amenity societies or residents’ groups which perform a valuable role in protecting the special character of the place where they live for everyone’s benefit. English Heritage is keen to hear from as many local groups as possible so that they can keep them informed of the Conservation Areas at Risk campaign.
They also want to hear about major successes and might feature your local amenity society in their campaign booklet and on their website. To receive information and get involved in the campaign, please visit

www.english-heritage.org.uk/conservationareas

Conservation Areas at Risk

English Heritage’s new campaign will reveal how many of England’s 9,300 Conservation Areas are at risk and from what. We have asked every Local Authority in the country to fill in a questionnaire on the condition of their Conservation Areas and will be publishing the results in our Heritage at Risk Register on 23rd June.

Get involved!

If you are worried about a proliferation of plastic windows, over-sized extensions or buildings being left derelict or even demolished, sign up below. We will keep you informed of the campaign and in June we'll send you a campaign pack providing lots of information on how residents and councils can work together to save these special historic places for the benefit of the whole community.

Designated by local authorities to protect their special character, Conservation Areas can be historic parts of cities, towns, suburbs and villages. The heart of market town might be a Conservation Area, so too might be a street of well-preserved 1930s semi-detached houses or an isolated group of farm buildings.
Register Now
Are there local success stories or challenges you would like to tell us about?Unfortunately, we cannot get involved in every local issue but the information you provide will give us a better picture of how things really are across the country and help us raise the profile of Conservation Areas on local and national government agenda.

Well, that would be good, but I think the horse vanished from the stable long ago, and the bolt shoved firmly in place; a vast pot of cash would be useful to try to persuade people that removal of unsightly plastic doors and windows would help Conservation Areas hugely, but many would resist and the results would be patchy.

I recall Caius Plinius telling us of a problem in his patch in his blog not so long ago. I would say that is not untypical.

http://caiusplinius.blogspot.com/2009/01/secret-of-comedy.html

Here's my previous post, Trash the Plastic:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/breathing-deeply-trash-plastic.html


And how about this one, Dr T? Haltwhistle War Memorial Hospital. Major historic building in a Conservation Area, it's on the SAVE Britain's Heritage Buildings at Risk Register:

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/

as Northumbria NHS Trust is ignoring national planning policy and pushing ahead with plans to demolish it, it can't be retained and re-used as, apparently, the windows are draughty.


Well, no problem - just uPVC them like everyone else does!




Nem

Discuss this and anything else at the

HERITAGE FORUM:
http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

Do join up (easy to do) and join in - news, views, general natter.

Thinking small!

Bekonscot Model Village Geograph pic © Copyright Ray Stanton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Model villages, like crazy golf, miniature railways, piers, variety shows, and seaside amusement parks, used to be the sort of holiday treat children adored (as did many an accompanying adult) alongside ice cream cones and other delights.

In fact, I once saw Sooty and Harry Corbett in a show at Scarborough, and I still have Sooty's autograph. Quite how a hand puppet with arms but no fingers managed to write so legibly is a mystery still; the autograph book was sent backstage and re-appeared later with autographs and good wishes from all the cast, so I didn't actually see the signing.

Sadly, the rise of the cheap package holiday abroad meant the demise of so many of those once thriving UK attractions, yet some do hang on in there despite it all, and in 'credit crunch Britain' it appears people are keen once again to enjoy some of the more simple pleasures a holiday at home has to offer. OK, the weather may not always be what it could be, but possibly that might also mean seaside towns could witness a resurgence in the use of Winter Gardens, and at least you won't find your underwear has gone to Barbados while you have arrived in Benidorm.

Southport's Land of the Little People, which fascinated so many children, alas is no more, (along with the wonderful Pleasureland and so much else at Southport) although another model village has risen to fill the gap: the Model Railway Village is situated in King's Gardens opposite the Royal Clifton Hotel and near the Marine Lake Bridge. The Model Railway Village opened in May 1996 and was created by Ray and Jean Jones. The website is lovely, with taster videos of what can be seen:

http://www.southportmodelrailwayvillage.co.uk/

The Land of the Little People was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the aborted Winter Gardens/SIBEC shopping development. Its site is now occupied by a Morrison's supermarket.

The Land of the Little People opened in 1957, and was a detailed scale model of an English town set in two acres of landscaped gardens. The Lord Street attraction included a miniature hospital, school, castle, airport, farms shops, thatched village and tiny model railway. The original owners, Harry, Tom and Bill Dobbins, opened two more model villages in the 1960s, Babbacombe Model Village in Torquay, Devon and Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk:

http://www.babbacombemodelvillage.co.uk/

http://www.greatyarmouthmodelvillage.co.uk/

Once you start delving, it's surprising how many of these still exist today, including at Godshill:

http://www.modelvillagegodshill.co.uk/

Bourton on the Water:

http://www.completely-cotswold.com/bourton/attract/village/village.htm

Blackpool:

http://www.blackpoolmodelvillage.com/

Corfe Castle:

http://www.corfecastlemodelvillage.co.uk/

Forest of Dean:

http://www.forest-model-village.co.uk/

Anglesey:

http://www.angleseymodelvillage.co.uk/

Southsea:

http://www.localhaunts.com/model-village/

And no doubt many more besides.

UPDATE: 18th March

Nick has kindly posted these in the comments section, I will add them here:

There is also a fantastic model village at Sewerby near Bridlington: http://delightfullyjaded.com/bondville-model-village/

Skegness Model Village:
http://www.enjoyengland.com/attractions/find-attraction/ProductDetail.aspx?Pid=128382

Southsea:
http://www.localhaunts.com/model-village/

Wimborne Model Town:
http://www.wimborne-modeltown.com/


"Personally, I will not rest until every model village in Britain is catalogued on Nothing To See Here..." The splendid Nothing to See Here website is at:



http://www.nothingtoseehere.net/things/model_villages/

although I think it still has some way to go before all are included, what is there is fascinating with plenty of pictures to entice.

Of course, the most famous of all is Bekonscot Model Village, the oldest in the world (1929) and even nominated as an Icon of England:

http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/bekonscot-model-village/view?sortcriterion=Date&statusid=bed4ba16a65145be387f956fb2efdb7f&order=reverse

Bekonscot Model Village
Bekonscot Model Village is a mini-miracle, a major masterpiece on a minor (1:12) scale. Not one but six model villages nestle in the one-acre site in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, complete with a Gauge 1 model railway threading through it. Thatched cottages, a Tudor house, a castle, a windmill, a coal mine, a fairground, a cricket match, a scout camp and a fox hunt – all rural England is here.

Unlike some model villages, these ones are mainly fictional, allowing the founder Roland Callingham, his gardener Tom Berry, and their host of enthusiastic successors to let their imaginations run free. Although some place-names and businesses have their real-life counterparts (Enid Blyton’s house Green Hedges, for example), others are excuses for gloriously bad puns: the greengrocer is Chris P Lettis.

Beckonscot was opened to the public in 1929, making it the oldest model village in the world. In 1992 the decision was taken to send the village back in time, reversing the annual modernisations. Visiting Bekconscot today is a voyage of discovery, not only into a spectacularly detailed miniature world, but into an idyllic view of England’s past.

http://www.bekonscot.com/

I did not, however, think that the world of model villages was anything which would be a contender for the next SAVE Buildings at Risk catalogue,

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/buildings_at_risk/

but the Himley Hall Model Village certainly seems as though it requires a great deal of TLC, although now rescued from its original site and hopefully to be resurrected in the near future. The story is told here, with a detailed set of photographs too:

http://www.bekonscot.com/himley/

On 18-19 August 2006, Tim Dunn plus friends and team from Bekonscot moved the remnants of the long-forgotten Himley Model Village from Dudley (West Midlands) to Beaconsfield.

This project has taken 18 months to complete since we first discovered the village, rotting and rusting away in the corner of a stately home parkland. The Model Village closed in 1994 and has been lying dormant since we rediscovered the site in 2005.

We need your help! We have brought several buildings back and need assistance in restoring them, as we are setting up a charitable Model Village Museum. We would like to hear from you if you:

• have memories of Himley Model Village
  
• know what real buildings these models are based on
  
• would like to help us restore these attractive wooden buildings
  

You can contact Tim Dunn, project leader, on 07973 174 357 or themodelvillage@yahoo.com

Another small (ouch) piece of news is that the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate is on the market;

http://www.cliveemson.co.uk/listing_view.asp?Lot=44&Auc=132

it was offered for sale last year, but there's now an auction in the offing with a considerably reduced guide price. It would make an enchanting puppet theatre, and I see until recently it was available for civil marriages; let's hope it finds a sympathetic new owner and isn't simply allowed to be demolished or converted into something else. Alongside a renewed Dreamland, a tiny theatre offering miniature delights would greatly add to the regeneration of Margate.

And while on the subject of moving, how about this?

RECORD reports from New York's East River as the Lieb House by Robert Venturi, spared from the wrecking ball with a relocation, floats from New Jersey to its new home on Long Island.

Nem

HERITAGE FORUM: now at http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/index.php

Spring has sprung...

Visby, Sweden, World Heritage Site


A brief blog today as the garden beckons, the weeds are growing, and I need to be out there.

pic: http://www.kitchengarden.org.uk/index
http://www.kitchengarden.org.uk/gallery/axis/


However, all is not a wasted journey here, as I can link to:

• a report on the wonderfully successful launch event for the Dreamland Heritage Amusement Park on the SAVE Dreamland campaign site:

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

• news and an update on what's happening at Edinburgh World Heritage:

http://www.ewht.org.uk/Home.aspx
http://www.ewht.org.uk/News.aspx

the Director's Notes (not the catchiest of titles, really, but does the job):
http://www.ewht.org.uk/Directors-Notes-February-2009.aspx

and a brief report on a visit from experts from the World Heritage Site of Visby, pictured above :

http://www.ewht.org.uk/Visby-visits-Edinburgh.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visby

• news of a mobile download with a difference:
• http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1770&sid=49b7647981cd1d81b62f1b5d5203c093

More people posting news and views on the new HERITAGE FORUM would be good, do join in!


http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11


Back later!


Nem

Dreamland wins royal approval!

pic courtesy of Save Dreamland Campaign (click to enlarge)

An update of what is happening at Dreamland, Margate, which I have written about here:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/03/updating.html

and here:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/03/animal-magic.html

The launch of the plans for the Dreamland Heritage Amusement Park is tonight; above is a picture of the planned River Caves and waterchute. The River Caves has parts rescued from the very sad closure of the historic Pleasureland Amusement Park Southport, the waterchute a last-minute rescue from the flattening of the park at Rhyl. There's not a lot left now of our historic seaside parks.

Sea Heir

Prince backs heritage park plans

Prince Charles has given his full support for plans to revive Margate’s Dreamland theme park.

His Royal Highness holds monthly meetings with the Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s chief executive Ros Kerslake, and during a recent meeting the next in line for the throne showed a keen interest in the development of Margate’s iconic landmark site.

The trust is providing advice on the renovation of the park, which includes plans for a £12 million heritage fun park and cinema, to the groups working on the project.

http://www.princes-regeneration.org/projects-england.php?id=17

MrKerslake said: “The Prince of Wales is very pleased that his trust is working in Margate and that it is supporting the re-use of local heritage assets.”

A multi-million pounds bid for funding for the ambitious scheme, also backed by artist Tracey Emin, will be submitted in April, with the decision due by September.

A vision of dreamsDreamland rebirth plans go on show

This is the first image released of how a newly regenerated Dreamland could look if multi-million pound plans for a heritage theme park go ahead. The image, along with plans for the world’s first Heritage Amusement Park, will be unveiled on Sunday at a party being held at the Sugar Lounge in Margate.

Jean-Marc Toussaint is working with the Dreamland Trust to help design the layout of the park. A writer, illustrator, creative consultant and concept designer, Mr Toussaint has worked on projects in Europe, Russia and the USA including French parks Park Asterix and Grand Parc Medieval. In the plans the theme park is to be revived and the Grade II listed seafront cinema will also receive a makeover. It is likely to become a music venue and museum showing Margate’s youth the ages, from mods and rockers to punk.

Sea Change, a cultural grant scheme, has already given money to the Margate Renewal Partnership to carry out preparatory work for the heritage amusement park and in June will tell the group if it has secured more funding for work to begin.

An application to the Heritage Lottery Fund will be submitted next month and a decision will be given in September.

A raft of meetings, including a trip to the Prince of Wales’s home Clarence House, have taken place to discuss the project. The Dreamland Project at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust is led by Roland Jeffery, who will also be attending the party on Sunday.

Dreamland Trust treasurer and Shell Grotto owner Sarah Vickery said: “We are delighted with the high profile support that Dreamland is receiving.”

Peter Beck, construction manager at Waterbridge, the company which owns the Dreamland site, said: “We’re very excited about the project and we’re all very positive. We wouldn’t have come this far with it if we didn’t believe it could work. It seems to be gaining support and that’s important because we still need to secure the funding for Dreamland. The funding is essential. With regards the Scenic Railway we’re about 30 per cent complete with the structural analysis and we’re about to move on to commission a three dimensional survey which will see a 3-D map created of the structure which will fill in the gaps. We don’t have the original plans of the part that burned down so that’s the next stage.”

The news has also pleased Margate artist Tracey Emin, who said: “I’m happy Margate will be given part of its soul back. I travel all over the world and whenever I’m asked where I come from and I say Margate the next word is always Dreamland.”

Plans for the heritage amusement park include more than 30 rides, some of which keep the white knuckle spirit alive. The Trust also hopes they can purchase a large Ferris wheel as well as securing cable cars linking the sands with the park.

Designs will be officially unveiled this Sunday at the Sugar Lounge in King Street, Margate, at 7.30pm. The free party will include music from Thanet councillor and DJ Mick T chosen by those attending...

Isle of Thanet Gazette


A click on the word 'image' in the above report will bring the full article and more news of the plans.

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

For more on Sea Change:

http://www.cabe.org.uk/sea-change



Much excitement from this strong supporter of the campaign!

For all the latest discussion on Dreamland:

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=4

and the newly-launched heritage issues discussion and news forum, as posted here yesterday in this blog http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/03/bit-of-chat.html (do join, all welcome):

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

Nem

A bit of chat...

Full of hot air? The inflatable pub!

Well, as many readers will know, this and several other blogs began because a heritage related forum to which we had been contributing for a long time became a less than hospitable place to be.

So the good news today is that there is now space on part of another forum where conservation and heritage and 'historic environment' related news, views, information and campaigns can be shared and discussed, and maybe a bit of fun had as well. Links to blog updates can of course be posted there too, and a wider audience may ensue:

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

Do please register and join in! The other sections of the forum have a keen membership, and it's lively and heritage related too.

http://www.joylandbooks.co.uk/forum/index.php

Thank you to Nick Laister, for creating this niche on the wider Joyland forum. I can heartily recommend a browse here also:

http://www.joylandbooks.com/

And sort of connected with historic buildings, I came across this today, an inflatable pub, so you can erect your own local in the back garden! Given the rate at which pubs are currently closing, a cause for major concern, this 'Welsh stone' instant inn may be just the job!

http://www.pointlessbutcool.com/gadgets/inflatable_pub

Here's the video:

Certainly cool!

Nem

Dreaming of Dreamland

Fire engulfing the Grade II Listed Scenic Railway, Dreamland, Margate, following an arson attack in 2008 (pic courtesy Nick Evans/Save Dreamland Campaign).

More good news from the Save Dreamland Campaign website, updated yesterday evening.

Read it, and a great deal more besides (even a mention of the Republic) here:
http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

Friday, 6 March 2009
'I Dream of Dreamland' event - more details

We are formally unveiling our plans for the brand new Dreamland Amusement Park at a special public event on the evening of Sunday 15th March at the West Coast Bar, King Street, Margate. The layout plans and images have been assembled over the past few months by a team led by The Dreamland Trust/Save Dreamland Campaign, site owners the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and the Margate Renewal Partnership. Sunday will be the first time these plans have been seen in public. In addition to unveiling the plans, we will be presenting old footage of Dreamland and the Scenic Railway through the years, playing a seriously good Dreamland soundtrack and having an all-round fantastic time. The Dreamland of tomorrow will echo the thrilling theme parks of the past, and this is your chance to climb on board, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!

(click pic to enlarge, courtesy Save Dreamland Campaign)

Please do pass on details of the event to all, and get along if you can make it.

That's following the news last week:

Saturday, 28 February 2009
Dreamland meeting in royal residence

Susan Marsh and Nick Laister of The Dreamland Trust/Save Dreamland Campaign were again in London yesterday for meetings at the offices of The Princes Trust in Clarence House, the Prince of Wales's official residence. The first meeting, which started at 10am, covered some of the business discussions that have to take place between The Dreamland Trust, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (the owners of Dreamland) and Thanet District Council. The discussions were facilitated by The Prince’s Regeneration Trust.

Thursday, 5 March 2009
Urban Panel comes to Dreamland

The last two days have seen some of the most intensive meetings so far in the bid to bring an exciting new 21st Century tourist attraction to Margate's Dreamland. On Wednesday 4 March, the Government's Urban Panel visited Margate. The Urban Panel brings together the expertise of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and English Heritage to help Local Authorities, development agencies and others to engage in major regeneration of historic towns and cities. Nick Laister and Sarah Vickery represented The Dreamland Trust at a special evening dinner with the Urban Panel at No6 Brasserie in Margate. Also in attendance at the dinner were Richard Simmons (Chief Executive of CABE), Les Sparks OBE (Chair of Urban Panel), Dr Andrew Brown (Regional Director, English Heritage) and Cllr Sandy Ezekiel (Leader, Thanet District Council).

That same evening, Susan Marsh was busy representing the Dreamland Trust at a meeting of the Margate Round Table, at which she gave a presentation on the work of the Trust/Save Dreamland Campaign.

On the morning of Thursday 5 March, Nick Laister attended the Urban Panel's site visit to Dreamland. Nick presented the Trust's vision for the site and answered questions from Panel members. He then joined Susan Marsh and Sarah Vickery for a Meeting of the Trustees of the Dreamland Trust at the Walpole Bay Hotel in Cliftonville.

At midday, the Dreamland Client Group (The Dreamland Trust, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, Margate Renewal Partnership) and their advisers (The Prince's Regeneration Trust, Levitt Bernstein Architects, Locum Consulting) presented their proposals for a Heritage Amusement Park at Dreamland to the Board of the Margate Renewal Partnership (MRP) at the Margate Media Centre. The support of the Board is essential if the project is to be delivered, as it requires 'buy-in' from the key stakeholders in the town and south east region.

Roland Jeffery of the Prince's Regeneration Trust opened the presentation and he was followed by Nick Laister, who set out the Dreamland Trust's vision for a "thrilling theme park from the past", with a slideshow showing why the proposal will be a unique visitor attraction of international importance. Nick was followed by short presentations on the business plan from David Geddes of Locum Consulting and the masterplan/architectural designs by Mark Lewis of Levitt Bernstein Architects. The MRP Board is chaired by Pam Alexander (Chief Executive of SEEDA). Other Board members present included Victoria Pomery (Project Director, Turner Contemporary); Dr Andrew Brown (Planning & Development Director for South East, English Heritage) and Richard Samuel (Chief Executive, Thanet District Council).

The Board presentation was followed by a meeting of the Dreamland Client Group, at which further work was carried out on the amusement park proposals and further planning of the big public launch event of the Dreamland Heritage Amusement Park in Margate on Sunday 15 March at 7.30pm. The Trust hopes to see a big turnout for what is expected to be a lively evening...

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

It's difficult to believe that it's not even a year since the fire which devastated the Grade II Listed Scenic Railway, Britain's oldest surviving roller coaster:

Monday, 7 April 2008
This afternoon came the news that most members of this Campaign hoped we would never hear. A fire has partially destroyed the Scenic Railway at Dreamland, the UK's oldest roller coaster and a Grade II listed building.

Approximately 25% of the structure (the main lift hill and much of the central part of the ride) has been lost, and so has the workshop, which housed all the original trains...(Save Dreamland Campaign news site, April 2008)

an event which could have seen the end of dreams of reviving Dreamland as a Heritage Amusement Park, against all the odds following its closure and site clearance. The Scenic was left alone, alongside the Grade II* Dreamland cinema, (a significant part of cinema heritage, with its organ intact) deteriorating through standing empty. So far, the arsonist has not been caught. Rumours of course abound, the site owner has not been the most lucky of people where fires are concerned at other properties either, but so far the police seem to have drawn a blank.

Remember too all the campaigning and work has been done voluntarily by those with a passionate belief that, despite the horrors of the demolition of Cyclone 'woodie' coaster at Pleasureland, Southport, (not aided by English Heritage and the DCMS, who messed up badly) the closure of that historic park following a desperate last-minute campaign to save it and the remaining historic attractions on site, and the ongoing uncertainty about what is happening to historic rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, amusement parks and rides are an important part of our history and heritage and should be valued as such.

The Dreamland Trust is still in need of donations to help the campaign, so please do consider sending a bit of cash, no matter how small all donations will, I know, be welcome.

For anyone with a wider interest, do look too at the many splendid publications (and a great deal of information too) available on the excellent Joyland site:

http://www.joylandbooks.com/

Sometimes, all the work and worry and heartache of campaigning to save parts of our heritage, despite the knocks, setbacks and at times official b*lls up and indifference, has a result. I fervently hope and believe that, in the end, Dreamland will re-open and be once again a great place to spend leisure time, and additionally aid the revival of Margate, a town not without problems but also with solutions to be found. The Turner Gallery is all very well, but it can't do it alone. Heritage led regeneration needs to take place alongside renewal and the new.

Never give up.


Nem

Animal magic

Pic: Save Dreamland Campaign

I bring today the joyful news from Dreamland, Margate that the rare wall and animal cages, which I did play a very small part in stopping the men with large hammers from destroying, has been listed Grade II.

The local press has an article and pictures:

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/thanet/Rare-animal-cages-saved-fun-park/article-748579-detail/article.html

Here is the listing from the DCMS:

http://i.thisis.co.uk/274201/binaries/SangersListing.pdf

Great news for those of us who are supporters of the Save Dreamland Campaign, which is moving on apace, after all the tribulations encountered along the way (including the dreadful arson attack last year which part destroyed the Grade II listed Scenic Railway, a black day when the news broke on the Dreamland forum). It is starting to sound as though dreams of a Dreamland heritage amusement park may become reality at last:

http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/

and I will be there for that historic day. Look out Margate, I may even dust off me bathing cossie and stitch up the moth holes in the knees.

I'm not so sure about the giant neon rabbit though, which was placed atop a Grade II Listed church in Liverpool throughout the winter,

24/09/2008
Neon rabbit lights up city

After being wowed by a giant spider Liverpool is about to be stopped in its tracks by a 20ft neon rabbit.

From the end of this week until next February, the turquoise creature is set to hang at the tower of one of Liverpool's most historically significant and recognisable places of worship - St James Church in Toxteth.

The Grade II listed building lies in the shadow of the Anglican Cathedral on one of the main routes into the city centre, ensuring the illuminated rabbit will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people over the next five months.

Rabbit is the fourth and final animal, by artist Ron Haselden, in a series of striking light installations as part of Liverpool Biennial's Winter Lights programme

http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/News/newsdetail_2719.asp

The piece of art was initially designed by nine-year-old Calvin Tang, which Ron Haselden selected from a competition at St Vincent de Paul School in Toxteth.

Lewis Biggs, Director of Liverpool Biennial, said: "Commissioning the brightest and best artists from around the world, and inviting them to involve themselves with local people, is what Liverpool Biennial's contribution to Capital of Culture 2008 is all about.

Yes well. I knows what I like and I'm not sure that was it really.

However, this is a great picture of it, you decide:

http://www.vanilladays.com/gallery/2008/10/church_of_the_bright_green_neon_rabbit/

Art or clart?

I see our Poet Laureate, whose work I am not the greatest of admirers I must admit, has penned a paean to architects, which , depending on your view of the profession, may or may not still be animal related.

It's printed in the Architects' Journal this week:

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/poet-laureate-pens-tribute-to-architects/1994355.article

The poem, Frozen Music, was commissioned by the RIBA and was read for the first time at the Royal Gold Medal dinner on 26 February 2009. The title of the poem is a reference to Goethe description of architecture as ‘frozen music’.RIBA president, Sunand Prasad, who read the poem says: ‘We are thrilled that Andrew Motion, the poet laureate has responded with such panache to the RIBA’s invitation to write a poem for the Institute’s 175th birthday. Andrew’s thoughtful and evocative poem will grace the RIBA’s matchless collection for years to come; a reminder that poetry and architecture are siblings.

Mmmmmm. Just remember that next time a new Tesco goes up in your local town.

Nem