By Emma Stuart (co-Chair)

The Heritage Angels Awards

Trustees and friends of the Stroud Preservation Trust were given the red carpet treatment at a glittering awards ceremony at the Palace Theatre in London on 31st October.

In September, the Stroud Preservation Trust with the Brunel Goods Shed project made it to the shortlist of 16 out of over 200 entries for the title of Heritage Angels and on the 31st October, the winners would be announced.

With camera crews and photographers at the ready, members of the Trust set foot on the red carpet laid outside the palace theatre and went inside. Donned with name badges we were kindly welcomed and congratulated by Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage. After which we were treated to a short reception alongside some of the hosts of the event including Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Moore of the Daily Telegraph, Clare Balding, Danielle Hope and Graham Norton.

The Trust had been allocated seats in the second row from the front giving a fantastic view of the proceedings. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber welcomed everyone to the event with the following speech:

All 16 short listed groups were exceptional and the judges had a hard time deciding between them. But in the end the winners stood out for their passion, perseverance and imagination, for the scale of the challenges they had taken on and for the legacy they leave behind – a secure future for beautiful historic buildings which without them could so easily have simply disappeared.

I am delighted that this first year of the award scheme has brought so many heritage Angels into the spotlight and look forward to many others joining their ranks in the years to come.

Following on, Simon Thurley announced:

More than 200 local groups applied to win an Angel. Each group was fighting to save an important slice of our nation’s heritage. The 16 short listed groups were all outstanding and if we could have made them all prize-winners we would have. Yet it was a competition and the six winning groups brilliantly showed how local people with a passion can rescue some of the most important parts of England’s history.

The Industrial Heritage Category was up first and Clare Balding gave an enthusiastic introduction to the short films showing the buildings saved by local community groups. Michael Winner announced the successful candidate… Pleasely Colliery in Nottinghamshire.

But we don’t mind not winning (except that the award certificate was superbly designed and absolutely gorgeous) because we already felt like winners purely for being recognized, short listed and invited to such a wonderful event. The Trust received a beautiful certificate which we hope to display in the window of Stroud Town Council’s offices for a short time. This award is to recognise the efforts of Stroud Preservation Trust Trustees, members and anyone else who has played a part – past and present – for all of the hard work they have put into saving a building that was very much ‘at risk.’ Trustees Nigel Paterson and Anne Mackintosh deserve extra special mention and thanks for patiently seeking a sustainable future for the Brunel Goods Shed building for the past 25 years. No small undertaking!

Anne Mackintosh & Nigel Patterson

Other winners of the Angel Awards included:

Westenhanger Castle and Mediaeval Barns for the repair of The Smythe Barn at Westenhanger, Hythe, Kent for the best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue

Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust and The St Stephen’s Restoration and Preservation Trust for the best rescue of any other entry from the Heritage at Risk register.

Left Bank Leeds for rescuing The Former Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Leeds, West Yorkshire for the best rescue of a historic place of worship

The National Trust in partnership with the City of Bath College and Nimbus Conservation for their collective rescue of Tyntesfield Orangery in Somerset – winner of an English Heritage Angel Award as the Telegraph Subscribers’ and English Heritage Members’ Favourite.

The organisation of the event was marvelous and thanks should be extended to all involved behind the scenes for making this happen and to English Heritage and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber for their generous sponsorship.

English Heritage experts met recently to sift carefully through more than 200 applications received since the competition was launched by Andrew Lloyd Webber in June. Looking for passion, perseverance and imagination as well as the scale of the challenge and how well it had been tackled, they came up with a shortlist of four outstanding projects for each of the Angel award categories.

The Brunel Goods Shed regeneration project features in the ‘Best Rescue of Industrial Site’ category. The Goods Shed was built in 1845 to service Brunel’s railway route to London and is in the process of being restored by Stroud Preservation Trust, a group of local volunteers. It is destined to become home to Stroud Valley Art Space’s Carnival Collective and used for community art projects.

Trust chairman Camilla Hale said: “We are absolutely thrilled our project has reached the final four in the industrial heritage category and that we are finally on the road to securing a future for one of Stroud’s landmark industrial buildings.”

The finalists will be judged by musical composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, TV arts critic Melvyn Bragg, Simon Thurley, CEO of English Heritage and Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore amongst others. The winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony at The Palace Theatre in London on 31st October 2011.

Some History

Roofless Goods Shed 1988

Stroud Preservation Trust first signed a lease for a roofless and open Goods Shed with British Rail in 1986; this lease is still running but with Network Rail. The Goods Shed, built in 1845, is the only surviving Cotswold stone example of a goods shed designed by Brunel. It is a Grade II* listed building and has been on English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk register for some years.

The signing of the sublease with Stroud Valleys Artspace is the culmination of years of persistent hard work by members of the Trust, raising funds, maintaining and improving the building and negotiating with possible users. When the Trust took the Goods Shed on it was, and remained for years, vulnerable to vandalism such as graffitti, fires and stone quarrying.

Brunel Goods Shed
with shutters and terrace, 2010

In 1988, Stroud Preservation Trust spent over £120,000 on repairs and a replacement roof. Finally, after years of proposals that could not raise the funds to transform the building, SPT decided to change the building to make it usable. The building was made secure with roller shutters in 2010, the floor was levelled out and various other improvements made. Most recently the Trust has applied to Gloucestershire Environmental Trust for funding to provide an electricity supply and water and sewerage connections.

Stroud Valleys Artspace: a track record of achievements

Analogue exhibition
Brunel Goods Shed June 2011

SVA, a registered charity, has a track record of inspirational and practical achievements in Stroud; they have transformed a previously dilapidated building in John Street into a vibrant hub of artists’ studios and exhibition space. The Trust are confident that the Goods Shed has a bright future; it has already featured as a venue in the June 2011 Site art festival organised by SVA.

SPT chair, Camilla Hale said,

It has been a very long haul for SPT and fundraising to improve the building will continue but at last the building will be in regular public use. SVA are great pioneers at using buildings in imaginative ways and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Neil Walker, Jo Leahy and the SVA trustees. Stroud can be proud of this unique building.

Industrial heritage at risk saved

Years of steady work have led to the start of a new, more hopeful era for this rare and atmospheric building. We will be contacting English Heritage, who this year are focusing on industrial heritage at risk, to discuss the removal of the Goods Shed from their Heritage at Risk register. We will be able to give them an example of local people saving a part of our industrial heritage and putting it to a creative and imaginative use.

From an unused, vandalised building open to the elements, to a secure and valued space which will be filled with people and activity; the story of the Goods Shed is yet another example of how historic buildings can be brought back to life and again play a role in the social, economic and cultural life of our towns and cities.

From left to right: Chairman – Camilla Hale, Anne Mackintosh and Neil Walker from Stroud Valleys Artspace.