Historic England awards grant for emergency repairs to Jacobs Wells
Corinne Fitzpatrick, Conservation Architect and Juliette Butler, Heritage at Risk Project Officer at Historic England, take a tour of Jacobs Wells Baths
Jacobs Wells has benefited from a grant of £56,895 from Historic England to undertake emergency repairs to the Grade II Listed building. The works, which have recently begun, will prevent further deterioration of the external fabric of the building, including the roofs, gutters and downpipes and high-level masonry, in preparation for a phased repair scheme to begin later in the year. The funding will also support surveys of the high-level stonework to inform the main repairs.
We invited Historic England to join Corinne Fitzpatrick - Conservation Architect for the project - on a tour of the building to inspect the works in progress. The tour uncovered the rich social and architectural history of the building, from the lantern roof, side blocks, boiler house, large chimney to its exterior ornate features terracotta dressings. The tour also showed glimpses of the former pump room - a space that has never been open to the public.
“We’re pleased to be one of many partners working to give Jacobs Wells Baths a bright new future. By halting further damage to the building and getting important surveys done now, we hope our investment will give the project the best possible start”. Rebecca Barrett, South West Regional Director at Historic England
During the inspection, Corinne shared that "the emergency phase will prevent any further damage that may increase costs to future phases, and gives us the opportunity to carry out further investigations of the external fabric at height to give us greater cost certainty as we enter the main works phase. This is a great way to start such a major project and lay the foundations for the next planned steps.”
A newly appointed team have been appointed to deliver the first phase of the scheme, including Corinne and Sean Redmond of PH3 Design as well as Richard Ward and Rebecca Gloyn from Burke Hunter Adams.
The first phase of repairs are supported by £1m from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Community Ownership Fund, and £400,000 in match funding from local trusts including Nisbet Trust, the John James Foundation and other funders keen to support recovery efforts and revive the building.
The vision for Jacobs Wells is to develop and deliver a £4m regeneration scheme in keeping with the buildings dance heritage which will see the centre reopening as a vibrant community arts hub that will include much-needed youth provision and services.
This is another step in the right direction for Jacobs Wells whose future was uncertain at the start of 2023. Suport is still needed to ensure this space has a vibrant future. Head over to the Fundsurfer and give what you can and help revive this wonderful building.
