Apologies for the length of time between my previous post and this one. I was working hard to finish my manuscript for Pen and Sword and didn't have the energy or brain power to cope with that and a new blogpost. There will be a book hitting the shelves in 2024!
Along with the book I have also had a little dilemma about what to write. I desperately want to share my information about the true age of Peterborough Museum building, but don't want to annoy the people connected to it. I deliberately withheld it whilst there was a blue plaque exhibition at the museum, but feel like the post could still be received as being provocative or troublesome, so it will sit a while longer. If I can find clear evidence of the building there before 1816 (beyond what I already have) then I will immediately post something!
Anyone used to discussing Peterborough's history will be familiar with the sentence 'well there used to be a [insert name of interesting/beautiful/historically unique building] but that was demolished in the [usually 60s or 70s]'. This is then followed by annoyance and anguish at the loss of something that would be valued now. However this destruction is still happening and the remaining history and fragments of beauty are being chipped from the map of the city. Even if a building has listed status it is only the very outside that is usually scheduled to remain intact. The very soul of the building can be pulled out and sterilised to make it a suitable modern home or workplace when so many internal features are as valuable as the exterior (see images for Priestgate House and Walton House).
What has stuck in my mind recently is the proposed destruction of yet another historic building in Peterborough, this time a house in Walton that was known as 'The Cottage'. The house is situated on the corner of Lincoln Road and Mounsteven Avenue and is around 200 years old, but not listed. It has been identified as a building of historic importance to the city, however, and, along with its beautiful garden, has been a beloved building for people who could peer over the wall to glimpse back in time for a moment. Walton is an area that used to have a big manor house and some beautiful stone farm houses, old inns, and even a little Victorian train station, but all that's left is one listed building 'Walton House' and 'The Cottage'.
It is a beautiful but neglected property and I'm under no illusion that it needs a lot of work done to it, but it is completely unique both to Peterborough and the country. The Rightmove listing of the property is still available (see below) and you can view all of the quirky little details that make the building an absolute gem. From the strange curved stone and slate extension on the downstairs bedroom (which in my mind is a perfect office), to the bay window and shutters in the sitting room crying out for a window seat, to the mismatched architecture and misaligned extensions. There's also a large wooden hallway with a the most beautiful sinewy curved handrail discoloured over decades of use (or from a few sliding bottoms!). Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but I am confident that with the right support and some TLC it would make a really interesting family home.
Images and floor plans of the building on the Rightmove site let us understand a little of the history of the building. Originally, it looks like it would have been quite a modest three-bedroomed stone house, possibly the one that was up for let in 1838. It was described as having 'one parlour, one kitchen, three or four bed-rooms, with every convenience for a small family.' (1) The initial building has had plenty of extensions and improvements, some built in local yellow Flettons and others a dusky pink. The range and style of windows on the building are a mix of sash and casement, some with bars and some without, which reminds me of the south side of St Firmin's church in Thurlby (see earlier post). They are completely mismatched, yet there is a charm to them, and it wouldn't be impossible to install new windows that talk to each other and the building.
There's also a sizeable greenhouse (I suspect that's already been levelled along with the garden and orchard) and there are stairs on the plans suggesting a cellar. There's also a boot room (trust me, that's a wasted space in Walton), a snug, a store room, and a cloakroom for actual cloaks! The kitchen is definitely a bit small and a strange shape, so a bit of internal remodelling with some of the other redundant rooms would make it a better home. But this is my point - it's still got the bones to be a good home.
If the developers are stopped from demolishing the house then there is still a large garden that could partitioned. Two semi-detached houses could be built on the annexed land to continue the line of the existing properties on Lincoln Road. They could even be set back from the others with two off street parking spaces provided. This means the cottage could be saved and the developers would still earn money from the building of a couple of houses, which would also suit the existing housing stock and be appropriate for the location.
We should be actively protecting what little remains of Peterborough's history and heritage, and that includes the quirky buildings and the awkward ones. The angry responses to the demolition of the building show that people do care and they do value the building and gardens. And in response to the argument that we need more houses, an application has gone in to build some apartments on a nearby green, so the need is being met elsewhere. For once, it's time to let a bit of history remain in a city that's haemorrhaging its past.
Update: since sharing this blogpost the council have rejected the developer's application to demolish the building. However, this is because they had only asked for prior approval and they would need to submit full planning permission to be allowed to destroy the building. This story is definitely not over!
(1) Stamford Mercury, 9 March 1838, p.3.
Map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gb0400l144366
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/128195936#/?channel=RES_BUY
Hi Claire when the house was up for sale my daughter and I looked at it.youre right it would make an excellent family home.shamr the garden has been decimated it was a garden that had history.
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