West Midlands Restoring England's Heritage

The Regal Cinema in Evesham. I used to come here as a small boy and

watch films with my sister on a Saturday morning. We would never

know how the film would end, would the guy get the girl? Would the good

guy get the bad guy? And could we watch it until the end before

needing the toilet? Fast forward 30 years, and the cinema was in danger.

No`one knew how it would end. Would the cavalry come to the rescue,

would the baddies get their way? Tearing it down with a block of

flats and a bowling alley? Ten years ago, the BBC's Restoration series

put the nations of listed buildings into the public conscious.

How much money are we talking about? Upwards of ?2. 5 million.

The programme visited structures on the heritage at risk register. The

critical list. You voted for the buildings you felt needed help.

Funding groups gave out millions of pounds in an effort to restore them

to their former glory. There were more and more winners and

losers each time that Restoration was shown it really demonstrated how

much we care bad what happens to our heritage.

Join me, Alistair McGowan, for . As I journey through the West Midlands

to see which of the buildings in this region are being lovingly

restored like this cinema in Evesham and which are on the critical list.

We are in South Birmingham to see why this Lewis "Scooter" Libby is on

the top ten danger list. It was a beauty, can it ever be as beautiful

again? And a 19th century direct likt blacksmith's, we popped back to

Chedham's Yard to see how a 2006 winner spent the prize money and we

go to Birmingham to see how # 13 years of funding and volunteers have

succeeded in bringing a coffin factory back to life.

We are looking in on the medieval buildings of Kings Norton to see

what happens since the old grammar school won the big prize in 2004. I

will take a trip down my own family's memory lane to investigate

further delays in the evening nearing works to be carried out on

the beautiful waiting room at the beautiful Worcestershire Shrubhill

Station. And in Staffordshire, a tour of a tea pot factory, already

at the top of the list before vandals made things worse by

stealing the roof. Is there hope for this potteries gem? But before that,

I caught up with the person leading the project in the West Midlands and

asked how the region has fared in the annual heritage health check.

So what is the critical list? We call it the Heritage Health Risk. We

publish it every year. It is not just building but grade one and two

star listed building, shedded areas, registered parks and gardens and

battlefields. How does the West Midlands fare in

the numbers of those buildings that are doing well and those on the

list? Probably slightly more it is slightly higher than the national

average, but if you were to characterise the type of heritage at

risk in the West Midlands, then industrial heritage is one of the

things that we have a particular issue with because of the decline of

the industrial Black Country and Stoke and the potteries, so forth.

These things are irreplaceable. They are part of our heritage. They are a

very small percentage of the buildings, the monuments and

landscapes that we have. They tell our national story. So if we lose

them, we have lost that part of that story forever.

But it need not be the case. That's why I chose to become a patron of my

childhood picture house and to play my part in helping to restore it

back to its rightful glory and place at the heart of the community. As

Jonathan Ross might say: The story of how a classic 1930s thriller

became a movie house of horror. In 2003, the place closed its doors for

the last time, seemingly. Over the next six years, the only people to

come in here were vandals. Then enter the The Wiper Family. They

turned the local embarrassment into a palace of dreams.

Tell us a bit about the state of the building when you took it over? Sure

it was pretty bad. There were holes in the roof. There were leaks

everywhere. The raid airs had been left with

water in. They had blown up. No electricity. In five years, the

building would have been a total wreck. It was really on its last

legs. It was a consequence of never having money spent on it over 40

years. You are lucky that the building was

built in the 19 '30s, so there were beautiful lights to draw out? The

beautiful is beautiful. The buildings were built up and down the

country, but Regal Cinema is even more special. There are oedz to the

market town it is built in, everywhere. So the beautiful lights,

there are five of them on the ceiling, if you look at them, they

are definitely impressionistic flowers. Evesham is a market town

growing flowers. There are freezes running along the wall to show the

four seasons in bloom. It is extraordinary.

There is an environmental side to all of this, even the coat hooks,

they were the originals? Yes. We went to every length to reuse

anything we could. That was for two reasons, one for financial savings

and two to retain the character of the building. Everything that has

gone before us, as much as humanly possible.

What do you think of the future for the Regal Cinema? Is it bright? I

think it is really bright. We are doing films, alternative content.

Live events it is going really well. I think it will be stronger as

opposed to struggling. Well, as you can see, the story had

a happy ending. What happened here at Regal Cinema is an important less

op in why restoration matters. Why it is a wonderful recipe if you

like, as Nigel Slater may say, take something from the past, throw in

money and care, wait for it to rise, hopefully you have created something

tasty to keep people happy for generations to come! Keeping our

heritage alive can be an uphill struggle. A former arts school has

been on the register since 1982. I wondered if those championing its

cause had given up hope? This is an extraordinary Birmingham suburb with

an extraordinary number of listed buildings. On run road there are 16

buildings, it is known as the string of pearls. This school sool school

has been known as the community association and the years have not

been kind to the place. `` School of Art. I met with the

custodian who told me about the realities of taking on a listed

building in need of restoration. How he inherited the building it was in

truly dire straits. When we took the building over it

was in a disastrous state. Water was flooding in. The baft was flooded.

Obviously it created tremendous problems. So when we started working

on the roof, it was a big task. It is a grade two star listed building.

Of course, the slat had to come from a particular quarry in Wales. Of

course that suddenly hit us, quite badly. We got the building

watertight. We started repairing the inside. Once the heating had been

operating for a while the building started to dry up and of course we

suddenly found that there was a huge outbreak of dry rot.

Dry rot travels like wild fire. We set up a community organisation

and it is used as a community centre. We have a number of

activities going on. Children's activities, youth activities,

scout's groups, women's activities. An elderly group. We have to

recognise that this is one of the most deprived areas in Birmingham,

if not in the Midlands. And we wanted a facility for the local area

and the local community, that they can afford and feel comfortable

going to. There is a lot going for us but we need help.

It is wonderful what you have done, but were there times when you were

tempted to walk away? For some members that thought has been there,

but we are totally committed and want to make sure that there is an

building and to go ahead and with much positivity.

You have done a great job. Well, it is a big challenge but we

hope we can do it. I'm sure you can. It seems that help

is at hand. The Moseley Muslim Association is helping to try to

raise the funds to enable them to continue their good work on the

building. I really hope that they succeed.

I grew up here in Worcestershire. Although sadly, I never met him, my

grandfather was a train guard on the local line. He would have taken many

a train from this station, Worcester Shrubhill Station. As a teenager I

used to change trains here myself on the way to football matches.

Whenever I came through, I always noticed this waiting room on

platform 2 a. When I noticed it was on the critical list, I wanted to

find out why. The outside may look striking but the inside to put it

mildly, disappoints. It could not be used. That is a pity. Thank this

waiting room is something of an original with a heritage that the

whole country can be proud of. It is of national significance. The

reason it is on the register, there are no examples of this similar,

with the facade of tiles and cast iron, but this is the one unique

example of it. Is it well loved? I think that the

people of Worcester love to see it and want to see it put back into

use. That has been taking place? There

was a Restoration group came here two or three years ago to underpin

the southern end of the building. That was completed, but there were

problems because of water coming in over the years. That has had to wait

while work has been done to put together the correct procedures and

the speakscations for that. I know that Network Rail are moving forward

with the contract for that. If the work was not being done or

not started, what would have happened to this building? It would

not move anywhere. A building is only viable with life. It preserves

itself and pays its way by having use and life.

The construction was built as a display piece. Showcasing the skills

of the local workforce. Then transported here to use as a ladies'

waiting room. Now it is only used by the local pigeons. If campaigners

keep on track with the work, that wait could soon be over. A complete

building recovery is hoped for by 2014, when the people of Worcester

will be able to wait in grandure on platform 2 a.

The BBC's Restoration project has been running since 2003. Offering

grants to one winning building every year. Let's have a look at some of

this region's winners. Firstly, Chedham's Yard near Stratford on

Avon. It scooped a big prize in 2006, but was the money enough to

stop them from going under? This yard in the area was owned and

run by Fife generations of the Chedham family. The father then had

to shut up shop in 2005. Restoring the yard has been a labour of love.

We opened in June, 2012, this has been the second season. When we won

Restoration in 2006, we won the right to apply for ?1 million. A lot

of people think we were give an cheque but we were not. We had to

apply for it. So each way along in those five or six years we had to

ask for the money. We have had over 5,000 artefacts to

clean. That we have had to catalogue. We have had to number

them and photograph them and try to put them back in exactly the same

place as they came from. That has been a hard job, but without the

friends and the volunteers, we would not have succeeded.

The restoration work has been done to such a standard that when people

look at it, they cannot see it has been done. What we want people to

say is, well, what have you been doing? What did you spend the money

on? That's what we want to hear. The grand opening played host it a

special guest. The man who had to close the yard, reluctantly, almost

50 years before. In 2012 Bill was not a well man. He

had been in hospital, but we got permission to get him out of

hospital on the day that we opened for him to be here to see it all

happen. It really was wolf and he was bemused by the fact that people

were so interested in the place where he worked all of his life. We

were thrilled he was able to come and see it finished.

Sadly, Bill passed away later that year. Thanks to the commitment of

Heather and the team, his legacy will live on for generations to

come. We go back to 2004 now. A winner

from Frank Skinner's Birmingham. The School of Art was part of the

largest collection of medieval rooms in the city, but in 2004 neglect and

decay had taken its toll. The buildings were genuinely at risk.

Let's see how they look now, Frank. Well, much has changed. Even the

name it is now known as Saint Nicolas Place. And the canon says

that is not all that has altered. From the opening in 2008 we have had

a collection of medieval buildings with modern extensions that are

warm, bright, lively and useful and well used. We have also, because we

opened in the middle of an economic crisis, we had to change the

business plans, the expectations, hopes. What we do day`to`day to

secure the future of the buildings and the continued use. We have

always been committed to Saint Nicolas Place being accessible to

all. And as Kings Norton is a place with some pockets of affluence but

also deprivation, we always rested on the history of the church and the

green area where this is, to draw in to be a focus for people wherever

they live and whatever they do. So work very hard on ensuring that

inclusion is not just a lip service word it is a reality.

If you are thinking of championing a building in your area, Rob has this

advice. Look to the story you want to tell,

to hand on. What you want to make viable, useful, alive. Buildings

like this, in an area like this, of multiple deprivation can make a huge

difference. We underestimate the significance of the story of the

buildings and the lives of people and how to draw others in. Also, be

prepare to work with over a friend. These buildings do not belong to us,

they belong to those that built them hundreds of years ago and those who

come after us. That is why it is essential to do

our utmost to preserve our heritage. The final update comes from a

factory that 14 years ago was laid to rest when the staff were forced

to close the doors for the last time. Let's see if they have managed

to resurrect the place. Here in Birmingham's historic

jewellery quarter is the Newman Brothers Coffin Works.

The factory here closed in 1999. This place was the runner up in the

first Restoration series in 2003. Since then, conservationists have

been campaigning to bring this incredible building back from the

dead! So, what stage are we at the moment

on the site? From the way we have had to dress, this is an active

building site. It is in the possession of the contractors. They

will hand it back to us but it has taken ages to get here. Ten years

since the last film. Ten years of up and down battles, try uchs and

disasters but `` triumphs and disasters but then the exciting

moment when the contractors came in and got started. We never felt we

would get there at times. So a real triumph for the Trust.

What made your care so much about this place? What is your personal

connection with it? It is a building that is extraordinary. It is made

extraordinary with the passage of time. Touching of real lives. That

connection. That appeals. Not just the unusualness of what

happened here? That does add to it. Let's be honest, making coffin

fittings and of course the kids love it, we all do. It is gulish, but the

way that it represents itself as a business. It is self`contained. The

people doing different task, the machinery, the ins and outs of the

details of the place and the character of it. It is just oozing

character! By cleaning a building, repairing it, you have a chance of

losing all of the little bits that give it character. The scare is when

you put it back as it was, to bring it to life, that somehow the

mystery, the character may be lost. We are working very hard not to let

that happen. It will benefit the people of Birmingham as being an

important part of Birmingham's industrial heritage preserved. That

is what industry and Birmingham are synonymous with each other. To step

back in time, to go around and see the factory as it was, to experience

the lives and the stories of the people that worked here.

But Simon knows that this is about more than just bringing a place back

to life. It is about ensuring that it lives on into the future. To do

that, what you need is a strategy. You can spend a fortune repairing a

building to bring it back. If there is no plan as to how to maintain it

in the future, the buzzword is sustainability, without that, you

may as well not bother. We have mixed a heritage attraction as the

Newman Brooters to generate a funding and also let out part of the

factory as units, looking at Taj businesses and creative business,

the mix of funding to make the project work, the building work into

the future as far as we can go. My last port of call was

Staffordshire. A building that has declined to such an extent, I worry

it could be beyond salvation. In the 19th century, the Price and

Kensington Tea pot Factory in Longport was the heart of the

community. Today that heart has stopped beating and the lifeblood

drained from the whole area. The West Midlands was known as the

workshop of the world. Stoke`on`Trent was the beating heart

of its industry, but tooz, the glaze has gone. This part of Staffordshire

is painting a different picture. Once a proud industrial building, it

is now at the top of the critical list. Let's have a look inside. I

met up with a man whose links to the place span several decades. He

shared memories of the past and his hopes for its future.

Phil, you used to work here in your youth? Yes.

What was it like, Price and Kensington, when it was thriving?

Very busy. Lots of people worked here. About 3,000.

3,000? What is your role now? Caretaker. Caretaker for the place

for 14 years. It is a paid job? No. I don't get a

penny. There are eight of us. One is a bricklayer, one is a joiner. We

all volunteer. We work here patching things up. We have done for years.

We have never had a penny from no`one.

So all on a voluntary basis? Yes. Why? I love the place. My wife

worked here. Her mother worked here. A lot of her relatives worked here.

We just like the place. How would you describe it now? Terms

of the state of disrepair? It is just so collapsing. I have patched

up here and there. I am not allowed to up the boards. With it being a

listed grade two star, we cannot do anything to the place.

What would you like to see happen here? I would like to see it all to

be restored. When you say restored, obviously it

could not become a tea pot factory again, could it? It could be. It

could be restored or rented as units.

Would it make a good museum? Yes, it would.

It would make a very good tourist attraction. We get calling in here.

I have had people from Canada, America, where they found out that

their families used to work here, and could they look around.

This is one of the oldest pot banks in Staffordshire! You would lose a

lot of history. A lot of history, a lot... Phil and his committed band

of brothers desperately want to save the site, but are they simply

holding back the tied? One local group has joined the fight? We set

up a preservation trust to take the lease of ten bottle ovens and get

Restoration funds for that. About ?600,000. Pottery's heritage

societies have been around for almost 25 years now. We have been

looking out for other buildings around Stoke`on`Trent, trying to

ensure that buildings are kept in use.

But this building has not been used. I wonder if it ever will be again.

It was not built with 21st century standards in mind. Could

well`meaning bureaucracy get in the way of its survival? Is the listing

helping to preserve the building or hindering it? Again we are talking

about uses. Buildings must be used to survive. So adaptation has to

happen. So this would be built with external staircases, no lives, no

disabled access, so now we have to build it in in order for it to

survive. If it were to be raised to the

ground or falling in as it looks likely, what do we lose? An identity

that we have in the potteries, really.

That is 250 years of history. We are a city of six towns. Each town has

its own charm and the places between. We have a great situation

where we are on the canal it is a place where we get visit o thousands

of visitors that come past or stop here to see the building or are

interested in the heritage. There is a great opportunity, as well as an

issue and a prob level. Is there hope for Phil and his team

of volunteers? Absolutely it is about making sure that the new uses

are appropriate and making sure that people use them and appreciate them

for what they are. Restoration is not just about

putting things back the way they were. Nice though that would be. For

buildings like this to have a future, we need to find new ways of

using them. First they have to hope that someone cares enough to save

them. If not, we run the risk of losing yet another link with our

regions and nations past. By getting involved with time, energy or money,

you can help ensure that structures like these continue to tell their

tales for generations to come. Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your

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