Green Party Councillor Stephanie Pitchers today (Thursday August 18) hailed a Historic England decision to save 34 Alexandra Drive from the bulldozers and preserve it for the future.
The historic villa contains ‘the rare survival of extensive decorative schemes by S J Waring & Sons of the highest skilled craftmanship and materials, notably mahogany, which include the entrance and stair hall, dining room, drawing room, billiards room and study,’ yet it was slated for demolition to make way for a block of modern flats.
Cllr Pitchers stepped in and backed an appeal to Historic England to protect the building. She said: ‘My hope is that this building can now be restored and sensitively converted into housing which does not take away any of the stunning architectural features and enhances the conservation area where it is located.’
This building was known as Enmore after being built to the highest architectural standards in the 1860s and now sits within the Lark Lane conservation area.
Extensions in the 1880s and 1890s were carried out by S J Waring & Sons who catered for the luxury market and had a client list that included Queen Victoria, English aristocracy and the US Vanderbilt and Searle families.
Cllr Pitchers said that preserving the building ‘will also ensure that the role of the slave trade in funding much of the city’s growth in the 18th and 19th centuries is not lost or glossed over.’
The villa was originally named Enmore after the sugar plantation village in Guyana owned by Charles James Crosfield, an industry closely linked to slavery.
Cllr Pitchers added: ‘Preserving this building means that today and into the future we can continue those vital conversations about our past and how together we can make reparations for the crimes of slavery.’
The house is now Grade II listed. Historic England says that the current owner is looking to sell the property and is in talks with prospective buyers.
Stephanie says, “While I would welcome new housing in the area, I would not want it to come with a sacrifice of beautiful historic architecture. My hope for this building is that it can be restored and sensitively converted into housing which does not take away any of the stunning architectural features and enhances the conservation area where it is located.”