45-67, Cherville Street, Romsey - Renovation of 12 Houses
Date: 1979-1984
The history of the near demise of these houses and the final triumph for the Trust in winning the chance to restore them deserves special coverage since it portrays the very essence of why the Trust was formed and its raison d'être.
In the 1960s, several of the 18th and 19th century houses on the east side of Cherville Street had been demolished by Test Valley Borough Council and new, architecturally inappropriate replacements had been built in their place, set back from the original street frontage to permit future road widening. The remaining houses of the terrace, 45-67 Cherville Street, had been boarded-up and left to decay for several years so that by the late 1970s they were in a deplorable state of repair and had been branded as "architectural slums" (see article from Romsey Advertiser 28th January 1977).
In early 1977, The Test Valley Borough Council submitted an application to the Southern Area Planning Sub-Committee to demolish the buildings. In August 1977, The Buildings Preservation Trust attended a Public Enquiry, instigated by The Borough Council, who had "requested listed buildings consent to demolish twelve Grade 2 listed buildings forming the terrace 45-67, Cherville Street". The Trust was represented by Professor Malcolm Grant, then a Lecturer in Planning Law at Southampton University and by Dr John White.
So impressive was the presentation of their evidence that in November 1977, the Inspector refused planning permission to demolish (see article from Romsey Advertiser 25th November 1977) and quoted, “The obvious course to adopt is to sell the houses to willing, enthusiastic purchasers - a Trust which I am satisfied are capable, experienced and prepared to undertake a proper restoration and rehabilitation scheme. This would be to the benefit of all concerned and in particular would safeguard a vital part of the historic fabric of Romsey.” In March 1979, the Buildings Preservation Trust purchased the Cherville Street properties with eighteen months to repay the purchase price of £30,000 to the Council.
The Restoration of 45-67 Cherville Street was a monumental scheme for a relatively new Trust to execute and, because of its large scale, the restoration was tackled in three phases. The full refurbishment programme took over four years to complete and is recognised as the greatest contribution that The Trust has made to the preservation of the Romsey townscape. The details of the completed scheme were submitted as an entry for the Europa Nostra Award for which The Trust was awarded with a prestigious Diploma (see page xx).
Phase 1 - 45, 47, 49, 51, Cherville Street
Builder: Brimac
Date: 1979-1980
Work commenced on Phase 1 in late 1979. No 45 and No. 47 were in a reasonable condition as was No. 49, once a bakers's shop with its bread oven and dough kneading bin still virtually intact. However, Hamilton House, No. 51, was in the terrible condition with extensive water damage from broken roof slates and required complete gutting and reinstatement.
The living accommodation of No. 47 was enlarged by incorporating the adjacent side passageway. This required relocating the front door to the passageway entrance and filling the space that remained with a window of the same period.
The old shop front of No.49, with its central doors, was removed and a new front door and bay window were built to match those of Hamilton House. The bedroom windows were relocated to improve the balance of fenestration. The entire roof area was renewed with slates. To the rear of the properties, patios and lawns were laid in the south-facing walled gardens.
Phase 2 - 53A, 53B, 55, 57, Cherville Street
Builder: Brimac
Date: 1981-1982
This phase was one of the most interesting archeologically because a surviving timber frame was evident, even before work commenced, at the north east corner of No. 55. As work progressed to strip out damaged plaster, the whole of the north wall of No. 55 was found to be entirely timber framed, representing a late XVIth century two bay dwelling of two storeys with a jettied first floor at the west gable.
Within the building, the dividing main frame survives with the original truss. In the eastern bay, the original rafters were used in the reconstruction of the roof. The upper parts of the frame were in good condition but much of the lower part had rotted and needed to be repaired with new oak sections.
The presence of the timber frame as the party wall between Nos. 55 and 57 required special sound-proofing infill panels, lined with lead, which raised the costs of the restoration substantially. The exposed original oak timbers greatly enhanced the character of the restored properties. An old fireplace was uncovered in No 57 and this formed the centrepiece for the front room in this property.
The gap between No. 51 and No. 55, made when the Tudor cottage at No53 was demolished in the 1960s, was filled by erecting a new building in a sympathetic style to provide two one-bedroom apartments, 53A and 53B. An arch was also constructed to permit access to the rear walled garden areas as well as a new entrance for No 55.
Phase 3 - 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, Cherville Street
Builder: H & F Bundy
Date: 1982-1984
Phase 3 was one of the most demanding since the brickwork of some of the properties was in such a poor state that substantial rebuilding was necessary in places.
This, the final phase was carried out in three distinct parts. The squalid lean-to extensions at the rear of Nos. 59 and 61 were in such a poor state that there was no alternative but to demolish. Because of the diminuitive nature of these cottages, the two were combined to give a single dwelling (No. 59) and, in order to maintain the features of the original façade, a facimile front door was fitted. The roofs were completely rebuilt and the original peg tiles were replaced.
The stalwart Bundy builders, used for many of The Trust's previous projects, next turned their attentions to No. 63, now called Halfpenny Cottage. This property was also in very poor condition and some rebuilding of the façade as well as at the rear elevation was necessary to repair the damaged brickwork.
The last part of phase 3 involved some of the most difficult restoration work of the whole project. The front and rear walls and the end elevation of No. 67, in particular, were in such bad condition that wholesale dismantling and rebuilding of the brickwork was necessary. It had been hoped to restore the painted brickwork to its original condition, however, this proved impossible and this section of phase 3 was painted white. This, the final phase of the scheme, was completed 1984. The restoration of the houses in Chreville Street still ranks as The Trust's most important project since it proved to be the watershed in the whole conservation debate and subsequently the Council became much more circumspect over planning decisions involving Romsey's historic core.
