The conservation of an exceptional Regency shopping street – Part II
CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION AND AIMS 5
- THE HISTORY OF WOBURN WALK
- BACKGROUND TO THE CREATION OF WOBURN WALK 9
- THE EARLY YEARS 11
- THE GRADUAL CHANGE AND DECLINE OF WOBURN WALK 13
- 20TH CENTURY ALTERATION AND RESTORATION WORK TO WOBURN WALK
- THE MAJOR RESTORATION OF 4-18 WOBURN WALK 1956-58 19
- ALTERATIONS TO 1-7 WOBURN WALK AND RESTORATION OF
THEIR FACADES 27
- THE SECOND RESTORATION OF 6-18 WOBURN WALK 1986-88 29
- AN ASSESMENT OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOBURN WALK
- AN EXCEPTIONAL SURVIVAL 36
- A UNIQUE COMPOSITION – A COMPARISON WITH OTHER EARLY 39
19TH CENTURY SHOPPING DEVELOPMENTS
- AN EXAMPLE OF EARLY TOWN PLANNING – CUBITT AND THE 49
BEDFORD ESTATE
- A PIONEERING PARTNERSHIP RESTORATION PROJECT 51
- WOBURN WALK IN THE 21ST CENTURY: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE
THREATS TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOBURN WALK
- ASSESSING THE VUNERABILITY OF WOBURN WALK 53
- CHALLENGES IN MANAGING AN ASSET IN MULTI-OWNERSHIP 63
- PROBLEMS WITH THE ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT OF
WOBURN WALK AND THE SURROUNDING AREA 65
- STRATEGY FOR THE REPAIR, CONSERVATION AND FUTURE ENHANCEMENT OF WOBURN WALK
- SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 70
- A NEW MANAGEMENT APPROACH FOR WOBURN WALK
- ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS IN THE FUTURE OF WOBURN WALK 78
- TAKING ACTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL – PROPOSALS FOR A NEW
SYSTEM OF MANAGEMENT AND STEWARDSHIP OF WOBURN WALK 79
- CONCLUSIONS
- SUMMARY OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOBURN WALK 85
- SUMMARY OF THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF WOBURN WALK 85
- SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE STEWARDSHIP OF
WOBURN WALK 86
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- BOOKS89
- ARTICLES 89
iii. WEBSITE SOURCES 90
- MAP WEBSITES 90
- RESEARCH ARCHIVES AND GROUPS 91
- IMAGES91
- APPENDICES
- Table of ownership and use 93
- Significance and Conservation Table 95
- Streetscape Additions and Recommendations Table 117
- Residents’ and Shopkeepers’ Questionnaire 121
- Selected plans and details from the repair specification of 1956-8 122
- Borough Engineer’s Post Restoration Report 1958 130
- Civic Trust Award Certificate for restoration of 1956-8 143
- Recommendations Report for 1986-8 restoration 144
- Selected plans and details from the specification of 1986-8 145
- Map of Woburn Walk and Duke’s Road with old and new house nos. 156
- Excerpts: Post Office Directories for Woburn Buildings 1841-1891 157
- Plans for the redevelopment of the south terrace granted in 1939 158
- Excerpt from Golden Lane Estate Listed Building Guide for Residents 160
- Letter from ITV Studios regarding proposed filming at Woburn Walk 161
- Excerpts: Camden Council website: 162
A Guide to Listed Buildings in Camden
Replacement Unitary Development Plan: Section 3 – Built Environment
1. (above) Front elevation of the houses and shops at Woburn Walk from John Summerson’s Georgian London. In his book there is no reference to the origin of the drawing, and it is believed to be by two students of the Architectural Association, A. Cooper & F. Skinner in1929. This drawing depicts nos. 12-18 Woburn Walk (r to l). At this time the shop front and doorway of no. 18 had been swapped around. This was reversed in the restoration of 1956-8.
2. & 3. (below) Woburn Walk today: the north terrace and detail of scrolled parapet.
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- INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
“To the east of Woburn Place, Cubitt created a little shopping centre called Woburn Buildings (now Woburn Walk)…These buildings are small, three-storey stucco houses with shop front on the ground floor and are designed with great skill and accuracy. There is now nothing else like them in London…” [1]
John Summerson’s description of Woburn Walk in his book Georgian London is generally held up as the prevailing view on its significance. (See image 1.) Although frequently referenced by various authors discussing Cubitt or Regency shop fronts, any further analysis of the street is very limited.
This work seeks to achieve four main aims:
- To provide a comprehensive collection of relevant historical and documentary evidence including the reproduction of key primary sources in order to form a resource of knowledge for a future conservation plan, funding application or further research.
- To investigate and re-assess the significance of Woburn Walk in terms of its listing status and its case for special consideration of the strategic management of its future.
- To provide a report on the physical condition (see images 2 & 3) and current management of the buildings and an assessment of major interventions, and to propose actions for the repair of the buildings.
- To propose strategies and policies for the potential future conservation and long-term stewardship of the buildings, including engaging local stakeholders and making specific, tailored information more accessible to users.
Methodology and limitations of study
The historical section and assessment of significance within the work combines research from first and secondary sources including archive materials and books. Sections on threats and proposed actions to combat these were drawn from a survey of the site; speaking with owners and residents; examining current conservation management practice; and looking at models of good practice from another conservation management project in the City of London.
This is not a Conservation Management Plan, however I will use the key features of such a plan to: elucidate the significance of the street; identify the perceived threats to its future; and set out actions and policies for its future preservation. Together with a future survey of all properties, this work could potentially serve to inform a future Conservation Management Plan for grant aid (or it’s legally binding potential successor, a Heritage Protection Agreement, under the current proposals by the Government Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).[2]), greater stakeholder support or a new programme of maintenance.
One limitation of the work is the restricted access to view the inside of all the properties. However, I have seen at least one building of each group belonging to the major freeholders, which has allowed me to infer to a reasonable degree their overall internal condition.
It should be noted that for continuity this work refers throughout to Woburn Walk rather than the original name of Woburn Buildings. Also, the historically identical buildings of the easterly side of Duke’s Road is generally excluded from reference owing to restricted space, however, the relevance of conclusions and recommendations should be inferred, and a number of conservation issues specific to Duke’s Road are included.
[1] Summerson, J. (1953) p219
[2] DCMS Draft Heritage Bill (2008)