Victorian Society express fear for future

A visit from the Victorian Society has resulted in a press release in which they express their fear for the future of 6 Bowl Court, left it to fall apart in recent years by its owners. The Victorian Society came to inspect the building and look at the damage already caused by years of deliberate neglect. Hammerson, the owners, would clearly like to be able to clear the entire site for their massive skyscrapers but planning consent has already been refused. Were the building to be left derelict and rotting for long enough they might then be able to justify demolition.

Growing fears for Shoreditch’s industrial heritage -17 June 2008

http://www.victorian-society.org.uk/news/69525/growing_fears_for_shoreditchs_industrial_heritage.html

News that a Victorian workshop in the Shoreditch High Street Conservation Area may soon be boarded up and left to rot has been met with alarm by the Victorian Society, which fears that the move could lead to the building’s demolition.

One of a fast-decreasing number of nineteenth century buildings linked to Shoreditch’s furniture-making past, 6 Bowl Court retains much of its original character and features, including paired taking-in doors on the second floor and a simple beam hoist. Although thought to be late-Victorian, evidence suggests that the building may contain parts of an earlier structure. Its neighbour, 5 Bowl Court, was demolished without conservation area consent some time between 2004 and 2006. Now campaigners fear that the eviction of squatters from the building could mark the first stage in the eventual destruction of 6 Bowl Court and herald the erasure of yet more of the East End’s industrial heritage.

‘We’re very worried about 6 Bowl Court,’ said Heloise Brown, Conservation Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘An intriguing building which adds a great deal of character to Shoreditch, the workshop is a valuable part of the High Street Conservation Area. Buildings like this are a physical record of the development of the East End. To destroy them is to strip London of its past.’

Boul Court Court Case Lost

Predictably, Hammersons goons have been awarded possession of 6 Bowl Court in todays court hearing and costs awarded against the defendants. More details to follow. Look out for meetings to discuss what we’ll do next.

 

 

In Court Today (4th June)

On 4th June at Gee Street Magistrates Court, property giant Hammerson via their front company RT Group Property Investments Ltd, will seek possession of not just our lovely squatted victorian warehouse in Bowl Court but also over half a dozen other neighbouring properties, many of which have existing occupiers with long term leases or other title. This crazy situation sees us, squatters, defending those neighbours against the possibility of eviction.