The campaign to save a distinctive period property embedded within a Welsh town's past industrial history continues, with a national heritage charity backing the local campaign and urging Cadw to grant the house a Grade II listing without delay.
Save Britain's Heritage have added their voice to local residents concerns and fury regarding the future of the Arts and Crafts detached house called Croesawdy in Newtown, Powys.
Mid Wales Property Ltd placed a notice on the property on July 28, 2022 stating its intention to demolish the building from October 10 to make way for the construction of social housing.
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Now the UK-wide charity has written to Cadw strongly urging the Welsh government historical environment service to preserve the property due to its many surviving period features coupled with the history of the house that is so intertwined with that of the mid Wales town.
The house on the corner of New Road and Ffordd Croesawdy was built in 1881 for Samuel Morgan Jr, who was heir to the Severn Valley Mill dynasty, in Newtown which was once deemed the woollen capital of Wales.
According to Save Britain's Heritage, the mill that once stood next to the house was a massive stone building and was one of three in the town at its industrial height, but closed in 1904.
The charity states: "All the mills have been demolished and Croesawdy is an important surviving link to Newtown's Victorian heyday.
"The fine half-timbered villa, with its turret, stained glass and period interiors, remains in good condition. Yet its owner was granted permission by Powys council under 'permitted development rights' to demolish it."
Local residents have set up a petition to save Croesawdy and its outbuildings from the bulldozers, have held public meetings to discuss the situation and staged a protest outside the property on August 9, 2022.
According to the minutes of Powys County Council's planning committee meeting held on Thursday, August 18 the 'proposed method of demolition and the proposed restoration of the site' including the house, outbuildings, perimeter walls and fencing and any vegetations including all gardens, shrubbery and trees' was discussed.
The campaign to save Croesawdy suffered a blow with the committee approving permitted development and also stating that prior approval of the local authority 'is not required'.
The minutes also state that the preservation of the frontage of the building and some interior features 'were not for consideration of the committee' and that even if the building was listed, 'a demolition notice could still be considered'.
But the group fight on, including a fierce recommendation by Save Britain's Heritage that Cadw should make every effort to save the house.
The charity states: "The building is of high significance not only in its own right but in relation to its historic relationship with the town and Severn Valley Mills – the third and final great 19th-century steam mill in Newtown.
"As the Cadw report points out, the building was designed to be fashionable, with clear influences from the Arts and Crafts movement in its traditional stylistic references and high-quality finishes and fittings.
"The special historic interest both internally and externally is demonstrated in the grand central entrance hall with moulded archways and original fixtures and fittings, and plan form throughout. SAVE fully supports its recommendation for listing, which will in turn preserve it for future generations."
For those desperate to save Croesawny, Cadw's response has been encouraging.
The organisation has placed on the property an Interim Protection under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 which states it is an offence to damage the structure and to do so may lead to prosecution. Cadw set up a statutory consultation period from August 24 to September 21, reference number 87885 on the organisation's website.
The protection notice states the house has 'special architectural interest as a well-preserved example of a late C19th industrialist’s house'. Cadw's report details continue to list the property's 'good use of design and materials, reflecting contemporary and regional architectural styles, and designed by the major architectural practice of the period in Newtown'.
The notice added: "It has special historic interest as a visible and prominent part of the late 19th- century development of the mid-Wales textile industry, a building that through its architectural character reflects the relative prosperity of the period."
Carole Ryan-Ridout, a specialist in historic building conservation who has researched Newtown's development, described the building as 'absolutely magnificent' and in a good state of repair. Carole says: "Croesawdy occupies a prominent position in the street scene and represents the very zenith of Victorian craftsmanship, the ilk of which we will never get again."
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