It worked there…it can work here

Drawing inspiration from successful regeneration…

We are often asked about what we intend to to do with the Ice Factory and how we can make it a reality.

While we have provided a "vision" of what could be done, we have to look to other projects to show how it can be done.

Middleport Pottery provides a striking illustration of an ambitious regeneration project. Built in 1888 for Burgess and Leigh, it has continuously made "Burleighware" pottery decorated by underglaze transfers. It is the last English pottery company that continues this traditional hand decorating process.

In June 2011, the Prince's Regeneration Trust (through its subsidiary, the UK HIstoric Building Preservation Trust) bought the site in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent,to save it from closure and embark on an ambitious and long-term conservation and regeneration project.Denby Holdings, owners of Burgess, Dorling and Leigh, have entered into a 25 year operating lease, safeguarding 50 jobs and ensuring that the traditional production techniques will continue.

Vicky and Graeme represented Great GIFT at the official launch on Tuesday 25th October 2011. Edward Holland, Projects Advisor for the PRT showed us round the site, outlining the work which needs to be done. The Princes Regeneration Trust will restore the traditional red brick Grade II* listed buildings creating a VisitorCentre and Cafe to encourage  tourists into the factory.

At present they are faced with a site which has concentrated on its core activity. As with the Ice Factory, much of the original Victorian fittings have been mothballed rather than demolished. However, only one of the three original brick 'biscuit' ovens survived the 1960's while the four glost bottle ovens were demolished in 1949 (the pottery is now fired in modern gas ovens).

The steam engine which once powered the factory is still intact. The PRT hopes to restore this as a recreation of the original process(this will mean installing a new boiler, as the original is now beyond economic repair) and also hopes to restore the paternoster lifts to working order.

Just by preserving the original procedures, Middleport already has the makings of a tour. The mixing room, where clay and water are blended into slip is like something out of an Ealing comedy - gears and axles twisting and turning as the slip gurgles noisly in vats.

In another room, two ladies make the first stage "greenware", sticking handles on cups and assembling teapots at a fantastic rate. Already the potential compromises emerge. We are able to walk into the room and talk comfortably with the staff about their work. But with ambitious visitor numbers projected, how many people will they be able to fit into the room and will they have to be segregated from the delicate pottery? The tour is a constant movement across uneven cobblestones, up wooden stairways, through winding corridors. How many access isssues will this raise, and where do you draw the line between access and authenticity?

Upstairs, the historic patterns are still applied by hand. Sheets of tissue hang from lines. Deft hands cut each element of the pattern from a square of tissue, judging each cut without guidelines. The tissue is applied to the biscuitware and brushed firmly with soap. When the tissue is washed off, the pattern is left on the biscuit ware. The piece is then sent off for more glazing and firing.

This is part of the reality of Heritage-led regeneration. Only a few weeks before we had listened to a Sheffield metalworker displaying the shotblast, powder coated chisels and bolsters he used to make, lamenting the fact that imported tools retailed at a lower price than he would have to pay for the initial piece of metal. Here at Middleport there are 50 jobs and a quality product that have been saved.

To quote Prince Charles, "The project at Middleport Pottery is the perfect example of finding solutions using what is already there. Working together to re-use buildings, refurbishing them in honour of their history and heritage, leads to sustainable regeneration."

One of the most fascinating aspects of the tour is the unique collection of over 17,000 moulds dating back 150 years, representing not just Burgess and Leigh but other potters such as Samuel Alcock and John Davenant whose moulds were bought up. Racks of moulds line the shelves - Toby Jugs depicting Dickensian characters, world leaders, ships prows. An item representing Queen Elizabeth on horseback, and a vase with Deco Guardsmen marching. Later on we were able to talk with a lady seconded from the National Trust, who had begun looking into the feasability of cataloguing this historic collection. At the moment there is a system as such - one member of staff with a notebook and a lot of knowledge.

Going downstairs to the Victorian offices provides another example of the work ahead. Dry rot has claimed much of the floor space, but the PRT intendsto restore them to their full late 19th Century character. At the moment there is a bizarre contrast - a laptop on a desk as a portrait of one of the original founders surveys the changes ahead.

Although Denby has agreed to leaseback the factory space, the other buildings will be renovated and let out to craft and associated businesses, to stimulate economic growth and create more jobs. Once again the emphasis is on sustainable re-use of spaces. Funding came from a variety of sources, among them English Heritage, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, three local charities and businessman John Caudwell.

Strong support has also come from Joan Walley MP, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the Burslem Regeneration Company and Advantage West Midlands. From what was said during the afternoon, it wasn't a straightforward process. Putting the pieces of the jigsaw together took a lot of perserverence.

Prince Charles was present later in the afternoon, and spoke about the importance of continuity and heritage in people's lives. He said, "I do hope this project can help Burslem turn a corner and be a catalyst for regeneration. We are committed to creating a unique project here at Middleport and one I believe others will learn from." 

Great GIFT Chair Vicky Hartung and Secretary Graeme Bassett travelled to the Custard Factory in Birmingham to view a sparkling example of industrial regeneration.

The visit on Thursday, 24th March was organised by Fred Taggart of the Princes Regeneration Trust, following his visit to Grimsby Ice Factory.    

The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate an example of a project which had attracted a mix of new uses to redundant historic buildings and continued to nurture and manage them.  

Developer and owner Bennie Gray (above, 2nd from right) has an impressive track record of regenerating heritage buildings and was  for many years an advisor to the Prince’s Regeneration Trust .  The Custard Factory site in Digbeth is based on the former Bird’s Custard complex - 5 acres of industrial buildings built over 100 years ago by Sir Alfred Bird. Beginning with Scott House in 1992, the site has gradually been imaginatively redeveloped.

The Zellig building is the latest restoration and  offers work space to 101 small and medium sized enterprises. The £10 million 100,000 sq ft restoration is centred on three courtyards and has bridges that combine glass walkways with two miles of steel tubing.

The visit was valuable, not only to learn the pitfalls involved in regeneration, but also to see how the space is managed. Bennie Gray famously takes 'a long view' in his developments. He aims to develop a congenial, creative community as one of the assets of the business and his managers actively seek tenants who will fit in with the character of the building rather than just looking at the bottom line. We spoke to one as he brought in a UPS parcel. “I don’t need to be based here for my business, “ he said, “but it’s got more of a buzz than some out of town business unit.”

(above - this is a reception area for business units)

The visit gave us new ideas, not just about the renovation of the Ice Factory, but about the ongoing life of the businesses that will inhabit it.  As a starting point – Great GIFT developed a vision of the uses to which the Ice Factory could be put.  In reality, each of those projects will have to be “reality-checked” before being put into action. But if one of those uses should fail, it will be up to the management of the Ice Factory project to ensure that it doesn’t create a depressing void within the building. Just as the Custard Factory management see their buildings as entities with an atmosphere to be nurtured, the Ice Factory management will need to ensure that the character of the building is preserved.

The Station, Richmond.

This is a Grade II* listed building, previously in use as a garden supply centre. The District Council wished to sell the building to developers at a best price. A local community group came up with a plan to create a multi-purpose building that offered leisure amenities.  The Friends of Richmond Station was launched in Autumn 2002, with Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust being formed in 2003. The re-developed station was finally opened in 2007.