Building a future for Barnard Castle, Teesdale Mercury

Detailed plans for the £6m redevelopment of The Witham are now being considered 

by council officials. Trevor Brookes takes an in-depth look at the ambitious proposals 

 

WHEN a top firm was asked to plan a redevelopment of The Witham, its architects said the project was like “trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot.”

“It’s a very challenging brief in that it’s trying to combine an interesting suite of cultural and commercial uses,” explained project architect Richard Collis, of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Eight months later, the Bath-based company believes it has achieved the aim.

The £6m proposals, which are now being considered by Durham County Council, include a cinema, food hall, community facilities, business facilities, café and information services.

There will also be space for specialist food catering, art activities and events including theatre productions.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said the scheme would provide a massive boost for the town.

In a report, the firm said: “Almost all the rooms and spaces are to be available for commercial, community and arts use, part of the ambition being to create a vibrant mix of commercial, creative and community activity in one building.

“Few facilities exist for commercial events, conferences, meetings, exhibitions or other similar activities at present and it is hoped that the new facilities would provide a catalyst for renewal in the town.”

The detailed plans show how The Witham would look.

From the front of the grade-II listed building, little will change. But the rear hall will be demolished to “free up” a significantly larger site.

The architects said: “The visibility and identity of the new development will have two distinct characters. 

“From the Horsemarket, it will appear as the facade of the principle listed building and from the car park to the north as a new contemporary structure.”

The basement cinema will have a seating capacity of 165, while the first-floor events space would have 157 seats. An ‘indoor street’ with food shops will be lit by windows in the roof.

The main entrance will remain via the front door to Horsemarket, but there will also be a new entrance from the car park at Morrisons, giving access to the retail units.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said they have tried to make sure the building fits in with the area.

The façade of the building will be made up of timber cladding and glass panels.

The building would also be energy efficient and include solar panels.

The planning report added that a large sign could be added to the rear of The Witham and banners could also be put on to the front of the hall.

And a separate detailed study also shows that the scheme would be economically viable, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios explained.

The company said the commercial side of the scheme is intended to help fund the community use of the building, such as toddler groups, yoga, dance and meetings.

The report added: “This refurbishment of the Witham Hall and the redevelopment of the rest of the site will make a huge impact on the availability of accessible retail outlets, performance spaces and community facilities in Barnard Castle.

“The scheme will also provide links between important features in the town; for instance a new accessible route between the supermarket car park and the main shopping area in Horsemarket.

“The provision of accessible retail, café and restaurant facilities, and a gallery with inclusive interpretation, will also be greatly appreciated by visitors of all ages and abilities.

“Once completed, this project will undoubtedly prove to be a valuable, enjoyable and educational resource for locals and visitors alike.”

 

 

IF plans to revamp The Witham Hall are approved, several historically important features will be lost forever, architects have admitted.

But they have stressed that although part of the town’s history will be gone, the redevelopment will breathe new life into a decaying building.

The Witham has been an important part of life in Teesdale since the mid-19th century but now faces a radical revamp.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the company that has come up with the proposals, has written a report outlining how the changes would affect the building.

The front of the grade-II listed building will be retained and refurbished, but the former music hall will be demolished.

An ancient garden will also be destroyed, as will a stables and coach house to the rear of the Witham.

In a planning report, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said the derelict stables, which are largely hidden from view, were of “considerable importance”.

The report said: “The survival of the stables and coach house to the rear of the plot is now a rarity in the town, most now long since gone, but once a common sight along the back lane. 

“These ruinous buildings are all that remain of a once common building type found at the back lane end of many burgage plots. 

“In the late 18th and early 19th centuries such structures were often demolished and the sites used for housing along what became Victoria Road, Birch Road and Queen Street. There are few of these left in Barnard Castle.”

The coach house was built before the Witham Hall and appears on a map produced in 1839.

Like all other buildings on Horsemarket and Market Street, The Witham is set within narrow medieval burgage plots, which were used to grow crops. This area would also be lost.

The report said: “That part which survives to the rear of The Witham will be destroyed by the proposal.”

The proposed redevelopment of The Witham includes the demolition of the music hall.  

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said the hall is “an interesting example of its kind, and of some significance when read against the social history of music halls”.

The company, which is 

based in Bath, said the hall had ‘considerable’ architectural 

value.

But Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said The Witham needed to move into the 21st Century.

The architects then gave a long list of problems at The Witham. They included structural defects, movement in the walls, high heating and maintenance costs, and poor seating capacity and acoustics.

The report said: “We strongly believe that the opportunities to make vital positive contributions to this complexion of the site outweigh the potential loss of existing building fabric. 

“The proposal will also breathe new life and much-needed resources into the Witham and help it to achieve its original purpose in the community.”

The Witham was built as a community building in 1846 and named after Henry T M Witham, a local philanthropist.

The building has had many uses, and by 1869, its library had a collection of 2,000 books. In 1948, it became the town’s first public lending library.

The Witham also served as a “Dispensary for the Relief of the Sick Poor”, which dispensed medicines and other medical supplies, such as bandages and blankets.

During the Second World War, the dispensary administered rations and provided orange juice and cod liver oil.

The hall has also provided space for concerts, theatre productions, operas, magic lantern shows, Chinese jugglers, free teas for poor widows and film shows. 

It was also the venue for public meetings including election meetings and other political debates, as well as a labour exchange.

About 800 people attended the opening of the music hall, although the performances were marred by “the crush of people” and heat.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios said: “Television sounded the death knell of many of these forms of entertainment and this combined with the building of another community building at St Mary’s Church, created a drop in demand for the Witham’s Music Hall and the start of financial difficulties.”