SIR: Demolishing any Victorian building saddens my heart.
Connaught and Spencer houses were part of Winchester heritage, constructed in 1865; the initiative of Sir Walter Crofton.
The formally Carlisle Memorial Refuge served its day addressing the rehabilitation of women prisoners in preparation for their return to normal life.
Rather than demolishing traditional Victorian red brick buildings, a creative and viable solution has had been considered.
Architects dislike the idea of retaining an outside structure and building a new the interior. Believing it to be a pretence of reality. The exterior façade could make positive use of modern technology; triple glazing and matching the Victorian style frames, which are available.
During the early seventies, a classic Victorian building was threatened with demolition in Victoria Square, Birmingham. A strong protest resulted in the façade being preserved and a modern interior constructed.
Although the buildings in Romsey Road have been demolished, to be replaced by four neo-Georgian town houses (at least not brutally modern design), the feasibility of maintaining these historical icons should have at been considered. No wonder Winchester Heritage Open Days is saddened by the lost of such irreplaceable buildings, when a positive and viable solution could have been discussed. Once demolished, the can never be replaced.
Simon Lever,
Juniper Close,
Badger Farm
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