First posted Instagram 28 February 2020.

Poor ole 1925 #ElmsFamilyHotel, got #heritagelisted but not before plans were already underway to build something big on top (by @johnwardlearchitects), so it was mostly demolished – but Im pleased to see they actually kept one internal wall complete with with lovely blue #pubtiles – BUT they made the new floor level with the new building, so the bottom part of the wall is now under the new floor ! The tower itself isn’t actually directly on top so Im really mad they didn’t keep much more completely intact – I mean it’s got steps up to it from the street, could just as easily have had steps down from inside, it’s going to be a sep cafe tenancy anyway, grr grr. There’s was nice timber stair and a rear dining room with nice doors too. And they’re calling it ‘restored’, which just meant putting back the corner door and the #leadlight windows, which are v nice though.

A bit of fun design from @johnwardlearchitects; the angular brick I mean #bricktile entry to the office block he designed plonked on top of the #ElmsFamilyHotel. I like it, though better in #redbrick like the old buildings either side, and like the little industrial bldg it replaced. In fact could have used recycled bricks from it or the guts of the pub which were indeed reused to rebuild the ‘side wall’ of the pub, a bit of a failed gesture though, it’s not obviously continuous with the front wall, nor the inside of the ex-pub, so it just reads like a foyer feature. Yes I do know better then the architect sorry John.

• Uncategorized