Original railings

[yola]

This is the picture, taken I suppose somewhere mid to mid/late 1800s. It was before the electric trams went in . . .

These are our original railings which were removed during WWII. There are still some remnants left further up the hill so we have a pattern to work to. One of our neighbours is an artist (art teacher) so he has rendered a drawing of them very clearly and exactly.

Our gate is the very last one on the right of the pic - I've had this picture in my 'collection' of old images of the house/road for some time but I'm glad it's going to be put to good use.

At the moment 4 out of the 6 are up for it. Our direct neighbour (the one who neglected his house to the point squatters moved in :mad: ) will be presented with the figures to do his section and we will do our best to persuade him to join in . . . the very end house is, strangly split into 2 flats - and has been for some time. The landlord's been in Singapore for yonks and only does the bare minimum in terms of maintenance. I doubt he'll be interested.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/yolamealing/1142415_MP.jpg


I'm quite excited about this project because not only it is going to make the house more aesthetically pleasing but it's another thing that will return it to original condition.

[angieh]

That will look stunning Yola (and quite grand!). It would be wonderful if somehow you could get your 2 absentee neighbours to join in, especially the one next door to you.

When we were thinking about changing our garage into an "annexe" for MIL with French doors, we knew that we would have to have a "Juliet balcony" for safety sake and found a chap who does bespoke ironwork. We are very pleased with the results.

[Elaine]

Wow!! Defo get those railings back. They add class and drama to the houses.

[yola]

But you know I won't be wearing a skirt like that bird in the pic is wearing . . . I will DEFINITELY lower the tone with my combats ;)

[Moli]

But you know I won't be wearing a skirt like that bird in the pic is wearing . . . I will DEFINITELY lower the tone with my combats ;)
:lol: :lol: :lol: I could see you in a skirt like that Yola....:)
Make all the difference putting the railings back:)

[dandysmom]

Love that pic; it will look super when they're restored. How old is your house, Yola?

[calismum]

What a great project. I love original features and hate when things are 'improved' to the point they no longer resemble their original purpose.

I hope all agree and the project is a great success.

[yola]

Love that pic; it will look super when they're restored. How old is your house, Yola?

We're not 100% certain but somewhere around 1810-20 . . .

[dandysmom]

That's a lovely age. Do you have anything there like our Historic Preservation Board here in Washington? Owners can't make any changes to the exterior of their homes if they are in an historic area like Georgetown or Capitol Hill...houses dating back to the early 1800s. You can modernize inside, but not make any meaningful changes to the exterior.

[MrsH]

Local authorities can create "Conservation Areas" where architectural or historic reasons make it important to preserve the nature of the area. It's very difficult to alter anything on the buildings in such an area so that seems to be very similar to your Preservation Board.

Individual buildings can be given "Listed Building" status, irrespective of where they are located, if there are aspects that make it worthy of preservation. Grade 2 listing is fairly common for old attractive buildings, Grade 2* is for more important buildings and Grade 1 is for national treasures such as Westminster Abbey etc.

[dandysmom]

Thanks, MrsH, that's most interesting. I should have added ours isn't only for historic buildings, but also for those that are of unusual architectural merit, etc. I do enjoy learning things here.

[yola]

Yes - ours is grade 2 listed. We will have to gain listed building consent to do this work but the council won't have a problem with it as it's replacing what was originally there.

We have certain stipulations on our block - for instance all front doors have to be painted a certain shade of dark red and we are not allowed to paint the plain render that's on the front of the house OR have car parking at the front either.

[PoshPuss]

Now don't ya be getting too grand to be mixing with us on Catsey, :lol:
Very gorgeous that building and I can see why you'd want to restore the railings .... Classy ! ;)

[Kim]

That's a great photo Yola, I think having railings back would be a great improvement as I love the idea of restoring things to how they were originally.

[random]

Very best of luck Yola in getting all involved, do you have a picture of it as it is now? Do a before and after?

[dandysmom]

Very best of luck Yola in getting all involved, do you have a picture of it as it is now? Do a before and after?

Oh, good idea, Random!

[dinahsmum]

That will look great.
I think the lack of architectural ironwork is a big lack in many of our towns and cities. They went off to be turned into airplanes and there has never been the impetus to replace them.
Have you checked whether there might be any funds for this project Yola - local council presumably? Might help persuade the unconvinced!

[yola]

Now don't ya be getting too grand to be mixing with us on Catsey, :lol:
Very gorgeous that building and I can see why you'd want to restore the railings .... Classy ! ;)

Grand? It's a mid-terrace house on an arterial road into/out of Reading . . . LOL!!

DM - no funding available, I tried that one a few years ago :roll:

Random - I'll have a look to see if I can find a picture, if not, I'll take one!

[Kazz]

Yola *tongue in cheek* response here "write to the goverment and say the railings were donated for the war effort, cold you and your neighbours please have some assistance to replace them"
Oh is as you can't park a car in front of the house, take up "driving" lessons and get a horse and trap.... green, eco friendly :)

It will look good though.

Karen

[pookyandjo]

looks like a great project... would love to see before and after pics as well

[dinahsmum]

DM - no funding available, I tried that one a few years ago :roll:
Council budgets + council pet projects vary year to year. It's worth a phone call to the Conservation Officer.