Joseph Wright, Burnaston House and a new gallery for Derby?
There has been a bit of a media babble recently regarding the artist Joseph Wright and the legacy of his work to the people of Derby. A succession of articles in the Derby Evening Telegraph has certainly helped raise the profile of the artist locally and also to put on the agenda the question of how Derby should capitalise on his legacy.
While his works now sit in a 'refurbished' (or should we say 'tarted up'?) Derby Museum and Art Gallery, there is apparently much more to the collection that has been rarely seen by the public, and the current home is surely not befitting the legacy that the Derby Museums trust (aka Derby City Council) is responsible for maintaining.
One of the most recent articles in the Telegraph caught my eye. It was about Kevin Ellis of who owns most of the Grade 2 listed but demolished Burnaston House (demolished to make way for Toyota in the 1990s) and who has been trying to rebuild the house on a number of occasions as a private residence at various locations in southern Derbyshire ever since. It now stands on pallets carefully numbered awaiting reconstruction.
The article goes on to say that he is offering the house, perhaps to be rebuilt somewhere like Darley Park - he suggests, as a fitting and permanent home for the Joseph Wright Collection.
The article caught my imagination and set me thinking.
Firstly, the home for the Joseph Wright collection should be in the most central location in the city as possible. While I see some merits of having the collection in Darley Park or Allsteee Park as the article suggests, for me this would be a mistake. Joseph Wright lived and died in what we now refer to as the Cathedral Quarter of the city, born in Irongate - died in Queen Street and for me, this is where a dedicated gallery should be built to house his artwork. This would help build on the visitor offer for the City. But what location?
The site that immediately sprung out at me is the little mentioned Full street site on the corner of Amen Alley by the Cathedral, which rarely gets a mention as a redevelopment site but it is listed as a development opportunity according to the Council's Regeneration Framework. This site is but a stones throw from where Joseph Wright lived, is adjacent to the Cathedral and is opposite to the historic Silk Mill and the World Heritage Site - a status given to the City but so far has little been built on. Ticks all the boxes, I think, but here's the hard part - what type of building should be built here?
It needs to be respectful to the Joseph Wright Collection, respectful to the surrounding buildings - the Silk Mill, the Cathedral, the former Police Station ... - which hopefully will be demolished soon ... But above all it needs to be a building of some distinction.
And so to the second strand of my thought process. Could Burnaston House be rebuilt on this site to house the Joseph Wright Collection?
On first investigation the site seems a bit small. The original Burnaston House, as it once stood, was in the shape of a 'T', with a service wing protruding from the rear of the main house. The most interesting part and subsequently the only part that was saved was the front section of the house, mainly built in stone. This section, minus the service wing measures approximately 26 meters by 13 meters; and this does fit on the site.
What follows is a collection of drawings that show how the Grade 2 listed Burnaston House could be rebuilt on the corner of Full street and Amen Alley, with a modern extension to the rear of the building curving round to front onto Amen Alley. The building would be 3 storey's in height with the House rebuilt on top of a partially underground basement which would provide storage and perhaps parking for those that currently park on the site.
The interior rooms of the House could be rebuilt to reflect the layout as it would once have been. A glass atrium type structure would link the old House to the new build at the rear to create a central space. The new building would feature gallery space as well as a gift shop and a cafe located on the first floor with views across amen alley to the Cathedral, the Silk Mill and Cathedral Green, and the River Derwent.
The Bennetts department store warehouse is to the west of the site. There has been a recent planning application (not yet decided) for refurbishment and turn it into a 'bike park' business which seems like a good idea to me, and should improve the looks of the building. Next door to that is the ugly Assembly Rooms car park but who knows, with my wishful thinking cap on, perhaps the car park may one day disappear (as part of a wider Assembly Rooms re-development scheme?) thus paving the way for a high quality architectural street scene stretching from the Cathedral to the Market Place.
Oh, and have I already mentioned - the former Police Station has to go.
The rebuilding of historic buildings in different locations to where they were once built, raises some interesting questions. Losing the historical context to where a building once stood is obviously a loss to the building in question, but what about the impact of a newly rebuilt historic house in another location? Would the site in question lose any of it's integrity? Would we be merely creating a 'Disneyfied' space (if there is such a word) in which we try to re-create a vision of how we want to remember the past?
The ethics of conservation are a little beyond me but in my view a rebuilt Burnaston House as a Joseph Wright Gallery would make a vast improvement to the area.
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| Joseph Wright of Derby - The Orrery - his most famous painting, but are we making the most of his legacy? |
While his works now sit in a 'refurbished' (or should we say 'tarted up'?) Derby Museum and Art Gallery, there is apparently much more to the collection that has been rarely seen by the public, and the current home is surely not befitting the legacy that the Derby Museums trust (aka Derby City Council) is responsible for maintaining.
One of the most recent articles in the Telegraph caught my eye. It was about Kevin Ellis of who owns most of the Grade 2 listed but demolished Burnaston House (demolished to make way for Toyota in the 1990s) and who has been trying to rebuild the house on a number of occasions as a private residence at various locations in southern Derbyshire ever since. It now stands on pallets carefully numbered awaiting reconstruction.
 |
| Burnaston House - Grade 2 listed but demolished to make way for Toyota - now sitting on pallets awaiting reconstruction |
The article goes on to say that he is offering the house, perhaps to be rebuilt somewhere like Darley Park - he suggests, as a fitting and permanent home for the Joseph Wright Collection.
The article caught my imagination and set me thinking.
Firstly, the home for the Joseph Wright collection should be in the most central location in the city as possible. While I see some merits of having the collection in Darley Park or Allsteee Park as the article suggests, for me this would be a mistake. Joseph Wright lived and died in what we now refer to as the Cathedral Quarter of the city, born in Irongate - died in Queen Street and for me, this is where a dedicated gallery should be built to house his artwork. This would help build on the visitor offer for the City. But what location?
The site that immediately sprung out at me is the little mentioned Full street site on the corner of Amen Alley by the Cathedral, which rarely gets a mention as a redevelopment site but it is listed as a development opportunity according to the Council's Regeneration Framework. This site is but a stones throw from where Joseph Wright lived, is adjacent to the Cathedral and is opposite to the historic Silk Mill and the World Heritage Site - a status given to the City but so far has little been built on. Ticks all the boxes, I think, but here's the hard part - what type of building should be built here?
 |
| Full Street, Derby - currently a scruffy car park but could this become the new home for the Joseph Wright Collection? |
It needs to be respectful to the Joseph Wright Collection, respectful to the surrounding buildings - the Silk Mill, the Cathedral, the former Police Station ... - which hopefully will be demolished soon ... But above all it needs to be a building of some distinction.
And so to the second strand of my thought process. Could Burnaston House be rebuilt on this site to house the Joseph Wright Collection?
On first investigation the site seems a bit small. The original Burnaston House, as it once stood, was in the shape of a 'T', with a service wing protruding from the rear of the main house. The most interesting part and subsequently the only part that was saved was the front section of the house, mainly built in stone. This section, minus the service wing measures approximately 26 meters by 13 meters; and this does fit on the site.
What follows is a collection of drawings that show how the Grade 2 listed Burnaston House could be rebuilt on the corner of Full street and Amen Alley, with a modern extension to the rear of the building curving round to front onto Amen Alley. The building would be 3 storey's in height with the House rebuilt on top of a partially underground basement which would provide storage and perhaps parking for those that currently park on the site.
The interior rooms of the House could be rebuilt to reflect the layout as it would once have been. A glass atrium type structure would link the old House to the new build at the rear to create a central space. The new building would feature gallery space as well as a gift shop and a cafe located on the first floor with views across amen alley to the Cathedral, the Silk Mill and Cathedral Green, and the River Derwent.
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| Prime location, next to the Cathdral and overlooking Cathedral Green and the Silk Mill |
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| A rebuilt Burnaston House with contemporary extension, showing entrance off Amen Alley |
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| Ground floor - plenty of gallery space and a feature central staircase |
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| First floor - an open atrium in the centre of the building with a cafe with views |
The Bennetts department store warehouse is to the west of the site. There has been a recent planning application (not yet decided) for refurbishment and turn it into a 'bike park' business which seems like a good idea to me, and should improve the looks of the building. Next door to that is the ugly Assembly Rooms car park but who knows, with my wishful thinking cap on, perhaps the car park may one day disappear (as part of a wider Assembly Rooms re-development scheme?) thus paving the way for a high quality architectural street scene stretching from the Cathedral to the Market Place.
Oh, and have I already mentioned - the former Police Station has to go.
The rebuilding of historic buildings in different locations to where they were once built, raises some interesting questions. Losing the historical context to where a building once stood is obviously a loss to the building in question, but what about the impact of a newly rebuilt historic house in another location? Would the site in question lose any of it's integrity? Would we be merely creating a 'Disneyfied' space (if there is such a word) in which we try to re-create a vision of how we want to remember the past?
The ethics of conservation are a little beyond me but in my view a rebuilt Burnaston House as a Joseph Wright Gallery would make a vast improvement to the area.
We now have to move Burnaston house!do we want to keep it in DERBYSHIRE
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