Golden Lane Estate Salvage Store

[GENERAL COMMENTS & QUERIES]

I'm in discussion with Wendy about the possibility of establishing a Salvage Store in one of the un-lettable garages, as I'm distressed to see the wholesale removal of some of the last remaining original kitchen and bathroom fittings from the estate as part of the Decent Homes Scheme works.

After confronting one of the contactor Apollo's builders the other day about what happens to the items they remove and being told that they were taken away & sold, I've now spoken both to Wendy & the site foreman Kane, and have been informed that there is a temporary salvage at the rear of the old nursery if anyone is looking for original fittings.

If a Salvage can be established along the lines of the Barbican Salvage, I'm very happy to administrate it, as I believe are Alan & Yanki Lee. I really can't envisage a Salvage requiring much space given how few original items are left on thee estate, but it's mad to see them disappear forever.

Obviously the support of Golden Lane Estate residents would make this project more credible.

As a side note, does anyone know to what extent the current works are being monitered with regard to the listed status, especially in Crescent House where the status is Grade II* - it looks to me like the partitions between kitchen & living room, which I thought were protected, are being removed.

Matt

[Steve Smith]

Salvage store is an excellent idea - should have been done ages ago. I too am concerned about the removal of the original kitchen joinery in Crescent House - from what I've seen all the original shelving units to the rear of the kitchen are coming out as part of the decent homes work.

[Crescent Res]

Hi, my flat is being worked on and the shelving partition between kitchen/living room has been knocked out. The top and sides still remain, but are partially encased by a mdf reconstruction. The partition worktop has been ripped out to allow for the installation of the new worktop and kitchen units. These are deeper than the original partition depth, so the new partition area is extended a few cms into the living room. I've also been told that the glass in the original partitions do not meet health and safety regs so are being replaced in the reconstruction.

As far as the head height, inbuilt, horizontal, triple shelf that was part of the partition, I'm a bit confused what is going on there. I'd asked to keep mine but it unfortunately got ripped out. It's also now being replaced as a mdf reconstruction. The original is in the skip somewhere and having gone and looked at the two skips, it's either smashed up or right at the back of the skip, behind a load of rubble and unreclaimable.

If anyone in Crescent doesn't want their triple shelf section and it gets taken out in one piece, please would you let me know? It's a shame they're being thrown out and I'd love one for extra shelving.

[Crescent Res]

Matt, I certainly share some of your sentiments, concerning the wooden kitchen drawers and shelving partition. However some of the fixtures being replaced like the chipped bath tub and ancient toilet, were well over due. The new bathroom fixtures at least, seem to be of a decent brand and quality from what I've seen so far.

It's a pity they are not doing anything to replace the central heating panel in the bathroom, or ecological upgrades such as better combi boilers and glazing. When it comes to disappearing original fixtures, my original half dome, glass, bathroom light shade vanished a while back when Inspace fixed a problem with the light, to be replaced by a nasty plastic circular lightshade.

I haven't heard anything about the "removal of the underfloor heating in Crescent; the trunking and gas pipes in the hallways." While some of the features of this estate need repairs for sure, it would be a great shame to loose the hallway heating and for the communal areas to become sterile in a renovation.

[Chester]

This is so sad, just saw an original mint condition kitchen get ripped out of a top floor Crescent House flat, it had been smashed up rather than dismantled. It's a bit of architectural history being destroyed, and the stupid thing is it's probably knocking £20k off the value of each flat.