Cheshire Historic Buildings Preservation Trust

Cheshire Historic Buildings Preservation Trust is working with Cheshire West and Chester Council to consider ways of generating funds via public donations to support improvement and enhancement projects for targeted heritage assets across the Borough.

The Trust secured two handheld contactless payment devices to use at appropriate venues and events as part of a two-year trial initiative. The second stage of the initiative is to consider the installation of more permanent devices at appropriate locations across the Borough.

As part of the trial, a new contactless payment device including information about the projects the Trust is raising funds for is being installed at Thimbleby’s Tower on Chester City Walls.

Tony Barton, Chair of the Trust explained: “We have identified heritage assets that are privately owned, and ones owned and managed by the Council. The heritage assets and structures all require restoration, conservation or there is an opportunity to enhance them as is the case for the Chester City Walls.

“With the help of the Council we are installing the contactless payment device and associated information behind an existing glass panel at Thimbleby’s Tower on the Chester City Walls.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “The Cheshire Historic Buildings Preservation Trust has previously been instrumental in restoring Ince Manor a Grade 1 listed building and Church House, Tarvin. The Trust has identified sites across the borough including Barton Stocks, Cross Base and Lock-up (Winsford) and Chester City Walls and Towers as future projects.

“The Council spends some £600,000 on repairing Chester Walls each year. The Council has a year-round maintenance programme of works along the City Walls but there are always areas that can be enhanced with additional funding.”

Stage two of the trial involves the installation of semi-permanent, ‘in situ’ and unsupervised contactless payment devices. One of the Trust’s handheld contactless payment devices will also be located under supervision, at Chester Visitor Information Centre to provide a similar opportunity for visitors.

More information about the Cheshire Historic Buildings Preservation Trust and examples of the types of improvement and enhancement projects likely to be considered is available via the Trust’s website at: 

www.cheshirehistoricbuildings.org

The Trust recently opened King Charles’ Tower on the City Walls for the public for two weekends as part of England’s:

Heritage Open Days 2022

Often described as ‘the agents of last resort’, building preservation trusts exist across the country to save listed buildings and local landmarks from terminal decline.

CHBPT’s remit covers a wide range of properties in various stages of disrepair, but in order to qualify for grants and take advantage of low-interest loans from the Architectural Heritage Fund, the building or structure has to be special and its restoration has to be commercially unviable. In other words, we tend to take on only the desperate cases.

In 2013 the Trust was reformed to cover a wider geographical area as ‘The Cheshire Historic Buildings Preservation Trust’ to include Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington.

The Directors of the Trust are all volunteers. Some are professionally qualified as architects, engineers, quantity surveyors or conservation officers; others are enthusiastic lay members, but all share a deep personal commitment to the built environment and to Cheshire’s unique architectural heritage.

Thimbleby's Tower, formerly known as Wolf's Tower, is a structure in the city walls of Chester, Cheshire, England. It stands on the eastern section of the walls, between Eastgate and Newgate. The tower is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

The tower probably dates originally from the 13th century. It was partly demolished in the siege of Chester in 1644–46 during the Civil War. Between 1702 and 1708 the whole of the city walls was converted into a raised walkway and it is likely that the tower was modified as part of this process. Repairs were carried out to it in 1879. It was further altered in 1994–95 for Chester City Council by Peter de Figuerdo.

Pictured - Thimblebys Tower, Chester City Walls.

Picture Credit - Marketing PRojects/David Sejrup