Campaign to save 15th century city building
PUB CLOSED A DECADE AGO BUT HAS BEEN ‘LEFT TO ROT’
A CAMPAIGN has been set up in a bid to save one of Newcastle’s oldest and most prominent heritage buildings.
The Cooperage, a medieval timber-framed building which is a rarity in the North East, has become a sorry state on the Quayside following its closure a decade ago.
The Grade II-listed venue was closed down in 2009, despite much opposition, after residents in nearby flats complained about noise.
Manners Ltd, a company connected to The Apartment Group, bought The Cooperage in 2010 for £370,400, according to Land Registry documents.
The Cooperage has continued to sit empty and deteriorate with broken drain pipes and a lack of upkeep putting the historic building at risk, according to Historic England.
Now, a group called Save the Cooperage has been set up to save the structure after claiming it has been ‘left to rot’ by its owners, who admit they have no plans for the future of the site.
A petition has gathered more than 18,000 signatures while almost £300 has been raised so far by the community in a bid to restore it to its former glory.
Save the Cooperage organiser Phil Clarke, from Monkseaton, said: “I’m a history nut, always have been. I have a real passion for preservation of our history and culture. We need a regional identity.
“There are few things in the city that reflect its industrial heritage.
“I remember going to the Cooperage and it was a fabulous place. It was a sleazy jazz cavern with a relaxed atmosphere.
“It was a hell of a blow when it shut down. It was like the history of your life being removed before your eyes.
“It’s heart-wrenching to see the state the building is in now. It certainly isn’t a Grade II standard now. It has developed into a desperate situation.”
The group has four proposals which they see as viable ways to get The Cooperage back into working order. They are:
■ To liaise with the owner to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and assist where possible the restoration, refurbishment, and maintenance of The Cooperage by means of grant funding.
■ To urge Newcastle City Council, by petitions, events, and other campaign actions, to compel The Apartment Group to maintain The Cooperage to a standard befitting its Grade II listed status.
■ To secure funding, through whichever means, to purchase The Cooperage for, and on behalf of, the City Of Newcastle, and the people of the North East.
■ Urge Newcastle City Council to implement a Compulsory Purchase Order.
Newcastle City Council says there’s little it can do, as The Cooperage is privately owned.
Last year Kate Wilson, principal adviser for the heritage at risk register at Historic England, said it was a “disgrace” that such an important part of the city’s history was being neglected in this way.
The Cooperage started life as a 15th-century merchant’s house which became a barrel-maker’s shop, a grocer before becoming a pub in 1974.
It survived the Great Quayside Fire of 1854, a huge explosion which sent fireballs across the Tyne and could be heard as far away as Hartlepool according to contemporary reports, and wiped out many of the early modern buildings which used to flank the Quayside.
Historic England also believes the building would be viable as a pub or restaurant.
But Save the Cooperage has its own ideas of how to bring The Cooperage back into action.
Phil, a 51-year-old full-time carer, said: “My favourite idea is for the ground floor area adjacent to the Tudor section to become a community shop with the upstairs being transformed into an art gallery or museum on the history of the Quayside.
“We’re not here to be against the owners or any other organisation. We just want to engage with them because we are all wanting the same result.
“There are thousands of people who are interested and would love to see this fantastic building open again.”
The Apartment Group did not respond to a request for a comment.