Landmarks faced sledge hammer in demolition bid
A WOODVILLE landmark was set to come tumbling down in 1978 following safety concerns.
Scrap metal firm Donald Ward Ltd applied to have the bottle kiln beside the Clock Garage demolished in January 1978.
The scrap metal firm had applied four years earlier to demolish the kiln which in turn led to a preservation order being placed on the structure.
However, storm damage to an adjacent wall in January 1978 led to fresh calls for the kiln to be demolished. The firm feared that the structure was becoming unsafe for passers-by.
Despite these claims, the Woodville kiln was saved for many more years.
Bottle kilns were becoming a key talking point in 1978 as in the same year, Church Gresley pottery firm T G Green won the fight to demolish two kilns in John Street.
South Derbyshire District Council had initially refused the application to demolish the kilns because of historical and architectural interest.
However, upon appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment, the decision was overturned.
Inspector Peter Shore said: “No use is likely to be found for these obsolete buildings and measures such as tunnelling through the base would be costly and ineffective.
“At present the kilns and their surrounding walls are a serious impediment to the efficient working of the pottery.
“In my view it is in the public interest to grant this application in order that the pottery can be freed from unwanted structures which now block the production lines and which will never again serve a useful purpose.”