Kiln restoration project fired up!
WORK to repair three historic bottle kilns as part of a housing development has started.
Amstone Developments is carrying out preliminary work on the Three Sisters in Burslem - with the main restoration scheme due to be completed by the end of March.
The company secured planning permission for 43 homes on the Bournes Bank site last year, with the plans including the refurbishment of the kilns.
The Grade Ii-listed Three Sisters, which were part of the Acme Marls factory, are among the last surviving examples of downdraught ovens in Stoke-on-trent.
James Smith, heritage champion at Stoke-on-trent City Council, welcomed the restoration scheme.
He said: “In Burslem and Middleport there are problems with heritage buildings, such
as the Price & Kensington factory. So it’s good to find a developer here which is interested in heritage and is willing to invest in it.
“I actually thought that they’d build the homes first and then carry out the repairs to the bottle kilns at the end, but they’re starting with the Three Sisters and it looks like it will be completed early next year.
“I think a lot of developers take on land in the city without realising what taking on a heritage building entails. It does require specialist work. But heritage should be seen as an asset, rather than a hindrance to development.”
The preliminary work being carried out at the Three Sisters has involved the removal of loose bricks and steelwork to make the area safe to work in.
Survey work has also been undertaken to establish the cost of the main scheme, which will see the re-pointing of the chimneys, repairing steel bands and fixing a glass top.
The housing development on land between Baptist Street, Bournes Bank and Woodbank Street will see the construction of 31 twobedroom homes and 12 threebedroom units.
When the planning application was submitted, Historic England raised concerns about the harm which could be caused to the historic setting.
But it said that this harm could be justified if it brought about the restoration of the kilns, ‘and safeguards were put in place for their long term protection and ongoing repair’.