Hope that experts can help save Ships
Can Hull’s Three Ships be saved?
CAMPAIGNERS HAVE stepped up the fight to save Hull’s Three Ships mosaic – thought to be one of the largest mosaics in the country.
The 66ft by 64ft artwork, inset, is on the front of the BHS building, on King Edward Square, which is set to be demolished to make way for a redevelopment.
Hull Council says it has to be knocked down as it is riddled with asbestos.
But Hull Heritage Action Group has secured the services of three leading asbestos, mosaic and heritage conservation consultants to give a second opinion for free.
It comes weeks after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport gave the mural, designed by Wolverhampton artist Alan Boyson, a Grade II listing, saying it is an “unusual surviving example of a bespoke 1960s glass mural”.
In April, councillors said they would try to save the mural before work on the £120m Albion Square development. But about £200,000 of investigations revealed asbestos throughout the building – and even mixed into the concrete.
Separating out the facade, while the three-year scheme to build the square took place, was estimated to cost a minimum of £3.6m and involve digging up the recently upgraded square.
Campaigner Geoffrey Botterill said having a second look to see if there was another way to save the mural could spare the council the cost and delay of it going to a public inquiry. He said: “Because it is now listed and the council has decided to demolish it, they would have to make a listed building application effectively to themselves. That would inevitably generate lots of objections and the likelihood is they would call the application in for an independent inspector to determine it.”
He stressed they were not questioning the expertise of the consultants who had drawn up the reports, “but questioning the conclusions that had been drawn”.
The latest consultants – Adams Environmental Limited, Erith Group and McLean Conservation Associates – have worked on projects such as the Royal Albert Hall and BBC Television Centre. They are proposing a site visit in January and a meeting with Historic England and the council to offer advisory second opinions.
Sir Tom Courtenay was among 170 signatories who called on the council in October to halt plans.
Hull Council said it was exploring “all options” for the mural and working with the contractor VINCI Construction UK, experts and surveyors. The council added: “We will follow the relevant national procedures, which are required in order to address a listed structure, including any planning processes and consents.”
WHEN HULL’S Three Ships Mural was granted Grade II-Listed status last month, it was in recognition of its special interest, not only as an unusual surviving example of a bespoke 1960s glass mosaic mural, but as a symbol of the city’s nationally important fishing industry.
But the 66ft high by 54ft wide public art is now under threat, with Hull Council claiming it has to be demolished after “dangerously high levels of asbestos” were found inside the building it adorns.
Safety is, of course, paramount, but it would be a crying shame to see the work lost, particularly given Hull’s focus on the redevelopment of its historic marine assets through the Yorkshire’s Maritime City scheme.
As heritage campaigners enlist the services of three leading asbestos, mosaic and heritage conservation consultants for a second opinion, let it be hoped that all parties can work together to find a safe way to retain and preserve the mural for future generations.