Fight to save historic house in Southampton

3:50pm Thursday 17th May 2012 in Education Photograph of the Author By Patrick Knox, Senior Reporter

Bassett House in Glen Eyre, Southampton Bassett House in Glen Eyre, Southampton

NEIGHBOURS have launched a fight against plans to knock down an historic building to make way for new halls of residence.

The University of Southampton wants to demolish the 19th century Bassett House in Glen Eyre but neighbours believe the Victorian building, once part of the Bassett estate, should stay because it is among the last of its type in the city.

They oppose the development, which also includes knocking down Chamberlain Hall, to pave the way for accommodation housing 400 students.

Dr Adrian Kilcoyne, a GP living next door who is leading the opponents, said: “The local community is tired of being a passive bystander to the university’s systematic destruction of the character of the community, and what remains of the rich heritage of Bassett.

“This is the last building of its kind in Bassett and its loss would be just another addition to the catalogue of bad planning decisions of which Southampton has been a victim.”

Dr Kilcoyne said that an independent heritage consultant had “strongly disagreed” with the university assessment that it has no historical worth.

But a university spokesman said: “We are committed to building more halls to relieve pressure on private housing within the city. This includes on sites like this close to our main campus and zoned by the local authority as designated for student accommodation.

“The University has appointed an independent accredited conservation architect to assess if Bassett House is of special architectural or historic interest and should be listed.

“This experienced accredited conservation architect has confirmed that the building does not meet the criteria for listing.

“We are still developing our proposals for the site and seeking to respond to comments.”

Comments(13)

bazzeroz says...
3:58pm Thu 17 May 12

If it's not Helius trying to ruin the City it's the University. Grab, grab, grab that's, all they do!

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cgfrost says...
4:16pm Thu 17 May 12

As a former student of the uni now living and working in the city I want to see them do well but not at the expenses of the local character.

Surly they can go and knock something else down instead of one of the nicest building in the area. How about the flowers estate.

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Redondo Saint says...
4:58pm Thu 17 May 12

Surely this cannot be true???
A place of learning that is determined to rub out priceless history?
I take these decisions are made by non Southampton people.
You couldn't make it up!

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sass says...
8:09pm Thu 17 May 12

If the Uni appointed an accredited conservation architect they can not be considered independant!

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BillyTheKid says...
2:47am Fri 18 May 12

Architecturally, Southampton is a chaotic mish-mash of styles that creates a visual conflict wherever you look. A definition of Surrealist art is "the unexpected juxtapositioning of unrelated objects". Southampton is definitely not "art", but it's appearance could be described as surrealistic.

Don't fret about that old house in Bassett - it's not of any significance. Take a look at old pictures of Southampton and you will see where some quite magnificent buildings have been replaced by office blocks and flats.

The city's historic character was destroyed decades ago, so it's far too late to worry about it now.

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Urbane Forager says...
9:31am Fri 18 May 12

BillyTheKid wrote:
Architecturally, Southampton is a chaotic mish-mash of styles that creates a visual conflict wherever you look. A definition of Surrealist art is "the unexpected juxtapositioning of unrelated objects". Southampton is definitely not "art", but it's appearance could be described as surrealistic. Don't fret about that old house in Bassett - it's not of any significance. Take a look at old pictures of Southampton and you will see where some quite magnificent buildings have been replaced by office blocks and flats. The city's historic character was destroyed decades ago, so it's far too late to worry about it now.
Southampton might be a bit "higgle dee piggle dee", the Luftwaffe took care of this during the war (not sure of the spelling of that, or the rest of this hasty post for that matter).
This chaos was only added to by the bad planning and poor architecture that followed but this does not mean that we have to give up trying to save what is left.
The people of Southampton are rightly proud of their city.
The Uni is a big contributor to the city, sure, but it does not mean that they should be able to ignore the rules or the feelings of others.
Building more accomodation would actually take business away from local landlords and business and funnel it into the Uni.
There is more to this city than just the Uni and student accomodation.
We need to think about our heritage, the environment in which we live and how it affects all of our lives.

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Tim C. says...
1:37pm Fri 18 May 12

The last comment is spot on. While not as fine a building as, say, South Stoneham House, which is a Listed property in the Stoneham students halls areas, this is now a unique property in the area.
If it is destroyed, another chunk of Southampton's heritage is destroyed with it. This must not be allowed to pass unchallenged.
The University should consider other options, such as converting the building sympathetically to accommodation, or using it for small meetings and conferences, given the onsite parking and gardens.
There are some photos of residents protesting at the property, and of the different aspects of the property on Facebook, just search for "Save Bassett House".

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LadySam says...
1:42pm Fri 18 May 12

Southampton Uni at it again. Wasn't it a couple of decades back they wanted to 'acquire' Southampton Common? Riding roughshod over the residents of the city for their transient student body which although bring revenue to the city, are not permanent residents.

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EthicalProgress says...
2:38pm Fri 18 May 12

sass wrote:
If the Uni appointed an accredited conservation architect they can not be considered independant!
The university does not say that it appointed an Independant architect. This is why the government has independant inquiries, as it ensures the avoidance of cheque-book influenced decisions. Can you honestly expect a paid consultant to come up with a decision at odds with the person paying their bill.
Would anybody expect turkeys to vote for christmas ?

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Rebecca D says...
3:28pm Fri 18 May 12

Southampton University does say that it has appointed an "independent" architect. It is unfortunate that the university has forgotten that it has a social responsibility that extends to the residents of Southampton. Bulldozing through buildings such as this is disgusting. Shame on you Southampton University!

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R.B.G. says...
4:54pm Fri 18 May 12

The University behaves as though it has a right to continue expanding to the detriment of the surrounding area,whilst paying lip service to the concept of consultation as far as its neighbours are concerned. They obviously understood the outrage that their proposal to demolish Bassett House would cause, and therefore tacked it on to the plans for the Chamberlain Hall site, hoping no one would notice.
Southampton City Council must resist this proposal, and save this charming old building. It is something of true value left in a sea of tacky dormitory buildings,built by an organisation which is has forgotten that it has a responsibilty to the local community, in its dash for cash!

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TriumphD says...
6:12pm Fri 18 May 12

“This experienced accredited conservation architect has confirmed that the building does not meet the criteria for listing." - of course, if you pay them a generous fee, they'll say anything to forward your case. The University presented a fait accompli as regards the Listing issue, in the belief that the less-informed of us would just roll over and accept what its highly paid "accredited" consultant has stated. It appears to credit little intelligence to those people outside of its hallowed circle. The University cannot be allowed to simply demolish one of the last notable pieces of architecture in the City. No thought has been given to refurbishing the building (if it is indeed the architectural mess that the University suddenly declares) and integrating it as a functioning building into the planned development for the 'Chamberlain Halls' site. The University has been less than open with regard to the inclusion of Bassett House - publicly introducing the demolition of the building within its site plans at the eleventh-hour, in the belief that its demolition would be an unopposed formality. For an institution trumpeting itself as a 'good neighbour' it has betrayed any trust that it had built over the years.

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crumblyoldruins says...
3:36pm Wed 23 May 12

Not everyone can be 'bought'. It doesn't do to assume that just because someone is being paid for their expertise that they are automatically going to take the side their client wants them to take. As a heritage activist I have been involved with lots of 'save the ....' campaigns. As a professional historic buildings consultant, I've worked with many development schemes, and not always have I agreed with my clients'- er -'aspirations', and had to say so. As an adopted daughter of Southampton (hubby from Shirley) I've watched over the years as one building of merit after another has been lost. I'm perfectly prepared to take sides with Dr Kilcoyne to resist the loss of what looks like a fine, well-built Victorian villa. Does that make me partisan and therefore untrustworthy? And I won't charge him either. Does that make me more independent, or less?

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