SAVE OUR ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY (SOAL)
SOAL is a new joint campaign between City & Country and TVs ‘Restoration Man’ George Clarke to highlight civic buildings that are neglected and therefore at risk. FIND OUT MORE
George Clarke architect, writer and lecturer and one of the most successful property TV presenters on UK television, has joined forces with City & Country , to help preserve Britain’s architectural heritage.
While the Channel 4 series ‘Restoration Man’ is billed as featuring “buildings that no other sane developer would touch with a bargepole”, City & Country has proved the exception to the rule. Rather than shying away from complex conservation projects, we embrace them, and have developed an outstanding reputation as ‘best in class’ for the sensitive restoration and regeneration of neglected historic buildings.
With over 800,000 properties standing empty across Britain, we will be working with George Clarke to raise awareness of how fortunate Britain is to have a wonderful collection of historic assets and urge people to protect them, in order that they can be enjoyed by future generations.
George Clarke:
“Across the country, thousands of old buildings lie forgotten and neglected, tangled up by red tape and development restrictions. Many of these properties are steeped in history and are of outstanding architectural interest, yet are slowly being forgotten about. When I came across City & Country I was overjoyed to find a large-scale developer taking on such complex and worthwhile work. There are roughly 5,000 buildings on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register at the moment, which are genuinely about to collapse, or will be completely beyond repair if they're allowed to deteriorate any more. On top of those buildings at risk, you've got tens of thousands of other buildings which are very old and beautiful, which have been neglected, but aren't necessarily in danger of collapse.”
“The plight of Britain's architectural heritage is a cause that is close to my heart and it is great to see a company like City & Country so engaged with this too. The restoration projects, which City & Country undertakes, are vital in saving these buildings, and making them fit for a modern purpose. Together, I hope that we can make more people aware of the fantastic architectural legacy we have just sitting there redundant, being lost.”
Restoration Man, where George saves some of the most beautiful old buildings in Britain by converting them into unique homes, will be shown on Channel 4 this Autumn. See http://www.georgeclarke.co.uk/
Gallery
Questions & Answers with George Clarke
