Crispin Hall - the future

To the Trustees of Crispin Hall

The rejuvenation of Crispin Hall: a summary of views expressed by and to the Executive Committee of the Street Society. December-February 2003

• the terms of reference of the present Trustees
• the way the Hall has been managed and maintained so far
• what the market will stand in the way of rental income
• what if any grants and assistance may be available for restoration and future upkeep
• what will happen to the Hall if the proposed scheme does not go ahead.
  
  

1. General Remarks
   
   There was a general wish, backed up by the response to the questionnaire circulated by the Society last year, to support the refurbishment of a fine and well-loved building with many pleasant associations for Streetonians and one which urgently needs to be brought up to modern standards of usage, access and safety.
   
   The building should if at all possible be restored to play a central part in Street\rquote s civic and artistic life. Renovated and used well, the Hall could have an important role in maintaining the identity of Street as a village in its own right - a counterbalance to 'Clarks Village'
   
   Crispin Hall is ideally placed at the hub of the community within walking distance for many people. Street people and beyond would benefit from a prestigious public building in this position, an embodiment of civic pride that could, when required, provide a sense of occasion.
   
   It is large enough to furnish suitable meeting rooms and social areas, for the Parish Council and other organisations, as well as providing office, living, exhibition and retail space to generate income and introduce vitality and variety. It could be licensed for marriages and used for receptions.
   
   The treatment of the open space immediately surrounding the Hall and the Conservation Area and civic buildings adjoining it was important. This should ideally be considered in the context of some sort of 'Planning for Real' exercise, involving planners, architects, Councillors and local people. The exercise would at the same time consider the traffic problems in Leigh Road, Farm Road and the High Street and the effect of the expansion of Clarks Village.
   
   There is adequate parking, especially out of hours. Some modification of the pavement area could provide a pull-in for the disabled



2. Establishing need:
   
   Establishment of a 'need' for a restored Crispin Hall is apparently an essential preliminary step in order to attract grant aid. Some of us thought that, in order even to consider proceeding with the scheme, people across the whole community should have the opportunity to express beforehand their requirements for such a facility.
   
   The Street Community Appraisal Project is arranging for young people, as well as adults and specific organisations, to be consulted with a professionally designed survey to see if they think that additional or better community facilities are 'needed' in Street. It remains to be seen whether a 'Crispin Hall-shaped' answer will emerge, as the questions have to be open.
   
   At first glance it can be argued that there is no absolute need for the building:
   
   
   • Times have changed since Crispin Hall was opened as a Working Men's Institute. The cultural and educational purposes of the original bequest have largely been met elsewhere. In 1885 there was no Library, no Strode Theatre, no Shoe Museum, no Strode Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre, no Victoria Club, no Strode College, few School and Church halls. Private houses were cramped.
   • Nowadays civic activities and community spirit appear to be in decline. Easy travel, house and family and home entertainment fill people's lives. Some might say that the days of the Town or Village Hall are over.
   • There are in fact plenty of halls and meeting places already. School and Church premises are not always used to their full extent. Some would suffer a serious loss in income if meeting rooms at Crispin Hall provided an affordable alternative.
   
   
   'A Field of Dreams':
   
   Most of us however thought that, even if the existence of 'need' cannot be established with certainty beforehand, a rejuvenated Hall would nevertheless prove to be a success. Like the Eden Project or indeed Clarks Village, it would meet needs, or at least wishes, of which people were not aware until they were provided for. The example was given of a failing Library in London which, instead of shutting down, opened for longer hours and improved its facilities and its publicity, and became a going concern.
   
   Many community and other organisations are currently making do with second best, being treated as lodgers in places where they do not belong. Several reluctantly meet outside Street. There is nowhere to hold events or take visitors with a sense of pride and belonging, few places of architectural merit, little in the way of decent acoustics and audio-visual equipment.
   
   It was also thought that, if the Hall were there and well marketed and reasonably affordable, many organisations and groups would emerge - to the benefit of the whole community. Artists from outlying villages look to Street for their general cultural needs and have indicated an interest in exhibition space. Minority sports like martial arts could apparently use extra space in the Mendip area, as could dance groups. Rotary, the Lions, U3A, the Twinning Committee and many other potential users would appreciate improved facilities.



3. The case for and against New-Build To play devil's advocate, if community facilities are considered necessary, then new-build has its attractions:
   • It appears to be somewhat cheaper, particularly if the land can be acquired at little cost, perhaps on a site where development would not otherwise be allowed.
   • A purpose-built Village Hall would have lower and more predictable maintenance charges.
   • It could be an eco-building of imaginative design.
   • It would presumably belong to Street and be relatively easily managed.
   • Parking would be easier on the edge of or in another part of Street, which might well be nearer for many people than is Crispin Hall. New development means that the focal point of Street is changing.
   
   Against this are the following considerations:
   • A new Village Hall is more suited to small communities, which usually need adaptable multi-purpose premises, whereas Street should be looking for the equivalent of a Town Hall, a building with some presence.
   • It is proven to be more ecologically sustainable to refurbish rather than build anew. There are efficient ways nowadays of heating and insulating old buildings, frequently more durable than new ones - which are by no means always problem-free.
   • Land on a suitable site is unlikely to be cheap or even available. Total construction costs might well near, if not equal, the cost of refurbishment of Crispin Hall.
   • Using Crispin Hall, with an associated revenue-earning business plan and possible grant aid, might be more cost-effective in the long run.
   • Crispin Hall is there and on offer. It is a centrally-positioned Listed Building of merit in need of restoration and re-use. If successful, the end result would achieve more and offer more scope than a mere Village Hall. Like is not being compared with like.



Architecton Study plans. Click to enlarge



4. The Architecton Study: Reservations and queries:
   
   The study was generally well-received. It was good news that the building was considered redeemable. The bold design for the circular structure and the remodelling of the garden were accepted in principle. The good kitchen, storage, hospitality areas and flexible meeting spaces were welcomed.
   
   Access to the Community Centre: this, together with the proposed offices, would create a busy building attracting a varied clientele. It would need to be well-supervised: there could be security problems.
   
   Existing users: it appears that there would be losses. The Mad Hatter Café has its supporters, as do the small retail spaces. It was hoped that the W I Market would be able to continue and not be priced out.
   
   The mezzanine floor: many people did not like this at all: 'It slices up the building'. It was recognised that the extra floor would serve to provide additional income-earning space and to give access to the upper floor of the existing Community Centre. However, many felt that the conversion costs might outweigh the commercial benefits and that the damage to the character of the Listed Building would be too great.
   
   The spacious area of the main Hall is its great architectural feature and its history: its loss would be lamented and reduce its attraction for many purposes. (Modern ceiling fans could solve heating problems)
   
   Glastonbury and Wells manage to maintain fine Town Halls with lofty ceilings.
   
   Engineers among us maintained that, in order to span the 42' width of the Hall without introducing pillars, supporting beams would need to be between 16" and 20" deep, giving an overall section of between 2' and 2' 4" depending on the thickness of the floor/ceiling. This could mean lowering the height of the main hall to the extent of becoming disproportionately, even oppressively, low.
   
   A section of this depth, as seen externally through the long windows, would be very unsightly.
   
   The offices would be poky with restricted headroom. It was suggested that their very presence would create the unwelcome atmosphere of an office block. The clutter and the legs of the occupants would be visible from the street.
   
   People questioned if this extra floor was indeed the only way to make the building pay for itself. Conversion costs appeared disproportionately high.
   
   The Condition Survey
   
   There was concern that costs might exceed the estimate in unpredictable ways. The comment was made that the cracking 'did not bode well for the long-term future of the building' and that similar problems might be encountered as with the Old Board School, which was proving extremely expensive to maintain. The inherent problems of blue lias as a building material were mentioned. The condition of some of the guttering was also queried, as was the drainage.
   
   Management
   
   A full-time manager/community worker plus a caretaker/handyman/cleaner at a total annual cost of around £39,000 was thought necessary 'if a Community Centre of the size of Crispin Hall was to be well-run, maintained to a high standard and playing a full and vibrant part in the life of Street'. It is difficult to see how this can be squared with covering maintenance and other costs without pricing the customers out.
   
   It would be important to appoint a Management Committee that would ensure the imaginative use of the Hall for exhibitions, Farmers' Markets and crafts as well as for civic and administrative purposes.



5. Conclusion
   
   We have raised problems and queries at this stage in the hope that they can be answered before the project goes on public exhibition, not because we are against it. We do not have enough information to evaluate the prospects for commercial success, so our comments on this score may be unduly negative. But we have given evidence of hidden if not actual need from the point of view of a Society like ours.
   
   We recognise that there is an element of risk in going ahead with this project but there is plenty of precedent for adventurous thinking in Street. The Theatre, Strode College, Millfield, Clarks Village have all required boldness in recent times. We therefore hope that the refurbishment of Crispin Hall will turn out to be another success for Street and add to its lustre. Our Society is prepared to do what it can to help it forward.