Stevenage town square given protected status

With its brutalist concrete architecture and prominent block of public lavatories, Stevenage is felt by many to be a monument to everything that is wrong about modern town centres.

Yet the Hertfordshire ‘monstrosity’ has made it onto Historic England’s ‘Heritage At Risk Register’, giving it a status alongside cherished churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Tudor shipwrecks.

Its shopping centre boasts boarded up shops, a Wetherspoon’s pub, betting shops, an open-air bus station and a bingo hall.

Stevenage town centre, described as a concrete ‘monstrosity’ by locals, has been listed on Historic England’s ‘Heritage At Risk Register’ meaning it could become protected in future

Stevenage was designated Britain's  first new town in 1946 and was used to rehouse Londoners displaced by the blitz . It's most striking feature is the town square, complete with clock tower, designed in the Brutalist style

Stevenage was designated Britain’s first new town in 1946 and was used to rehouse Londoners displaced by the blitz . It’s most striking feature is the town square, complete with clock tower, designed in the Brutalist style

Natalie Gates, of Historic England, said the city also had Britain's first pedestrianised shopping area, saying it 'revolutionised the way we live and shop'

Natalie Gates, of Historic England, said the city also had Britain’s first pedestrianised shopping area, saying it ‘revolutionised the way we live and shop’

While the city may have historic significance, today the centre of town is dominated by a McDonald's, a Whetherspoon pub, and littered with boarded up shops

While the city may have historic significance, today the centre of town is dominated by a McDonald’s, a Whetherspoon pub, and littered with boarded up shops

The spot does have three listed structures – a chipped black clock tower, a shallow fountain blighted by litter and a statue, Mother and Child, that sits on top of the toilet block.

Stevenage residents were astonished yesterday to hear there were new efforts to preserve the dreary area for posterity.

Comic book shop owner Tatty Taylor, 50, said: ‘Does it heck belong on that list, it’s a monstrosity.

‘The town centre is made of the concrete that was going to solve all of our issues but made us all miserable.

‘We live in a grey country, so it’s no good having grey buildings. I would like the whole thing to be done again.’

Fishmonger Louis Lobjoit, 24, added: ‘It doesn’t seem worth the trouble to spend a lot of money renovating it when people aren’t coming in.’

And great-grandfather John Lawrence, 87, said the town looked ‘tired’.

He added: ‘Stevenage in Anglo Saxon means strong oak but I don’t think strong oak is suitable any more. It’s more like weeping willow.’

The so-called Stevenage Town Square Conservation Area has been included in Historic England’s list as its design ‘reflects the contemporary architectural and urban design thinking of the 1950s’.

Designated a new town in 1946 to relocate Londoners displaced by the Blitz, it lays claim to having the nation’s first pedestrianised town centre.

Famous Stevenage sons and daughters include three-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, actor Alex Pettyfer and golfer Ian Poulter.

There are plans to regenerate the area with £4million of  investment which will bring 'shop frontages and the clock tower back to their former glory', local councillors say

There are plans to regenerate the area with £4million of investment which will bring ‘shop frontages and the clock tower back to their former glory’, local councillors say

Notable residents of modern Stevenage nclude three-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, actor Alex Pettyfer and golfer Ian Poulter (pictured, boarded up shops near the town square)

Notable residents of modern Stevenage nclude three-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, actor Alex Pettyfer and golfer Ian Poulter (pictured, boarded up shops near the town square)

The Heritage at Risk Register is described as an annual health-check of 'the country's most special and vulnerable historic places', and includes Stevenage town centre

The Heritage at Risk Register is described as an annual health-check of ‘the country’s most special and vulnerable historic places’, and includes Stevenage town centre

Locals described the town centre, which features this Wetherspoon pub, as 'miserable', 'grey' and not worth saving by locals

Locals described the town centre, which features this Wetherspoon pub, as ‘miserable’, ‘grey’ and not worth saving by locals

Novelist E.M. Forster, who died in 1970, lived there from 1883 to 1893 but later said the new town would ‘fall out of the blue sky like a meteorite upon the ancient and delicate scenery of Hertfordshire’.

Natalie Gates, of Historic England said: ‘In the year that conservation areas celebrate their 50th anniversary, Stevenage reminds us how important the historic town square is.

‘It was England’s first New Town and first pedestrianised shopping area which revolutionised how we live and shop.

‘Historic England welcomes Stevenage’s commitment to regenerating the Town Square and we look forward to working with them to make sure this iconic example of 20th century town planning is fit for the people of Stevenage in the 21st century.’

Councillor John Gardner, from Stevenage Borough Council, said: ‘Stevenage is proud of its history as the country’s first new town.

‘As part of the plans to regenerate the town centre, the council and its partners have secured £4million worth of funding to bring the iconic conservation area at the heart of the New Town, which includes shop frontages and the clock tower, back to their former glory.

‘Being on the register will also enable us to apply for further grant aid and support from Historic England in the future.’

The Historic England document reveals 5,290 historic buildings, places of worship, gardens, battlefields, protected wrecks and conservation areas are under threat.

The figure is down on last year, with 387 sites rescued from decline or decay, while 328 were added to the list because they are at risk.

Other new additions include the world’s oldest-surviving gasholder, in west London; Brighton’s Royal Pavilion gardens; and ‘Little Dorrit’s church’ in Borough High Street, south London, which has lines with Charles Dickens’ novel.

Also under threat are a Cumbria gunpowder works which has been hit by flooding, a medieval timber-framed building in York that was hit by a lorry last year; and an east London church designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: ‘The Heritage at Risk Register is an annual healthcheck of the country’s most special and vulnerable historic places.

‘The historic environment has a profound impact on our culture and identity as well as our economy, both locally and nationally, and it’s irreplaceable.’ 

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