Charles Brooking

 

Major Rescue from
The Chinese Embassy,
Portland Place, London W1

charles brooking

Charles Brooking is a fascinating and knowledgeable collector of architectural detail, The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail, and as Surveyors we find his lifelong quest to collect British building details unique, informative and valuable and a collection that must be kept intact for years to come. If you need help and advice with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please free phone 0800 298 5424.

The following is one of a series of interviews with Charles Brooking, Historic and Listed Buildings Detail Expert, The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail and a Surveyor where we have recorded his comments and various aspects that have affected windows and doors and other collectibles. The interviews outline how his collection started and built over the years and gives an insight into the amazing architectural features housed in his fine collection.

Surveyor: I understand that you had a major architectural detail rescue at The Chinese Embassy in Portland Place?charles brooking

Charles Brooking: Yes, it was October 1980 and I had heard through a Devonshire company, they were demolishing Stafford House in the City, an office block in the sort of Victorian, semi-Victorian, style, built in 1921, with copperlite windows on the landings and sash windows, quite old fashioned for its date, that their next job was The Chinese Embassy. The Embassy is opposite the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and I was told that it was to all come down and became quite excited as its Adams .

Rescue defined

Charles Brooking defines a rescue as saving a window or door or staircase that would be doomed.

Charles Brooking was a pioneer in the rescue of architectural detailing as many years ago it was very much considered a strange and an unusual past time to want to rescue old parts of buildings with everything new and shiny being so important.

 Surveyor: Where would that be located?

charles brookingCharles Brooking: Portland Place , opposite the RIBA in central London. I found it hard to believe it was to be demolished as I thought it was a Listed Building. Having found out that the Embassy was not Listed as it had diplomatic immunity I duly turned up on my birthday, 7th October, to rescue what I could with my first find being some unbelievable hand carved shutters.

Surveyor: Internal hand carved shutters?

Charles Brooking: Yes, internal folding shutters with hand carved decoration. There were amazing hand carved architraves, a very interesting, very fine register grate and a splendid fan light with gothic detailing. I couldn't believe my luck and went back the following day and week and managed to retrieve fan lights and a great deal of other architectural items. I met a young couple, who helped me rescue items, who lived not too far away and had a practice (he was a back specialist) in Weymouth Street . There were so many amazing times and the couple helped transporting them down to Guildford in their estate car.

charles brooking

charles brookingIt was a very interesting rescue because, obviously, it made the papers with the architectural historian Gavin Stamp reporting on the demolition. I had met Gavin Stamp in 1979 through the Victorian Society, because I won a Scholarship to go on the Victorian Society summer school, he came to visit me and wrote an article about the demolition.

Surveyor: Tell me more about Gavin Stamp?

Charles Brooking: Gavin Stamp is another very important architectural historian; he has written many articles and is very well known. Gavin came down and interviewed me and wrote an article in The Guardian, which caused quite a ruckus, because it was quite outrageous and outlined quite a few things which were just not being said at the time. I mean, they were demolishing this building, it never should have been demolished - it was Adams ' work!

charles brooking

It was a very important rescue for me because it covered staircase banisters, fire grates, section's of sash windows, locks, ironmongery and many other items – a treasure trove of architectural items.

If you found this article on The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail interesting you may also be interested in the following articles on our website:

Rescuing, including donations from St Paul's Cathedral

Late 1970s Charles Brooking Goes Full Time

Common Pitched Roofs

Building Regulations

Close Boarding

References:

TheBrookingCollection.com

DartfordArchive.org.uk

IHBC.org.uk

ProjectBook.co.uk

TheTelegraph.co.uk

NYU.Edu

Independent Surveyors

If you truly do want an independent expert opinion from a surveyor with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please contact 0800 298 5424 for a surveyor to give you a call back.

Commercial Property Surveyors

If you have a commercial property, be it leasehold or freehold, then you may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com.

We hope you found the article of use and if you have any experiences that you feel should be added to this article that would benefit others, or you feel that some of the information that we have put is wrong then please do not hesitate to contact us (we are only human).

The contents of the website are for general information only and is not intended to be relied upon for specific or general decisions. Appropriate independent professional advice should be paid for before making such a decision.

All rights are reserved the contents of the website are not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or part without the express written permission of 1stassociated.co.uk