Charles Brooking
Major Rescue at Parade Street,
Paddington
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: We understand that you made several rescues in the Paddington area including in Parade Street?
Charles Brooking: Yes, I carried out rescues in the Paddington area including houses off Parade Street in the mid 1970's which were smaller terraced houses.
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: What period are they, in Parade Street?
Charles Brooking: The older houses 1820's to 30's before the later Victorian developments. Many of them are quite interesting.
Surveyor: Are those the sort of properties that originally would have had people living on the first floor?
Charles Brooking: They were smaller than that. They weren't as grand as that in Star Street. The properties that survived the creation of the Metropolitan railway in about 1862, cut and cover, they often had the Metropolitan railway right in their gardens and you would hear the trains thundering past. I remember going round in the summer of 1976 the dust was terrible because they were gutting them and all of the laths were soot black, really bad news. I didn't wear a mask, which is probably why I have Asthma now.
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:
Major rescue at the Leadenhall Street, London EC3
Donations and rescues far and wide, including Buckingham Palace
Roof windows, roof lights, sky lights and light tunnels
Property Valuations
Settlement, Subsidence and Heave
Structural wall
Damp walls
References:
TheBrookingCollection.com
DartfordArchive.org.uk
IHBC.org.uk
ProjectBook.co.uk
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.com