Charles Brooking
The major rescue at Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 and where do you store thirty to forty windows and doors and several hundred small items?
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: After rescuing items at William IV Street , The Strand, Pepper Pot Coutts Bank in London where was your next important rescue?
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.
Charles Brooking: The next important rescue was when I was working at British Rail in 1975. This was care of my father partly; he was beginning to realise I wasn't going to give up, as I had got on to him with a vengeance about the Hazlemere Estate. Cornwall Terrace which was designed in 1821 I read had had squatters and was falling into disrepair so I wrote to the owners the Crown Estate as I discovered to my horror that all the unused buildings at the back had been demolished.
Surveyor: Tell me more about your rescue at Cornwall Terrace?
Charles Brooking : Cornwall Terrace was the earliest terrace built in Regents Park, backing onto Allsop Place and it was designed by Decimus Burton (if not his first development) designed when he was 21 in 1821. It was in quite a state after the squatters with the mews buildings being demolished; I'd missed those, but the owner of Hazlemere Estates allowed me to go round and I met the site manager and then arranged with our gardener, to come up one day and rescue/recover some of the bits I'd taken out: a small sash window from the basement with the original shutters, newel posts, cast iron balusters. Later on the Crown Estate agreed for me to have on loan a typical 1820's fire grates; one made by Carron another one, I think, by Bullock ; quite a heavy cast iron grate and is a typical hob grate .
I would have liked to have rescued more but of course space was at a premium in those days.
Surveyor: What size was your collection at this point in numbers of windows etc?
Charles Brooking: Well, in 1975 I had two buildings packed out; two sheds 16 x 8. I had the back of my parent's garage and that was it, and the cars were going in and, of course, my father had this habit of driving his estate car in at speed and crushing my stuff, just to teach me a little lesson. So, one day when he'd done it I went out with a big hammer and I dropped it on the bonnet. I said to him that something's fallen on your bonnet, you went too fast! He didn't do it again after that! - very naughty, obviously!
Surveyor: So the Charles Brooking, Historic and Listed Buildings Detail Expert, Collection of Architectural detail began in earnest in 1975?
Charles Brooking: Yes, I had about 30 to 40 windows and doors and several hundred smaller items.
Surveyor: The smaller items would be?
Charles Brooking: Sash pulleys, door furniture, mortice locks, rim locks, keyhole scussions, the whole range of window and door furniture.
I decided to specialise strictly in 1975 in architectural detail and sold all my other artefacts which covered emporium things.
Surveyor: So, what sort of things did you sell in 1975?
Charles Brooking: Well, all the Victoriana often donated by friends of my mother such as a sewing machine or pair of Victorian scissors all non architectural items.
Surveyor: So, it was at this point The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail became focused and your collecting really became a passion?
Charles Brooking: Yes.
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:
Common Pitched Roofs
Cracks in my Walls
Dampness in a property
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