Bid to save run-down studio in Scottish Borders of renowned designer
Nestled beside the A707 between Galashiels and Selkirk, the Category-A Listed Bernat Klein Studio is a striking piece of late Modernist architecture by Peter Womersley, built in 1972 as a creative hub for Klein.
The building's owners have put the studio up for auction at a bargain price of £18,000.
READ MORE: More than 100 jobs lost as IT firm enters administration as legal challenge launched
Now Scottish Heritage Building Trust (SHT) has joined forces with the National Trust Scotland and the Bernat Klein Foundation, with support from The National Lottery [[Heritage]] Fund Scotland, in a bid to save the building from ruin and bring it back into public and community use.
The venture has also garnered the support of Scottish Borders Council.
A spokesperson for SHBT said: 'Our organisations have been working behind the scenes for several years to try to find a way forward for one of Scotland's most important twentieth-century buildings.
'Now, with the Category A-Listed studio set to be sold by public auction at the end of the month, we have launched a coalition project aimed at purchasing and restoring the building alongside a programme of public engagement.
'The first priority is to secure ownership of the property and prevent further deterioration. We are delighted that support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund gives the coalition the confidence to back a competitive bid for the building and have a plan for much-needed emergency repairs.
'To give us the best chance of success in acquiring the building at auction, SHBT is launching an urgent fundraising appeal to raise as much support as possible.
'It is estimated the full cost of restoration undertaken by specialists could exceed £2.5 – £3 million. If successful in purchasing the building, SHBT will oversee the delivery of a repair and restoration project working with the National Trust for Scotland and a range of conservation and architectural specialists.
'Once complete, it is intended the building will provide a permanent base in the Scottish Borders for the Bernat Klein Foundation as a new venue to inspire creative arts in the Scottish Borders.'
Conceived as both a working studio and exhibition space, it celebrated the intersection of industrial craftsmanship and artistic vision.
It is a two‑storey concrete and brick structure with powerful horizontal cantilevers, wide frameless glazing, and a brick-clad central service core – housing stairs, kitchen, and toilets – to free up the perimeter for workspaces and storage.
Influenced by Wright's Fallingwater and Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, it has been described as a 'modernist masterpiece of structural elegance integrated into its wooded landscape' but has been in a state of decline for more than 20 years.
David Robertson, chief executive, Scottish Borders Council, said: 'Peter Womersley's Bernat Klein Studio is a proud part of our architectural heritage in the Scottish Borders.
'We are fortunate to have so many of his buildings in our area. Given this importance, we have been encouraging a sustainable long-term solution for Womersley's Bernat Klein Studio, located between Selkirk and Galashiels, for some time.
(Image: Phil Wilkinson)
'We are delighted to support this coalition of heritage and arts bodies who offer an exciting future for this building which will strengthen not only our local heritage but provide new creative and economic opportunities for our region.'
Donations and pledges of support for the campaign to acquire and restore Bernat Klein Studio can also be made directly to Scottish Historic Buildings Trust through Millie Leadbetter-Wilcock, millie@shbt.org.uk, 0131 220 1232.
The property is being auctioned by Savills.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
27 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Aberdeen agree Pape Gueye transfer exit as they land hefty profit after deal with Kasimpasa brokered
The formalities between the two clubs with additional add-ons should be signed off today Aberdeen have agreed a deal in excess of £850,000 with Kasimpasa for Pape Gueye. The formalities between the two clubs with additional add-ons should be signed off today. Gueye has now been given permission to open talks with the Turkish Super Lig side and to travel for a medical. The deal was finally thrashed out last night after days of negotiations. It will see Aberdeen make a tidy profit on the £500,000 they paid Kortrijk two years ago. The deal will also cover the Belgian side's sell-on. Gueye will now pick up a significant increase when he moves to Turkey. Dons manager Jimmy Thelin have now ramped up their search for multiple strikers. They have made a new proposal to AC Milan for Alex Lazetic and are now awaiting a response to that. The Dons tried to land the Serbian under-21 striker in January but were thwarted by red tape at the end of the window. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
'No joined-up thinking': Accommodation providers voice concerns as visitor levy nears
Hotel and B&B owners in Edinburgh say there has been 'no joined-up thinking' around tourism planning as the city moves toward introducing its long-debated 5% visitor levy. The charge, which comes into force on July 24 2026, will apply to all paid overnight stays in the Capital, capped at five consecutive nights. City officials estimate it could raise up to £50m a year, to be reinvested back into services and infrastructure used by businesses and visitors. But accommodation providers say that the implementation of the tourist tax remains unclear – with many having to collect the levy on advance bookings from October. STV News B&B owners say there's a 'lack of information' from the council as visitor levy deadline looms Festival season has arrived in Edinburgh – and the city is teeming with tourists. By this time next year, visitors will face the extra cost of a tourism levy on top of accommodation bills. The Council say that cash will be invested in protecting and enhancing Edinburgh's appeal as a place to live in and visit. James Marshall runs the Crioch Guest House in Leith, where he and his wife are the only members of staff. They will need to start taking the fee on advance bookings from October this year – and he says he's none the wiser on how it'll all work. 'It's getting to crunch time,' he told STV News. 'I haven't heard anything. I have no idea how it's going and that's a problem. Even the website hasn't been updated since last year. 'There are a lot of people like ourselves who need to know what's going on, so we can have discussions with our guests and prepare them for what's coming. I want to know more and I don't think that should be difficult – it's not a mass infrastructure project.' STV News Accommodation providers say short-term let rules already added significant costs – and the levy is 'an extra layer' Edinburgh is not the first popular tourist destination to charge such a levy. Rome, Barcelona and Amsterdam are just some of the European hotspots that have brought in a tourist tax over the years. Closer to home, both Manchester and Liverpool brought in smaller-scale levies for hotels and serviced apartments of £2 and £1 overnight in 2023. But Edinburgh's scheme is the first to cover every kind of accommodation, using Scotland-wide legislation that was passed last year. James said the levy adds an 'extra layer' of costs to Edinburgh's tourism sector, following the introduction of short-term let licensing laws, and that businesses 'need a break.' 'We've had lots of certifications – safety, electric, gas testing, water quality, smoke and carbon monoxide. 'All of those add costs, but the guests don't really see that. Now they want to add 5% on top of that. 'Lots of people like ourselves have been going for many years, decided this is too much and they give up and sell up. 'We're still going. We've done the work, we're busy and people are enjoying their stay – but lots of people outside the cities run a much more marginal business. They don't have the year-round custom.' James added: 'There's not been joined-up thinking in tourism. They see it as something to be harvested and they forget about the effects on real people and their livelihoods. 'It's really something that we're already some of the highest taxed tourist accommodations across Europe.' STV News Edinburgh's tourist tax to come into force next summer But the City of Edinburgh Council say the visitor levy scheme has not changed since being published in January and insists all information on the website is up to date. The development of a digital platform which will be used for collections is said to be running to schedule, with training and sign-up pencilled in for spring next year. The first returns and payments on the levy won't be due until October 2026. Council Leader Jane Meagher said: 'With one year to go, we're working closely with industry, government, and VisitScotland to continue our preparations for the levy's launch. 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest tens of millions of pounds towards enhancing and sustaining the things that make our city such a great place to visit – and live in – all year round. 'We'd be expecting to raise almost £5m in August from overnight visits to our annual festivals and events like Oasis. Hosting these visitors comes with fantastic economic benefits but it also puts pressure on the city. 'We're also looking forward to making detailed spending decisions at Council Committees – with input from our newly established Visitor Levy Advisory Forum – so that we can get moving quickly in delivering the many benefits Edinburgh's visitor levy will bring.' STV News Federation of Small Businesses' East of Scotland development manager Garry Clark The Federation of Small Businesses say that such a large scheme should have more thorough and detailed guidance – especially with the requirement for charging the levy on advanced bookings looming large. They fear without this the implementation could be a 'disaster'. Development manager Garry Clark said: 'Here we are in the middle of festival season, and there's still no information about what businesses need to do in just nine weeks' time. That's a real concern. 'We need to see a detailed roadmap published by the council, letting businesses know every step along the way – what they need to do, when they need to do it, and the advice they need to give to their customers. So that the levy is paid on time, transferred to the council, and spent appropriately. 'We've seen more and more small businesses that really like the idea of raising money locally and spending it locally to improve the visitor experience. 'We all want to work towards that. But it needs to work for everyone.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Rhyl Journal
8 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Airlines demand answers from air traffic control provider over technical glitch
Thousands of passengers trying to fly both in and out of the country faced major disruption on Wednesday afternoon. UK airports saw 84 departures and 71 arrivals cancelled as of 10pm on Wednesday – with the highest number of cancellations at London's Heathrow Airport – while a number of inbound flights were also diverted to European cities, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. EasyJet's chief operating officer David Morgan said: 'It's extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel. 'While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from Nats what steps they are taking to ensure issues don't continue.' Ryanair called for Nats' chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign in the wake of the fault, claiming 'no lessons have been learnt' since the August 2023 system outage. The airline's chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 Nats system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe's incompetence.' More than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports on August 28 2023 when Nats suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan. Mr McMahon continued: 'If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest Nats system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK transport minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats' shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.' The Department for Transport (DfT) noted that the Transport Secretary does not have any direct control over Nats and has no powers on staffing decisions. Nats has been contacted for comment. The Liberal Democrats called for a full investigation into the glitch. The party's leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. 'The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause.' A DfT spokesperson said the department is 'working closely' with Nats to understand the cause of the glitch and the 'implications for the resilience systems in place'. The 'technical issue' responsible for the disruption was at Nats' control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, according to the company. It first announced problems at around 4pm on Wednesday, and in an update an hour later said systems were fully operational and that departures had resumed at all airports. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with a group of friends to help set up his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in that his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old told the PA news agency at Heathrow Airport: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we're obviously flying to Norway. We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' He said they did not receive any warning of the cancellation before it happened. 'We had no idea,' Mr Carr told PA. 'There was nothing that the airport had said out on the speaker phones, or anything like that. There was no warning from them or the airline that said it was cancelled. It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation. 'We have put our cars in special car compounds for the next six days.' Baptiste, who did not want to give his full name, said he was told his flight had been cancelled while on the tarmac. He is travelling home to France with his family and told PA: 'We have no information. When we arrived, we were stopped on the tarmac and in the plane. We learned that our flight had been cancelled. 'We're going to Geneva in Switzerland, so we're trying to find a flight for tomorrow and a hotel.'
