Historical artefacts salvaged as Norfolk pub is demolished
Historical artefacts are being salvaged from a pub that villagers tried to save, as demolition work begins to allow new houses to be built.The Decoy Tavern in Fritton near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk closed in 2022 after its owners said the business was unviable.Roof tiles, bricks and even the bar will be sold, which salvage business operator Andy Warnes said could be used to preserve other buildings and conservation projects.He said the demolition team were "very good at getting the most out of every building", calling it a very green activity.
Lifting up floorboards in the oldest part of the pub, he added: "These are nice, properly old boards, so we will save every one we can."
A planning inspector prevented the pub's demolition in 2022 but new plans for three houses were passed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council in January.Estate agent Mike Drewery said no offers were made to buy the pub in three years."It wasn't structurally sound as a building and it wasn't sound as a business, so you have to look at what's viable for the site and that's development," he said.
Kiel Barber from demolition firm E.E. Green said: "There's a lot of dry rot, damp where water has come through, you can see where the roof has sagged and it's had a few bodges just to keep the weather out."It would have cost a fortune to make it worthy again as a pub. "Sometimes there comes a time when the easiest and best thing to do is pull it down and start again."
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
'We removed walls and found heads, arm and bodies'
A regeneration project leader has been describing how workers removing a wall found heads, legs and bodies - of scheme involves the demolition of Northampton's BHS and Marks & Spencer stores as well as a job centre, to be replaced with housing, shops and leisure facilities. The inside of the structures has now been cleared of trading equipment ready for the excavators to move project leader, Wendy Thompson, from West Northamptonshire Council, said the process was "a complicated jigsaw". Northampton lost two of its major stores on Abington Street when BHS closed in 2016 and M&S followed two years two companies accounted for about 150,00 sq ft (13,935 sq m) of retail Thompson, West Northamptonshire Council's head of major projects, said the process of acquiring the buildings and clearing them ready for demolition was "a long journey". "It's such a complicated jigsaw bringing a site to this stage, ready for the deconstruction works to start," she said. She added: "There were rooms that were full of racking. We were taking down walls and finding heads and arms and bodies of mannequins."To prepare for demolition, you have to remove the electrics, the water and the gas supplies. We've had to remove two sub-stations from the site."Once the buildings have gone, the site will be turned into flats with some shops and leisure facilities on the ground floor. Mark Fenning and his team from Colemans demolition will now be taking over to begin the task of clearing the structures. He said: "Initially, we'll have robotic demolition, quite small, and they're going to be brought in from the service deck. They'll do all the delicate work around the live structures."That part of the process will be followed by heavy excavators. "We'll then be making our way sequentially through the structure, segregating materials as we go," he added. Substances like hardcore and brick will be crushed on site and used in the construction project. 'Potential' Asbestos is present in the buildings so that has to be dealt with according to strict challenge will be the presence, next to the old BHS store, of a functioning mobile phone shop. Mr Fenning added: "We have to make sure that we get the propping in place [there] to support the structure while we're doing the demolition work."The council said this phase of the project was scheduled for completion in early 2026, and would "unlock the potential of the town centre". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
Bilston's Swan pub could be demolished for Lidl car parking
A Wolverhampton pub which closed four years ago could soon be flattened for car Swan on Bilston High Street is surrounded on three sides by car parking for the neighbouring Lidl store and other retail supermarket has applied for permission to demolish the building, which the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said was built in submitted to City of Wolverhampton Council this week show an extra 12 parking spaces would be created if permission were to be granted. Camra's website said the former Banks's pub previously avoided demolition when the surrounding area was redeveloped in 1992, and finally closed its doors in October demolition plan is currently open for public consultation on the city council website. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Plans to double Great Yarmouth arcade pier size set for approval
Plans to almost double the size of a pier's amusement arcade are being recommended for approval, despite concerns over the scale of the owners of the Wellington Pier in Great Yarmouth submitted proposals last year to expand the site on to derelict land which was once used for an outdoor roller skating England objected, warning the new-look building would be "large and utilitarian", while failing to preserve the local conservation it has welcomed the revised proposals and a report by Great Yarmouth Borough Council advises councillors to give planning permission. The heritage organisation said it still had concerns about the size of the building and that any harm it might cause should be weighed against the public council's conservation officer also voiced opposition to the original plans, but has since worked with the pier's owners - Family Amusements Ltd - on a compromise. The pier owners have agreed to limit the height of the extension to 7.5m (24ft), rather than 9.2m (30ft) - and the footprint of the building would not be as report for councillors said the changes to the amusement arcade would bring a number of positives including employment and "bringing back an underused site in the conservation area into use".It said that its verdict was "finely balanced" but said harms to local heritage were outweighed by longer-term social and economic benefits to jobs and tourism.A decision is due to be made on the plans on Thursday. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
