In July 2013 we were shortlisted for an English Heritage Angel Award. There was an article about us and Hadlow Tower (one of the other shortlisted projects) in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 27th July 2013. English Heritage made a film about our project, see left… We did not win our category but we all agreed that to have been shortlisted was a huge achievement. There was not any actual prize but English Heritage treated all 5 of the family to a trip to London for the night and a meal. We stayed at the really lovely Temple Lodge Club in Hammersmith
and had a truly fabulous meal at La Trompette in Chiswick
The award ceremony
and the reception afterwards
gave us the chance to talk to the other 16 shortlistees which was really interesting as we had all seen each-other’s films so we knew the basics about each-other beforehand from the films that were played at the award ceremony at the Palace Theatre.
The winner in our category Best Rescue of a Historic Industrial Building or Site was Malcolm and James Nattrass for Low Slit Mine, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham (Damon always said the mine would win, but is worried that they will have nowhere indoors to hang the certificate!).
The other winners were for: Best Rescue of Any Other Type of Historic Building or Place; Ivy House Pub in Nunhead/Southwark, London.
Best Rescue or Repair of a Place of Worship; St James’s Restoration Fund and Parochial Church Council for Church of St James the Greater, Ab Kettleby, Leicestershire.
Best Craftsmanship Employed on a Heritage Rescue was the Vivat Trust / Save Hadlow Tower Action Group for Hadlow Tower, Tonbridge, Kent (for the Roman Cement of which it is largely made). The Favourite (as Voted for by English Heritage Members and Telegraph Subscribers) was also Hadlow Tower (rather confusingly behind us in the picture in the Telegraph below!).
