FIRE
A fire broke out around 11.30pm at the former
Hippodrome theatre. About 30 firefighters tackled
the blaze and a spokesman for Derbyshire Fire and
Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze was
not known and the scale of the damage was not
clear.
Sub-officer Terry Lambert, of Ascot Drive fire
station, said, "It's quite a big building
and it was heavily smoke-logged when we got
there. I think the fire had been smoldering for a
considerable time already. It was on the
ground-floor in the old seating area."
Scenes of crime officers, the criminal
investigation department and the fire service
were investigating the cause of the fire. A
resident, who lives nearby, said, "The fire
seems to have started in the old orchestra pit
and stage area. The flames have gone right
through to the roof. But from what a fireman told
me, it's not a total wreck."
Police say they are not treating a fire at the
Hippodrome as suspicious. It is believed faulty
electrics caused the fire at the building.
Investigating officer John Caulton said crews
found it difficult to control the blaze.
He said, "Because it's such an old building
and a bit like a rabbit warren in a way, it was
very dangerous for our people to go in there with
very thick smoke inside. We located the fire
actually below the stage. The smoke that was
coming out the roof was obviously coming from the
fire that had been burning quite a while and
found its way up all the way through the
building." (Source: BBC News, Feb/08) |
|
|
DERBY HIPPODROME
Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
An original stage curtain at the theatre
prevented the building suffering serious fire damage.
Ascot Drive fire station manager Trevor Sherwin said the
damage had been minimised by the stage fire curtain,
which stopped the blaze from spreading internally. He
said, "There was relatively minor damage because
what stopped the fire spreading was the fact that in
theatres, they have a fire curtain across the stage,
which was down in this case, and it prevented the fire
from spreading from one side of the auditorium to the
next."
Keith Briars, chairman of Derby New Theatre Association,
an umbrella group for amateur dramatic organisations in
the city, said, "It was a worry of ours that this
building was vulnerable and there could be a fire and it
is desperately sad that has now become the case. I don't
think it ruins our aim of turning it back into theatre
because, as far as I can tell at the moment, the building
is still structurally sound, so there is a starting
point."
Mhora Samuel, director of The Theatres Trust, a society
established to promote the protection of theatres within
the UK, had previously called for the building to be
protected. She said, "I am devastated by news of the
fire at the Hippodrome. This vacant theatre was clearly
very vulnerable and the owners should now take
responsibility to make it safe and ensure that further
damage does not occur. The Theatres Trust will be working
closely with Derby City Council to try and secure the
theatre. First of all, we have to find out the full
extent of the damage."
Fire investigation officers say they now think the fire
at the Hippodrome was started deliberately. Fire service
spokesman John Caulton said, "We are treating it as
arson. It appears that someone has started a fire in the
orchestra pit." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/08)
 Pictures published in the Derby Telegraph
show the extent of the decay to the Hippodrome. Ornate
balconies have disappeared, historic features such as the
roof dome are gone and part of its roof is caved in.
Surely the recent fire didn't remove a balcony and
replace it with red tape?
Derby City Council has ordered the owner of the Grade
II-listed building to urgently carry out repairs to make
it safe and secure. But if Christopher Anthony fails to
complete the work, the authority will be forced to step
in, carry out the repairs and bill him for them.
The exact cost of the repairs needed is not known but the
council expected work to cost more than £60,000 even
before part of the theatre's interior was damaged by
fire. Ian Griffiths, of Moody and Woolley solicitors,
said, "It is almost as if the building is being
dismantled from the inside. It is a fact that, in the
custody of Mr Anthony, this building has suffered. So
far, my client has been unable to gain access to the
Hippodrome in order to estimate how much it would cost to
restore it." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Mar/08)
 Parts of the
Hippodrome collapsed as work to make it safe began.
Contractors started work on the flat part of the roof
which collapsed almost immediately, into the interior of
the building. The roof collapse then caused part of the
top of one of the Hippodrome's walls to come down. A
giant mechanical arm then brought down part of the
remainder of the wall, until a huge triangular hole was
in the wall, with its point just five feet from the
ground. Later, one of the angled sections of the roof
began collapsing.
A spokesman for the owner, Christopher Anthony, said he
had warned the city council that his experts had said the
buillding was in an unsafe condition, but officials said
he had to comply with an order to make the roof safe. He
said that following the roof collapse, city council
officials ordered the removal of part of the wall which
was dangerous.
A spokeswoman for the council said it did not expect any
structural damage as a result of safety work beginning,
and it would not have ordered compliance with any works
notice that would lead to that sort of structural damage.
She said, "At the moment we're still down there
working with the development company to make the building
as safe as we can, with minimal effect to the structure
of the building." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Mar/08)
See video here
 Under the pretext
of carrying out ‘essential repairs’ contractors
AB Demolition demolished substantial sections of Derby
Hippodrome. Fears were raised by The Theatres Trust two
days ago that the presence of a demolition crew would
only lead to further damage. Structural metal beams
supporting the roof were removed and destabilised the
whole building. The Hippodrome’s side walls have
been pulled down and the theatre’s stage house and
flytower have been lost.
Following repeated assurances from Derby City Council
that only essential repairs would be undertaken, works to
the roof of this grade II listed building began without
proper Council approval. Council staff and building
inspectors were not present until this afternoon when
many calls were made by concerned locals to The Theatres
Trust and Derby City Council. Once on site they
established that the contractors were using incorrect
machinery to carry out  repairs.
In consequence an unnecessary amount of demolition and
loss of historic fabric has taken place, leaving
virtually all but the front section of the building
remaining intact. The undertaking of ‘essential
repairs’ has caused extensive damage and may well
have secured its final destruction.
As previously stated by the Trust, failure to obtain
consent for works or demolition of a listed building is a
criminal offence. Derby City Council can now take action
against the owner including the serving of an enforcement
notice to rebuild the theatre.
Director of the Trust, Mhora Samuel said, “The
owners have adopted completely the wrong approach to
repair Derby Hippodrome. This destruction demonstrates
the vulnerability of historic theatres and buildings when
owners breach listed building legislation.”
The Trust again urges local residents to remain vigilant
and report any further activity on the site they see over
the weekend to the Police on 0845 123 3333,
Derby City Council Emergency 24 hour line Dangerous
Structures on 01332 255 903 and The
Theatres Trust on 07932 653 560.
(Source: Theatres Trust, Mar/08)
|
|
|
