Tower Environs Scheme
The Tower Environs Scheme was a building program in London from 1995 to 2004 that was intended to enhance the area around the Tower of London . For this purpose, among other things, car traffic was banned from the south and west of the fortress, the west entrance on Tower Hill was completely redesigned and several service buildings were built on Tower Hill.
The most ambitious plan - backfilling the tower trench with water - failed for two reasons. Archaeological finds made in the ditch that the water would destroy if not protected. This would add to the overall high cost of such a project. As the builders of the Middle Ages and the early modern period already established, the flooding of the ditch was always problematic, either no water came or it stood and quickly developed into a stinking, unsanitary morass.
The contractor for the £ 15 million project was the Historic Royal Palaces organization , whose largest project to date was this conversion. The executive architect was Stanton Williams . The project was funded by government funds and donations, with the largest donors being the Pool of London Partnership , Heritage Lottery Fund , Environment Agency and Paul Getty . A total of four individual measures were carried out as part of the project:
The western approach
The western entrance via Tower Hill was redesigned into an open space, which has since been one of the largest public spaces in London. The square, paved with Yorkshire sandstone ( Yorkstone ), now houses seats and benches and the service building for the tower. This includes a free-standing roof that covers the ticket sales kiosks and the entrance to the education center. Next to it is a "Welcome Center" where tickets are also sold, and a souvenir shop has been created where materials for the tower are displayed.
The nameless square, about 220 meters long and 50 meters wide, which will continue to be referred to as Tower Hill, has a gradient of 1:20 and is divided by various seating areas. Coming from the west, the square looks as if it would pour directly towards the tower. The barriers and admission controls that are actually still in place are so hidden that visitors only notice them shortly before they enter the tower. Not only is the lack of barriers and fences on the square itself striking, but also the absence of lamp posts. The architects insisted that the light sources should all be integrated into the buildings or benches so that the square appeared tidier and less cluttered.
Other measures
- The construction of the educational center for children and young people about the history and architecture of the tower.
- The reconstruction of the tower's south side with Tower Wharf and Tower Millennium Pier . A parking lot was abolished as well as redundant protective structures against flooding. Since the renovation there has been an open space for pedestrians. A new pump house was built between the Tower and the Thames, replacing a building from 1930.
- New tunnels to Tower Hill underground station to the north and St. Catharines Docks to the east of the tower.
There were difficulties during the construction phase. On the one hand, metal barriers from the 19th century that were no longer needed disappeared. On the other hand, part of the tower trench collapsed during earthworks, with some parts of the wall from the 19th century and possibly others from older centuries being destroyed.
The reactions to the finished buildings were unanimously positive. The Sunday Times praised the simple, selfless buildings that stave off and create a high quality public space. In 2005 the buildings won the design award from the British steel construction association BCSA. The jury praised the elegant simplicity of the design, which enhances the overall space without pushing itself into the foreground. The London Award for building in a historical context, presented by English Heritage and the Royal Institute of British Architects London, came from the same year . Here too, the jury praised the enormous difference that the landscaping makes in the access to the tower. On the one hand, it manages to do justice to the dignity and importance of the tower and, on the other hand, to create a lively space for the population. Landscaping itself won first prize in the landscaping category for buildings made of natural stone in 2006, which was awarded by the industry association. The jury also praised the high quality of the workmanship together with the restraint in the design.
literature
- Graham Keevill: The Tower of London moat: archaeological excavations 1995-9. Oxford Archaeological Unit for English Heritage, 2004, ISBN 0-904220-35-4 .
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ a b Steelconstructions.org: Tower Environs Scheme, Tower of London ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ A b Hugh Pearman: Big square deal: new architecture at the Tower of London by Stanton Williams. ( Memento of the original from December 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Maev Kennedy: Building work at the Tower leaves havoc in its wake. In: The Guardian. March 3, 2003.
- ↑ Mike Hanlon: Tower Hill wins London Award for Building in an Historic Context . September 20, 2005.
- ↑ Natural Stone Awards Announced .
