SNN113781 - Crick Wharf, Crick, Northamptonshire: Heritage Statement

AB Heritage Limited has been commissioned by Sandy Developments Ltd to produce a Statement of Significance covering proposed works at Crick Wharf, Northamptonshire, NN6 7SQ. The report was requested by the client to help inform options for redevelopment on the site. This report includes a description of the baseline conditions, from an examination of readily available sources on the history of the site, identifying any known and potential heritage receptors subject to potential impact. It discusses which parts of the site would be most amenable to change. The report has identified that Crick Wharf includes the 19th century Wharf House which is Grade II Listed. This building was formerly the residence and the office of the Wharfinger (wharf supervisor). The wharf also includes the Canalside Bar & Restaurant, which was formerly the Grand Union Inn, and probably warehouses before that. The site also includes a small red brick canal-side dwelling which was previously a small warehouse or barn in a small farmyard. These buildings are all curtilage listed, taking the grade of Wharf House. Crick Wharf was completed and opened with the Grand Union Canal in 1814 or 1815. The wharf was first used for the storage and transportation of coal from the Northampton and Derbyshire coalfields and lime which was probably locally extracted in limekilns to the south of the wharf. This industrial trade continued into the 20th century despite the competition from rail and road. By the late 20th century, the canal was no longer and industrial transport network, but had become a leisure network. This saw the creation of the Crick Wharf Marina to the south and the Crick Marina to the north. By this time Wharf House and the Cottage had become private residences, but the Union Canal Inn was still a popular canal side hostelry, with only the name changing. Beyond this, the buildings changed very little and the site remained quite undeveloped. This clear history and the relative absence of change on the wharf means that the heritage assets and their setting are considered to be of High heritage significance. Crick Wharf also contributes to the wider significance of the Grand Union Conservation Area which is of Very High heritage significance. The proposals are deemed to enhance the significance of Wharf House by renovating the property and bringing it back into use, thus halting the rapidly deteriorating condition of the fabric. The proposals will also reinstate the rear garden to at least its historic proportions. The proposed new residential units have been located in the historically undeveloped, eastern part of the site, which is currently occupied by a large and overgrown mound of upcast material from the formation of Crick Marina to the south. The key views of Crick Wharf are from the west towpath of the canal and from the marina to the south and will be retained and arguably enhanced by the general renovation of the historic wharf site. The new residential units will form a backdrop to the historic wharf, that replaces the existing overgrown and unmanaged appearance of the site.