Keith Murray on

a way of using the grants system

THE ECONOMICS OF CONSERVATION

STANHOPE CO-OPERATIVE STORES, COUNTY DURHAM

‘Labour and Wait’. This inscription can be found on the bracket underneath the central oriel window of the Stanhope Cooperative stores. A pithy summary of the Edwardian view of retailing in 1908 when this imposing edifice was constructed for the Wear Valley Co-operative Society and also, perhaps, an appropriate motto for cautious Conservation Officers when tackling difficult problems in a cold economic climate.

The Stanhope Co-op was built in the heyday of the co-operative movement and the substantial structure (the largest building in Stanhope apart from the parish church and Castle) is testimony to the dominance of the movement in the early years of this century. The principal

south elevation is faced with sandstone while the side elevations are in roughly dressed local limestone.

The Co-op has recently been repaired with grant assistance as part of the Stanhope Town Scheme and now houses two shops on the ground floor with an antiques centre on the first floor. It is planned to use the top floor for small office units.

While it flourished, the principal room on the first floor, with large windows giving spectacular views over open countryside to the south, was used as a function room available for hire for a wide variety of social events. The smaller rooms were used as offices for the Society’s administrative and financial

services.

As the Society declined, the building became too large for its original users who sold it and

moved to smaller premises in another location. The ground floor shops were still occupied but the remainder of the building was disused for several years and the building was eventually identified as at risk.

When the Stanhope Town Scheme was established in 1991, by English Heritage, Durham County Council and Wear Valley District Council, the building was targeted for priority grant aid as it was beginning to suffer both as a result of lack of maintenance and from structural problems in the roof.

In 1993 the building was acquired by a new owner who prepared a scheme of repair and applied for Town Scheme grant assistance. At this stage it is doubtful if the building would have been economically repairable, and support from the Town Scheme was therefore vital to its preservation. The work, which included substantial repairs particularly to the roof and the reinstatement of the roof ventilators (which had been removed), was completed in late 1993 for around £55,000. This has secured the future of this interesting building which is important not only for its architectural interest but also for its social significance as the only remaining unaltered example of a building type that was not just a shop but represents an important part of the way of life in a northern dale.

Stanhope Cooperative stores, nOW Keith Murray is with Durham County Council. in new ownership

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