Marlon and I were itching to get inside and we could see several possibilities. Unfortunately each possibility
involved climbing scaffolding in the broad daylight of all the houses clustered around the building; even
sneaking around the side of the hall put us in full view of the twitching curtains of the occupants
of the former infirm blocks.
We could've just gone for it, but I would’ve excepted the police to turn up ten minutes later. So reluctantly,
we limited ourselves to exterior shots only and then carried on our journey.
As for the building, it’s future was uncertain, as Crest Nicholson originally considered
converting it into a
recreation hall. Unfortunately even though the new Napsbury is in vital need of community facilities, the
repair and conversion costs were simply too high; and so a different solution was required. Crest Nicholson
have now applied to convert the building into 13 two-bedroom and 21 one-bedroom flats and duplexes.
A pity that this elegant space couldn’t be preserved as such, but for a building to survive, its conversion into
other forms for other uses is sometimes the only way. I definitely prefer that to another pile of rubble.
© Simon Cornwell 2006
