Revealed: The photographs which show the damage caused to an historic …

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  • Imposing County Hall, Ipswich was last used by local authority in 2004
  • Since then it has fallen into disrepair and become home to homeless people and drug users

By
Chris Parsons


PUBLISHED:

09:25 GMT, 22 August 2012


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UPDATED:

16:35 GMT, 22 August 2012

An historic Grade Two-listed county hall has been subjected to ‘shocking’ damage after being wrecked by drug addicts and homeless people.

The imposing County Hall in Ipswich, for decades the centre of local government in Suffolk, has fallen into disrepair and been systematically destroyed by junkies, yobs and vandals.

The revered 176-year-old structure, built the year before Queen Victoria came to the throne, has seen its fireplaces ripped out and wooden panelling stripped, while there is a tree growing through a smashed window.

Torn apart: A hallway in hallway in County Hall has smashed windows and floorboards removed after falling into disrepair

Disrepair: Loose wiring litters the floor of the hall, while parts of the wall have been torn down or are falling off

Neglected: An upper landing in County Hall shows the bad condition of the historic building

Photographers who specialise in charting urban building damage have revealed how the hall is completely unsecure, with mattresses inside indicating that drug addicts and tramps have taken up residence inside.

The Ipswich building was Suffolk’s County Hall until 2004.

Built at the start of the Victorian era in 1836, the grand hall functioned as Ipswich’s courthouse in its early days, and became County Hall in 1906.

After being renovated in the 1980s, it was closed in 2004 when Ipswich Borough Council moved to Endeavour House, a new building in a different part of the town.

Ipswich Borough Council are said to have met the building’s owners earlier this year to try to ensure it was secured.

One photographer who took images inside the building said: ‘Inside the whole place has been trashed.

Broken windows are a common feature inside the hall, which was last occupied in 2004

Wrecked: Ceiling panels litter the floor in County Hall, now thought to be occupied by drug addicts and homeless people

A smashed window shows the imposing view from the building, pictured right in its heyday

‘It is totally unsecured and there was no problem getting in at all. Once inside it was shocking to see.

‘There are mattresses inside so it is clear that people are living there and there are signs of people using it to take drugs.’

The council was so concerned that it was placed on its ‘Buildings at Risk’ register earlier this year.

Councillor with responsibility for planning and development at the borough, Carole Jones, was horrified to hear how the once glorious county hall has been torn apart.

Cllr Jones said: ‘We had thought it had been secured.

‘This is dreadful news and we shall have to see what can be done.

Imposing: County Hall in Ipswich was last used by the town’s borough council in 2004

‘I know the police are concerned about the building as well.’

There are no immediate plans to redevelop County Hall, which was sold by the council shortly after it moved out of the building.

Labour’s Bryony Rudkin was county council leader at the time of its move to Endeavour House eight years ago.

Outraged by the attacks on the building, she said: ‘It’s never been a beautiful building but it is very imposing and it has a great deal of history there.’

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Heritage in this country isn’t being overlooked it’s being systematically destroyed.

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what on earth possessed the council to move out of this marvellous ( was) building, councils love wasting taxpayers money.

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They should have sold it when they had the chance

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It will make the sale more possible if it is in a bad state. It makes it easier for the council to sell it to a ‘pal’ for development.

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If this building was in the private sector, I feel sure they would be harassing the owners with threats of court cases to renovate it and make it secure.

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“…systematically destroyed by junkies, yobs and vandals”? Systematically implies something being done methodically in a step-by-step manner. It’s very to imagine the junkies, yobs and vandals all getting together of an evening to plan the destruction of this building.

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I’m Ipswich born and bred (happily moved away now), and to be honest most of the town is in this state.

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Its only a building and can be repaired who cares……

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Just illustrates the incompetency of the council – a beautiful building left to rot by the very organisation who’s only remit is to provide a duty of care to the town – all they are interested in is their own self gain

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In all honesty, what did they expect abandoning the building? Every building left to rot WILL rot, whether nature alone causes the decomposition, or a human hand assists. This was all that could have been expected. A plan should have been put in place for it’s preservation. Or if they couldn’t be bothered, give it to the National Trust. This could have been so different if the Council had behaved with some responsibility.

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