Broomfield House Trust to close

Colin Younger, chair of of the Broomfield House Trust, explains the background to the recent decision to close the Trust and urges readers to take the opportunity on 25th October to comment on the draft concept for memorialising the House.

The Broomfield House Trustees have decided to close the Trust

At a meeting of the Broomfield House Trustees on 11 September the Trustees voted to begin the process of ending the Trust’s registration with Companies House and the Charity Commission. We agreed that achieving our original registered aims of “restoring, preserving, and protecting the heritage aspects of the park for community benefits” can be achieved through an alternative approach.

The Broomfield House Trust has explored numerous ways of repairing, restoring, or rebuilding Broomfield House, but after fourt fires and years of neglect this has not been possible. The last fire in 2019 destroyed virtually all the historic structure which remained in place. Material salvaged after the 1984 fire is still in storage. The Minerva panel which the Trust had restored is the only complete example of the once magnificent interior. There is currently no long-term solution to what should happen to this, nor the other salvaged material.

However, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has granted the council initial funding under the project “Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community”. The Trust has been fully involved in the development of the project. If successful in the full bid next June this will result in the removal of the scaffolded ruin, memorialisation of the house and restoration of two of the lakes and surrounding landscape. It won’t achieve our long hoped for objective of restoring Broomfield House, but it points to the possibility of a positive future. Professional guidance about the future of all the salvaged material is also underway.

In addition as regards the future, the Friends of Broomfield Park (FoBP) is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and has broadened its remit to include safeguarding the park’s historic structures. The new CIO is a bigger and financially more capable organisation than the Trust. Three of the BHT trustees are now FoBP trustees and we will continue our involvement in the project.

The other significant historic structure, the stable yard, remains officially “at risk”. If this project is successful, it may be possible to seek funding to deal with the stable yard in a way which would be of clear benefit to the community.

There is more about the current development on the council website.

The consultants’ preferred concept design will be open for comment in the Club House by the Broomfield Park tennis courts between 1100 and 1700 on 25th October. It’s vital that as many views as possible are fed into this session.