23/12/2020
OPERATION BROCK
I think we’ll agree that 2020 has been a truly dreadful year for most of us - some more than others but more of that later. I have to warn you this is not a remotely quick read post so get a cuppa and mince pie, or something stronger and settle in for a comprehensive update on The Brock.
I first moved to Brockweir from Monmouth in early 2005 having purchased a very old property, part of which had an “ Unfit for human habitation order” on it since 1951 and the other part barely usable. A Grade II* property dating from 1400 in need of total repair and restoration yet conveniently positioned for a stumble to and from The Brock and much needed regular refreshment over the 5 year project. Perfect! I have always loved The Brock- warts and all. The prospect of buying it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The Brock was closed by the previous owners in March 2019 in order to follow their long held dream of France, having tried to sell without getting any real interest over a 5 year period and zero offers . Sadly, there was little appetite to purchase our small and somewhat tired village Inn although the Parish Council did look very closely at a community purchase going as far as a Survey and Valuation. They decided not to proceed and then….. Fools rush in where Angels dare to tread- i.e. Me!
I completed the purchase of a newly closed and empty Pub in April 2019. The very same hour ( I hadn’t even received the keys) a delegation arrived from FODDC and the Environment Agency. They had come, unbeknown to me, to serve notice of the Inn’s formal closure due to breaches of Environmental standards and also served notice that the Treatment Plant which had been installed only 6 months previously was in serious breach of legal regulations. I had a 20 minute career as a Landlord!
This was dreadfully disappointing for everyone, not least the fantastic staff who I happily agreed to keep on if I ever ended up as owner.
We duly set about a complete and much needed refurb albeit some 6 months ahead of schedule! However, in the first week it became quite apparent that this lovely old building was in need of a great deal more than mere refurbishment and nothing that even the most forensic survey could have ever fully identified- Caveat Emptor. The PC’s own survey flagged some potentially worrying issues. Eight weeks later, I had discovered that it was a dangerous structure and it was genuinely very close to collapse. It is a modern miracle that no floors had fallen onto the blissfully unaware customers below.
Once the exterior cement render was removed, it became clear that it had been acting as a corset and pretty much the only thing keeping the place up. Scaffold and a huge number of acrow props were used to keep it from collapse. It is a testament to the determination of Matt, Artur, Kevin ,Corbin and Ross that it didn’t. They even managed to repair the split and broken roof beams with the roof still on (due to conservation for the non existent bats). I’ll never forget how they managed it and certainly the methods they had to use don't appear in any manuals.
Local people going the extra mile for their local.
I think I would have given up at that point if it hadn't been for the fact that once all the cement render was removed along with all the cladding and bodged repairs- the building was truly remarkable. The date attributed to the building was incorrect by several hundred years and is still pretty much the same structure as it was when first built. The centuries of no investment and cladding had hidden its true age and identity and, ironically, protected it.
At this stage,back in mid 2019, I felt that the building needed to be investigated further by Archaeological specialists and I invited a Professor of Architectural history and author of over 30 books to view the building. I followed this up by commissioning a scientific survey ( dendrochronology) to date the beams and purlins via core samples and tree ring dating. The results astounded them and are very exciting.
My plan has always been to re-open this lovely ancient old Inn as an Inn ( with high end accommodation) restaurant and bar. I was well aware from the get-go that making a profit was not going to be a likely outcome but I did see a way for The Brock to become self sustaining.
Previous Landlords of long long ago, dating back into the mists of time , made a living by skimping on any meaningful maintenance and allowing the building to steadily deteriorate since at least 1840 when it became The New Inn. The general theme was- if it needs repair; just cover it up! The economic reality of Brockweir in the 19th and 20th Century did not allow for expensive repairs.
I think it unlikely that any previous owner in the past century could have possibly known the true extent of the deterioration to the entire structure as the problems occurred over such a truly considerable number of years.
So, we started work in late April 2019 and apart from a total of 3 weeks break in this entire period, we have been non stop. Even during Lockdown 1.0, the site kept going with work parties split to avoid contact and Corbin working on his lonesome at weekends. We did not qualify for one penny of grant or support.
Some 86 weeks later of constant hard slog, intense stress and financial armageddon , we have been served notice to suspend work. There's a long way yet to go. I am very sorry to have to inform you, particularly for those of us who live in Brockweir & Hewelsfield that The Brock now faces a very difficult and uncertain future.
In November, having finally completed the most critical repairs , we turned our attention to the Treatment Plant- it was always the elephant in the room but saving the building was a greater priority and it had to wait its turn. We already knew it was incorrectly installed and subject to legal action between FODDC and the Installer but also that it could eventually be made to work as intended. It turns out that it is too small to process the waste from an Inn and will involve restrictions in the numbers of customers in order to gain its license from the EA. In short, if the Inn provides a restaurant , I can have about 15 diners per day max and 20 drinkers in total as well as the B&B guests. It’s just not viable as a business in that respect or offering.
In order to rectify this, I’ll need to install a much larger tank and due to a number of more complex engineering factors, the cost will be £75,000-£100,000 +. This is not viable for anyone let alone me. I asked FODDC to help advise on an alternative and they helpfully suggested that the garden could give the solution. They were unaware that the Flood Agency had recently zoned the garden as Flood Risk which precludes the installation of a below ground tank.
Due to tight and understandable Covid restrictions, FODDC had not viewed the interior of the Inn since before March 2020 relying on e-mails and photos. Having viewed the restoration work in person in late November, I was then requested to discontinue work in December whilst they decided on the future of what they now consider is a building of much more than just local historical significance.A full inspection was carried out by FODDC, and The Conservation Officer reporting to Historic England.
The building is to be immediately Listed as either Grade II* or Grade II. I understand it is the first time a building has ever become a Listed building midway through a restoration. I will now have to gain Listed building consent on everything and it pretty much doubles the cost of the remaining works which are still considerable.
The Brock is an important newly discovered Medieval building in Gloucestershire. It started life as the sister building of The Monks Hall and is of similar date with Monastic origins relating to Tintern Abbey and Brockweir Grange. The beams used in the ground floor date to 1378 whilst the first floor to 1414 and a complete intact beautiful roof structure completed as is in 1520.
The Brock in its current format is 500 YEARS OLD this year: Happy Birthday!
From the Black Death to The Coronvirus and everything in-between! The building has a redesigned facade dating to c1680 to make it the very grand building you can now see and is believed to have been the home of a wealthy River Merchant ( Gethin?) or, just maybe possibly, the official Customs House.
Of course it should be listed and protected and I’m 100% supportive of this decision and believe it provides protection for a very special building. I just have a problem with the timing.
The problems with the Treatment Plant and now adhering to Listed building consent whilst also satisfying new commercial Building Regulations as if it were a new build is just a bridge too far for us.
I’ve put my heart and soul along with a great deal of money I can now ill afford into this project and just wanted to re-open our lovely little Village Inn. I have spent 7 days a week living working breathing and thinking about this for 2 years. I thought it would be a worthy challenge and I thought I could overcome the difficulties faced by the many previous owners but as things stand I’m struggling to find the best solution and the best way forward.
Yet a way forward can still be found.
I have given this a huge amount of thought. I have discussed options with FODDC, the Conservation Officer, the Pubs Director of a large Brewery and also had very helpful dialogue with a well respected recently retired Pubs Officer of CAMRA(Gloucestershire).
It has been suggested that I could develop the large extension which already has planning consent (subject to a redesign and relevant additional permissions) in the beer garden as a Micro pub whilst the existing newly listed building reverts to residential and then all conditions can be met. The listed building would not need to meet very difficult commercial building regulations in a 500 yr old Listed building and with no need for a B&B to subsidise the new Pub element. The maximum capacity will easily meet EA regulations for the sewage requirements with the existing treatment plant and most importantly of all- Brockweir gets its Pub back for the community.
It will not be a destination Inn or restaurant or B&B so additional problematic parking will not be an issue for our village. After almost 2 years of comments I believe most locals would prefer a small cosy local to a new gastro pub or destination venue. It's a fine balance to achieve both what people want whilst ensuring there's a viable business for the long term future.
The new version of The Brock can be a meeting place for locals and the occasional visitors to enjoy conversation, catching up, light snacks and pop up food events,real ale, a real fire and fine gins/wine etc in a lovely setting within the garden which is much bigger these days! No wi-fi, no machines, no phones- just meeting friends and making new ones. Events and some live acoustic music. It will become a venue for the post Covid world but a re-invented village pub at its heart and how it should be.
If the support is still there ,we’ll keep going until we succeed in re-opening hopefully next Summer or until we simply run out of road. In the meantime, thanks to the many of you who have given us encouragement and inspiration which has meant so much and kept us going. Thank you.
I’m so sorry to have to bring you, the supporters of The Brock, this bitter sweet news at the end of a very difficult year for so many of us- a year where people in our community have already had to suffer such difficult times not just with Covid but with the devastating flooding and,in some cases, great personal loss.
Our proposed plan to secure the future of The Brock is perhaps not for everyone - I'm totally aware of this fact but also aware that there's nothing like a closed Village Inn to inspire such a wide range of strongly held views as to what it should re-open as - even down to the beer sold or type of food served!
As a result, I can confirm that I will officially place The Brock up for sale to any individual or group/organisation/consortium who want to take over from us on the condition that it re-opens in some format as a Pub for the community- the same opportunity is there for you as it was for me but without the multitude and mainly unpleasant surprises!
What started as a project full of hope and excitement for the future with all the right intentions has ultimately become a pretty severe,draining and difficult challenge for us on a deeply personal level.
As long as I get most of my expenditure back I’m very willing to sell to someone with deeper pockets than me or access to public funds. Marina, myself and our family are physically and emotionally exhausted. We just wanted a little friendly very English old Inn in beautiful Brockweir. In reality we got something that grew legs and marched off in a different direction.
Please private message me if you have a genuine interest in purchasing. I have already written to the Parish Council in the off chance that they might renew their interest to purchase the Inn on your behalf.
We wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas in whatever circumstance you find yourself in and all best wishes for a much better 2021 and may you all keep healthy happy and safe ( and dry).
Martin Marina & Family.
Dec 23 2020
