Safety fears lead to shortening of Oldway Mansion tower

There was an emergency assessment after bricks began to fall

Engineers at Oldway Mansion in Paignton have taken "extraordinary measures" to remove the top of a tower amid "urgent" safety concerns.

Torbay Council said contractors working to make safe part of the East Tower ran into difficulties on Tuesday.

It said "almost all" parapet columns failed or broke when moved and bricks "began to fall".

Emergency assessment found a risk of collapse with more radical deconstruction needed to make it safe.

A tower is being shortened amid "urgent" safety concerns

Councillor Chris Lewis, from Torbay Council, said: "This course of action is not one we wanted to take.

"We were hopeful that the deconstruction works that started earlier in the week would be enough to remove the immediate risk and preserve the tower.

"Contractors will try to save and store as much of the original brickwork as possible for reinstallation or use at a later date."

'Rapidly deteriorate'

Work had begun to deconstruct an area of the East Tower on Tuesday, after an inspection indicated its condition had reached a "critical point".

But when the structure began to "rapidly deteriorate", an emergency assessment showed a lack of lateral support inside the tower meant it could collapse in on itself.

The council said it had considered both the preservation of the history of the tower and the health and safety of the community before starting to remove the top of the tower on Friday.

The council and Oldway Trust received nearly £150,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop a masterplan and conservation management project for the 19th Century mansion, which is modelled on the Palace of Versailles.

The mansion is now back in council hands after plans to convert it into hotel accommodation fell through.

Councillor Lewis said they were committed to finding a solution to restore the entire site.

He said a public consultation had shown strong community support for proposals to restore Oldway Mansion and gardens while preserving its history and heritage.

"We apologise for the inconvenience because of these urgent health and safety works," he said.

There is currently a road closure on Oldway Road between Upper Manor Road and Laura Avenue and members of the public are asked to avoid the area.

The tea tooms and gardens remain open.

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