Holyhead: Home of town's first GP on endangered list
- Published
The building was home to Dr William Fox Russell whose sons were decorated in World War One
Once the home of Holyhead's first dedicated GP, a Victorian townhouse has seen war heroes born inside its walls.
But Plas Alltran on Anglesey has now been placed on a list of the top 10 most endangered buildings in Wales and England.
The Grade-II listed building, whose owner lives in South Korea, is falling into disrepair.
Dr Elaine Davey, of the Victorian Society, said the building desperately needed saving or history would be lost.
"With a little bit of TLC it would be a real asset to the area," she said, adding it could be used by the community.
The society has called for urgent funding to safeguard the building, saying Anglesey council was struggling to pay for "necessary urgent works" to prevent it crumbling further.
It is on the society's list of the most at-risk buildings, alongside a former pub in Middlesbrough, a pumping station in Nottinghamshire, and a police station in Bradford.
The Victorian Society say the building should be put on the market or used by the community
Built in the 1890s as part of a larger project to regenerate what was then called the Blackbridge area of Holyhead, the building was the first dedicated doctor's surgery in the town.
Dr Davey said the building, commissioned by local philanthropist Jane Henrietta Adeane, was potentially built as a home for the town's first GP, Dr William Fox Russell.
Two of his sons, who were born at Plas Alltran, were awarded medals for their bravery during World War One, with Capt John Fox Russell receiving the Victoria Cross "for gallantry involving men he grew up with".
His younger brother Lt Henry Fox Russell was awarded the Military Cross.
During the 1990s the building was used as classrooms for a girls' training institute, boarding for nurses, and as rented housing.
But since 1970 the building, next to Holyhead Port, has stood empty in the town, with smashed windows and crumbling brickwork.
The building has the sort of gables more commonly seen in Scotland
The Victorian Society said the owner of the building had "no known plans for it" and it should be placed on the market.
Dr Davey said the building, designed by the architect Arthur Baker, appeared to be inspired by Plas Mawr, in Conwy, which is described by Cadw as the finest surviving Elizabethan town house in Britain.
She said there should be the option of the building being taken over by the community, as a project to bring people together during the pandemic.
"It is well worth saving, it is an important part of Holyhead's history," she said.
"Buildings like this should be saved, they are the background to our lives, like music, you take them for granted, but they flow into your soul."
Dr Davey said the building was where war heroes grew up and should be preserved
- Published28 February 2020
- Published10 August 2020
- Published16 March 2020
