News
Save Jumbo says Griff
Actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones OBE has backed a plan to save Colchester’s historic Jumbo water tower and bring it into sustainable use. Griff, who is President of the prestigious Victorian Society and of Civic Voice, visited the Grade ll* Listed building to support North Essex Heritage’s The Jumbo Project.
He said:
“Jumbo is a magnificent piece of architecture, a wonderful symbol of the history of Colchester, and an amazing piece of Victorian history. It defines Colchester and we must do what we can to save it. Those of us who love this building, and who live in Colchester, north Essex or Suffolk, need to tell the people who have the money that we want to see it saved because we really, really love it.
“People get used to seeing Jumbo and they don’t think about it as much as they should. What an extraordinary piece of construction it is. It towers above Colchester, and it is a beautiful building. It adds character, colour and story and all these things are so important to keeping a city a really good place to visit. It is part of the commercial future of Colchester. I really believe that. If you don’t look after these things you and up with a dilapidated centre.
“We are genuinely thinking the future, about the grandchildren or the great grandchildren, who are going to turn around and say: “But you let that magnificent building fall down or you destroyed it? What on earth did you do that for?” and so this is a move both for commercial sense and for the future and for an idea of Colchester standing up for what Colchester really is.”
North Essex Heritage has been given £250,000 development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to work on its plans to restore the building and transform it into a financially sustainable heritage and community space for Colchester.
Jumbo is deteriorating and time is running out as the cast iron tank is cracking and twisting. The Jumbo Project is the last realistic chance to save this magnificent building. Jumbo has widespread support from the public and heritage organisations who agree it must be saved. The exciting plans will pose a major funding challenge, but there is interest from commercial organisations whose operation of the building could help fund public access. North Essex Heritage will apply for a further Heritage Fund grant later this year.
The Victorian Society is at the front of the battle to save our precious heritage. It has been fighting to protect historic buildings since John Betjeman and Nikolaus Pevsner, among others, founded The Society in February 1958. Their aim was to preserve Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
Griff said:
“This building was placed on our Top Ten Endangered Buildings List in 2013 as it was judged as important and one of the most endangered buildings in England and Wales. Placing a building on the Top Ten list is to highlight it and bring it to restoration and sympathetic reuse. Jumbo is iconic and would be a wonderful asset to Colchester as a tourist attraction, besides being a critical part of its Victorian heritage, history, and identity.”
Simon Hall MBE DL, Chair of North Essex Heritage, said:
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are putting together a team of experts to help progress our plans to apply for a full grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.”
“The importance of Jumbo both locally and nationally cannot be overstated. We and others have been working for many years to create a solution and it is now within reach. We must not let it slip and the statutory bodies and grant funders should get behind this opportunity, demonstrating how effective cooperation can deliver for the community and the future.”
The Jumbo Project has been supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, the Government’s Levelling Up (Town Deals Fund) and The Architectural Heritage Fund.