The restoration of Bacup’s landmark Pioneer Buildings clock will be amongst the first works to be taking place as part of the Townscape Heritage Initiative.
The £2 million scheme aims to refurbish historical buildings in Bacup, as well as to provide training in traditional building skills and to facilitate activities and events for local people.
Now the first part of the scheme for restoration of the clock building has been submitted to local planners.
The Building was originally constructed in 1914, as a purpose- built Co- operative department store and was opened to the public on June 27th 1914.
The bid is supported by the Heritage Lottery who describe Bacup as “a remarkable survivor, retaining many of the key constituent components of an 18th and 19th century industrial town, with relatively little influence from either before or after this period, making it a very clear and legible example of its type.”
The scheme will create new shopfronts that are more sympathetic to the building’s historic character and the replacement of the first floor windows with timber- framed sash units, as well as repairing the mechanism and faces of the clock tower.
Smith’s of Derby, who originally installed the clock in the tower of the Pioneer Building, are being asked to take on the repair work on the clock. They were also responsible for installing the clock in King George Chambers on St James Square.
