International Byron Society

A major new campaign for Britain s historic buildings at risk is launching in May and it s offering us the chance to save Newstead Abbey! Restoration returns in 2004 to throw a lifeline to one of Britain s endangered historic buildings and Nottinghamshire s Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron, is on the shortlist. Click here for more info

Thanks for letting us know this. I did go to the BBC Restoration site, but I couldn t find anything on Newstead. On Ceefax, a Gothic castle was mentioned. I ll definitely be watching and voting this summer. Do you know who will be the Abbey s celebrity advocate? Does anyone know the situation with Annesley Hall? Is it still derelict?

Elizabeth, there is a little more detail on the BBC Nottingham website. Click Here

Restoration will be on tomorrow night, 9:30, BBC2. The 21 finalists will be announced. Fingers crossed Newstead Abbey will be well presented.

Newstead Abbey finally appeared at the end of the hour - it was the very last building presented. Unfortunately, it was very short, and there was no mention as to why it needed restoring. They did mention it was the estate of the Byrons, and and last held by the poet. At the end of the presentation, one of the building experts leans out of an upper window and says Hey, I m in Lord Byron s bedroom , which was funny, but one wishes they could have shown the interior, and made a stronger case for it.

Hi Elizabeth, Interesting you should mention Newstead Abbey, it dates back to the 12th century, and that is the problem. Much of the mock gothic face has declined through water and weather it has become unsafe. It is now in desperate need of attention. If the Abbey were fortunate to enough win, what happens to the rest of the estate ? It is all in need of attention, the West front is only a small part of the whole. The Byron s owned it from 1539 when they purchesed it from Henry the V111, till the Poet sold it in 1816.

Hello luddite! yes, I agree with you that more than just the front of the abbey would need attention - it s a huge estate, isn t it?, with books, furniture, etc. Hopefully, even if it doesn t win its profile will be raised, and along with that more funds to help it. Even if the Byrons and the poet weren t associate with Newstead Abbey, it s still one of the most beautiful and evocative grounds in England. If one goes to the site Alan first posted above, the full information for the new series is up. Elizabeth

The BBC Nottingham have a new page devoted to saving Newstead Abbey. CLICK HERE There will be only one of the 21 shortlisted sites that receives any money and it s viewers votes that decide who that will be. You can subscribe to a newsletter that will remind you when it is time to vote. So come the day, pick up that phone and get voting.

Would anyone in the UK be so kind as to let us know the results of the Restoration vote tomorrow? I cannot believe that I ve missed the voting! (I m in the States and from what others have said they haven t been able to get through from North America, plus I missed the deadline .) I imagine that Newstead had tough competition, but still having fingers crossed.

What happens to the buildings that don t win, do they have to go elsewhere for funding, or are they left to decay? Because if they re simply left to fall apart then it s a bloody cruel TV series. The reason I ask is that in the series trailers, the narrator constantly mentioned the fact that it was the public s chance to save various buildings, I took this to mean that any unsuccessful applicants were doomed. I d be most grateful if anyone could shed some light on this. Will.

Hello William, From what I can remember about last year s Restoration, the runners up do get some kind of funding (but I guess that excludes Newstead). At the very least, all the buildings do get extra publicity to help their cause. I would like to know how Newstead was presented on its night. Who came out to vouch for it? One wonders what Lord Byron would have made of all this.

Thanks Alan for the update. I m a little sad that Newstead didn t even make the final list, but I did have a feeling that it would be a tough one in the public eye. It still deserves all our support at any rate. Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth, I don t actually recall who spoke in Newstead Abbey s defence, but I do recall that it was brief, with Byron s bedroom getting almost as much coverage as the part of the building that is under threat. It seemed to me, and this is just my opinion, that they sold the whole show on Byron s reputation, and gave only a cursory mention of the Abbey s history. Understandable, I suppose, but still mildly irritating. Best wishes Will.

I agree with you William. I saw the first show and what sticks in my mind is the presenter being in Byron s bedroom. I would have loved to see it win but I never thought it had a chance. I m sure Byron would have been highly amused by the fascination with it - especially his bedroom. Mary

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Mary

It was a shame that Newstead Abbey didn t come anywhere in the Restoration programme. My partner and I rang in and voted at least 40 times between us!!! There is a way we can help save it though, by their new scheme "adopt a stone", where you can choose a stone from the abbey s west front and send a donation in to make that stone yours! Details are on the website. Byron loved Newstead, and I think as fans of Byron we should all do our bit! What do you think?