Thieves strip lead from roof of historic Menston building

10:50am Thursday 8th November 2007

Comments (1)   Have your say »

Lead worth thousands of pounds has been stolen from the roof of an historic building in Menston.

The administration building, which once served patients of the former psychiatric High Royds Hospital, has been left badly damaged by thieves.

Whole sections of the roof have been stripped, rousing fears that an ornate mosaic floor and a stained glass window within the premises could be left vulnerable to water damage.

Wharfedale Newspapers was alerted to the thefts by local resident Ashley Wilkes, who supplied photographs of the ruined roof.

The pictures clearly show the extent of the damage, which he says, could run into thousands of pounds.

Mr Wilkes, 42, said: "It's shocking. The building inside is beautiful. There are a lot of unique and historic features inside which are now exposed to the elements. The roof is letting in water - it's a mess. I hope it is fixed quickly before any further damage is done."

However, Managing Director of Gladedale Yorkshire, Warren Thompson allayed fears stating that the roof was being replaced and that said no damage to the interior had been caused.

He said: "The roof in the area affected by the theft is being replaced, and luckily the thieves were interrupted so any negative effects to the fabric of the building are incidental.

"Luckily, the lovely Victorian mosaic entrance hall and stained-glass windows were entirely unaffected. These are irreplaceable period features of this listed building."

The administration building, which is Grade II listed, is now considered something of a show piece at the former hospital, which is situated on a 300 acre site at the foot of Rombalds Moor.

It hosts an Italian mosaic floor in the main corridor which is intricately decorated with the Yorkshire Rose and some black daisies - the latter of which provided inspiration for the title of a television screen play, filmed at High Royds, as a tribute to sufferers of Alzheimers.

Also within the building, which dates back to 1888, are elaborate carvings, original stained glass windows and an old mortuary.

This is the second time in recent months that the High Royds site has been targeted by thieves.

In September thieves broke down a cellar door near High Royds Sports and Social club and stole copper pipes from the hot water system in the boiler room.

Last month lead was stripped from the roof of the Roundhouse in Burley-in-Wharfedale.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "This is a problem not just in Burley-in Wharfedale but also nationally due to the price of semi-precious metal increasing.

"We would also appeal to scrap metal dealers to ask where items have come from. If they are suspicious they should contact us on 0845 6060606."

Bradford Councillor Chris Grea-ves (Con, Wharfedale) said he was saddened by the news and urged Gladedale Yorkshire to step up security at the site.

He said: "The administration building is Grade 11 listed. I would suggest that perhaps it is time to step up security at the housing development. It is unfair for Gladedale Yorkshire to have to continually pay out for damage caused by thieves - it would be in their own interest to tighten security."

A spokesperson for the housing developer said "We have a strong security presence constantly on site and this will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis."