A Cockermouth architect says he believes the town’s Old Courthouse is beyond saving after it collapsed into the river over the weekend.
Darren Ward, architectural advisor for Cockermouth Civic Trust, said local authorities were aware the building was at risk of sudden collapse for around two years – but that saving it would have been a complicated and potentially life-threatening process.
He was also the first person to raise the alarm on the Grade II listed building – built in 1838 – being structurally unsound after the river eroded a stone section beneath it in 2021, putting the whole thing under significant stress.
Darren said: “It is a big loss for the town and obviously we would like to see it retained and made safe for another 200 years, but I feel that is a dream too big.
“We mustn’t be unrealistic and plan on hope because we will end up with a building that remains a pile of rubble for decades.
“I think we have to accept the building is lost and that we have to replace it or at least tidy up the site so it’s not an eyesore waiting for the impossible to happen.
“Economically I also cannot see any solution to it being replaced. I think it’s very unlikely the courthouse will ever return in any form it used to be.”
The 194-year-old building saw a near vertical collapse of its back right hand corner in the early hours of Sunday morning and Darren said there was potential for it to collapse even further.
He said: “We’re not through the full stage of collapse. There are new cracks we are now monitoring and we have the same concerns for a different part of the building.
“The saga is not yet over, I do think there will be more collapse, it could be soon or in another two or 200 years, but the building is under stress right now that it is not designed to be under.
“We’re also at that time of year when the river goes up and down and because of that it’s the worst time the collapse could have happened.”
While Darren said there were options to save the courthouse, he explained that there were several different risks involved.
He said: “From a professional perspective there were solutions to save it, but added problems such as it being on a quickly rising and falling river and the building being under stress that could cause it to collapse at any point made everything difficult.
“If you were to instruct anybody to go under and prop that corner, that person would have to take on the liability of going under and being squashed.
“Nobody wants to go to jail for instructing someone to go under, so hands are tied. That’s the crux of the matter, if the instability was on the roof level you could have propped it from inside, but the fact it was river level, you might inadvertently touch something holding it all up and it might fall and that becomes corporate manslaughter.
“It also has no rear access and the Cocker is one of the most protected rivers in the country. It’s a difficult river to work in and say if you were to erect scaffolding, nothing can guarantee a storm might come and lead to that scaffolding causing more significant issues.
“People have not been ignoring the problem, it’s been a very large difficult problem to deal with. Speaking to other professionals, nobody wants to be involved because we can’t see a viable solution to it.”
Darren added that the collapse at the weekend was due to elevated river levels washing away the building’s lower corner and creating a cavern beneath the building causing it to fall.
He said: “It needs to be made safe as it is still in a state of collapse, some of it needs to be knocked down because floors and internal walls are hanging at the moment, but how they do that safely is a very big question.
“That’s the immediate problem, and following that the rest of the structure has to be made safe the instability doesn’t creep into the rest of it and cause the building to fall into Main Street.
“The bridge has also obviously been closed and there’s been various chatter on social media that it is in danger of collapse but it is not.
“It’s not in danger of collapse at all, the only reason the bridge is closed is because it’s closed in the worst case scenario bits might fall on bridge while people are walking or driving past.
“Holdings and protection on the building for pedestrians and cars will release bridge closure problem – but the bridge itself is structurally sound and has never been a problem.
“But If we don’t do anything, a bit of building could fall into the next building and destabilise it – so it needs to be made safe and brought under control. At the moment it’s the unpredictability of it that’s unsafe.
“I don’t think further collapse would block the river but there is a potential is could change a portion of the river’s flow that could exert pressure on the riverbank, which could undermine flood defences or other buildings. So it is time sensitive.”
Darren added that he believed the situation was inevitable and that action is required quickly to make the area safe.
He said: “It was inevitable at some point that the river would take it – as it has done so many buildings over time in the town but it is very sad that the building has been lost.
“I can see debates happening now on who will pay to fix it, but nobody will pay and it won’t be saved. If it was a building in London that was worth a lot of money maybe, but sadly, it’s not economically viable here.
“So it’s better not wait for tomorrows that never happen. We have to take a practical position whether, that means it becomes a pocket park or access of the river of some sort.”
Update from Cumberland Council
An update from Cumberland Council said it was continuing to assess the site.
It has permission from the owner to undertake a structural assessment and a LiDAR survey will be carried out using a drone to create a 3D map of the building.
Discussions are ongoing with key partners including the owner of the building, it said.
The bridge over the River Cocker has been closed and screening has been installed and traffic lights are in place to help ease congestion. Drivers are urged to avoid the area and follow the diversions in place.
The river embankment has been fenced off in the potential drop zone. Other traffic routes are currently being assessed and other work has now been suspended.
There were no reports of any injuries following the building collapse and although some debris has landed into the river, the river is still flowing.
The Environment Agency has confirmed that although the collapse is near to their flood walls, the walls remain intact and the town’s flood risk has not increased.
A Cumberland Council spokesman said: “Although this is a privately owned building, we have taken immediate action to secure the site and have structural engineers on site to determine the extent of the damage.
“This is a complex issue and public safety is our main priority.
“We appreciate that the bridge closure will impact on residents, and we will do all we can reopen it as soon as it safe to do so.”
