SAVEBIRD PLACE

Henley-on-Thames · Grade II listed · 18th century

A Grade II listed house has stood beside Henley Bridge for over two centuries. It is being allowed to fail, in plain sight, under the watch of the authority meant to protect it.

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The house by the bridge

Two centuries of history,
now left to decline

Bird Place has stood beside Henley Bridge for over two centuries, a Grade II listed witness to the town's history long before the Regatta headquarters became its neighbour.

Home to the founders of the Upper Thames Rowing Club, it became a home-from-home for Olympic oarsmen, royalty of the rowing world, and — by more than one account — a passing Prime Minister or two.

Yet today, this listed heritage asset sits in slow decline: not through the passage of time, but through the inaction of the very authority meant to protect it. Wokingham Borough Council — whose boundary quietly runs along this bank of the Thames — has repeatedly refused applications that would secure Bird Place's future, while the building itself continues to deteriorate in plain sight.

How many more years of "no" will it take before there is nothing left worth saving?
Listed
Grade II
Built
18th century
Beside
Henley Bridge
Authority
Wokingham BC

On the Thames, beside the bridge

The boundary of Wokingham Borough Council runs quietly along this bank. The house it is charged with protecting sits on the water's edge, a few steps from Henley Bridge.

The evidence

A building being allowed to fail

A roof left unrepaired. Water finding its way in. Ceilings coming down, room by room. This is the documented decline of a listed building, in plain sight.

A ceiling collapsed to the bare lath
01 A ceiling fallen through to the bare lath.
Ornate plaster ceiling, collapsed
02 Ornate plaster ceiling, collapsed.
Cornice and ceiling breaking away
03 Cornice and ceiling breaking away.
Water staining a reception-room ceiling
04 Water spreading across a reception-room ceiling.
Damp rising up an interior wall
05 Damp rising up the walls.
Roof with slipped tiles and moss
06 The roof left unrepaired: slipped tiles and moss.
Slates slipping from the dormers
07 Slates slipping from the dormers.
Plants growing in blocked gutters
08 Plants rooting in blocked, overflowing gutters.
A crack across an interior wall
09 A crack opening across an interior wall.
A staircase coming apart
10 A staircase coming apart.
Historic wall decoration peeling away
11 Historic wall decoration, peeling away.
Two-century-old wallpaper unravelling
12 Historic wallpaper, unravelling.
Damp through the fabric of the house
13 Damp through the fabric of the house.
Neglect reaching every room
14 Neglect reaching every room.
The house's Georgian staircase and arched window
15 What stands to be lost: the Georgian staircase.

Take action

Don't let it fall in silence

Bird Place can still be saved. Public pressure is what changes a council's mind. Here is how you can help, today, in a few minutes.

  1. 1

    Write to your councillor

    It takes two minutes, and councillors act on what residents tell them. Three simple steps:

    1. Copy the message below.
    2. Open "Write to your councillor" and enter your postcode to find them.
    3. Paste the message into the box and press send.
    I am writing to urge Wokingham Borough Council to support the repair and restoration of Bird Place, the Grade II listed house beside Henley Bridge. This heritage asset is deteriorating in plain sight. Please grant the permissions needed to secure its future before it is lost for good. #SaveBirdPlace
    Write to your councillor →
  2. 2

    Share the evidence

    The more people who see it, the harder it is to ignore. Follow the campaign, and send this page to anyone who cares about Henley.

    Follow @savebirdplace
  3. 3

    Get in touch

    Press, heritage bodies, neighbours with a story or a photograph, or anyone who can help: we would love to hear from you.

Take action →