House restoration is hit by theft of metal

Thieves have stripped a historic Black Country house, which conservationists have been battling long and hard to save, of almost £300,000 of metal.

The future of Corngreaves Hall is now looking bleak after raiders took all its copper wiring in a spate of raids over recent months. The Grade II listed property, which has stood in Cradley Heath for more than 220 years, has been the subject of a restoration package by The West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust to preserve it for years to come.

Over £1million has been spent repairing it and it was hoped the building would be transformed into apartments, but now it is feared it could be left derelict as costs soar.

Alan Smith MBE, chairman of the Trust, described the situation as "depressing".He said: "Twice we have been in a position to sign the contract to develop the hall into flats and twice it has fallen through at the last minute because of money.

"We are charity and, unlike a private developer we can't take a risk, we need to have the full amount of money for the project there before we begin.

"A lot of the increased costs are down to vandalism. Over the last 12 months thieves have stripped the hall of all copper wiring to the plumbing, which will cost £290,000 to replace.

"We have also been hit by a downturn in the housing market and escalating costs."

Back in January the trust needed to find a further £250,000 to develop the building - a figure which has now soared to almost half a million.

A planning application was submitted to Sandwell Council in March 2004 for the restoration of Corngreaves Hall and plans to turn it into 14 homes.

It has now approached the council, which owns the building, for financial support to save it.

Over its 200-year history, the Hall has passed through various owners and experienced numerous minor alterations.

And over recent years it has been unoccupied whilst Sandwell Council has carried out essential maintenance and restoration work on it.

The old hall, on Corngreaves Road, was originally owned by the well-known iron-making Attwood family.