Building Surveys also known as Structural Surveys, Property Defect Reports , Building Disputes Surveys,
We have written this article for you to read and enjoy and to give you an insight into one of London 's popular areas Covent Garden . Before you start to read it we would like to tell you a little about ourselves.
We are Independent Surveyors that carry out Building Surveys in London including areas such as Victoria , Holborn, Mayfair , Clerkenwell and Westminister. We also do valuations and schedules of condition on commercial properties in and around the Covent Garden area.
As Surveyors we probably pay more attention to properties around us than most people do even when we are not surveying them! We always recommend lifting your line of sight above eye level as there are some beautiful buildings to be seen and ones that most people miss as they rush about with their daily life. Surveyor tours are something that we would like to introduce. These would explain the architectural styles and details that we see when carrying out Building Surveys. We are also happy to walk a client around an area that we know as well as explaining the results of the structural survey of their house, office or shop.
A: Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre opened in around 1930 and was designed by Ernest Schaufelberg to be a theatre which seats over a thousand people. In 1806 there was a Theatre which was open in the same place and this was improved and refurbished to become in 1819 the Adelphi Theatre. In 1858 the Theatre opened after the old Theatre was demolished and has an Art Deco style.
B: Beautiful National Gallery
The National Gallery contains over two thousand paintings and the collections date back from the 13th Century to the 20th Century. It is Free to enter the National Gallery and it is open every day of the week.
C: Chapel
The Savoy Chapel was founded in 1512 by Henry V11 and for the Golden Jubilee the ceiling of the Chapel was restored. The gardens surrounding the Savoy Chapel had been redesigned and the Chapel is open to the public where they can see the architecture and glass windows whilst attending services.
D: Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane was built around the 1660's. There was a fire in 1672 which destroyed The Theatre Royal Drury Lane and it has been rebuilt four times in total. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane which is open today is designed by Benjamin Wyatt and its first opening performance was Hamlet in approximately 1812.
E: Excellent Thomas Neal Centre
The Thomas Neal Centre contains many designer outlets which attracts a large number of individuals each week. In the Thomas Neal Centre there are two floors which have a variety of shops from Fred Perry to Carhartt and there are cafés nearby where you can sit and relax.
Please see our articles on London Markets:
F: Fleet Street
Near Covent Garden is Prince Henry's Room which was built in 1610 and survived the Great Fire of London and is one the few houses to survive the Fire. There is free admission to the Prince Henry's Room and it is open Monday to Saturday.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Windows and The Great Fire of London
G: Garrick Club
In 1831 The Garrick Club was founded and provides a range of facilities such as accommodation, dining and a library which has a collection of paintings and drawings. It is a private member club which has an art collection with over one hundred paintings and guided tours can be given to small groups.
H: History
Flowers, fruit and vegetables were sold at Covent Garden Market until 1974 when the market moved to Nine Elms.
I: Independent Surveyors
As Independent Surveyors we have carried out a variety of different surveys in the Covent Garden area including Residential Building Surveys and also Commercial Surveys. If you are buying a house or business in Covent Garden then call us for a truly independent opinion, we are not influenced by Banks, Building Societies or Estate Agents!
Please see our surveying articles on:
Are Surveys Better Than Valuations?
J: Just close to Leicester Square
Leicester Square is close to Covent Garden where it attracts individuals due to its restaurants, entertainers and street artists. In the middle of Leicester Square is the statue of Shakespeare which is a copy of the memorial in Westminster Abbey of Shakespeare.
K: Knowledge Royal Opera House Backstage Tour
There are tours backstage at The Royal Opera House which allow you to find out about the history of The Royal Opera House and some of the current productions.
L: Lamb and Flag
The Lamb and Flag Public House is one of the oldest pubs in Londo ; it was called The Coopers Arms in 1772 until it changed in 1833 to The Lamb and Flag. It is often used fo r functions and offers traditional English food.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Leisure Facilities Building Surveys
M: Museum
The London Transport Museum originates approximately in the 1920's and has two levels with the highest level showing 19th Century London and the ground level showing On the surface from the 1900 to 1945.
N: Nearby is The Photographers Gallery
The Photographers Gallery was founded by Sue Davies and the Gallery moved in 2008 to Ramillies Street near Covent Garden. The Photographers Gallery is one of the most visited Galleries in Europe and has a range of exhibitions including the family and the land.
Please see our articles on London Parks:
O: Old Bow Street Police Station
The Bow Street Police Station is one of the most well known police station's in London and was founded in 1829. There was Bow Street Runners in approximately 1739 who were part of rotation offices which were set up in the Bow Street Police Station and they would find and catch the person responsible for the offence.
P: Performers
There are street performers in Covent Garden who attract large audiences by performing special shows – there seems to always be entertainment taking place in Covent Garden which makes it a popular tourist destination.
Q: Quiet Somerset House
Somerset Hous e is open to the public for free everyday of the week and was designed by Sir William Chambers in the 18th Century. You will be able to see beautiful art collections and the stunning interior free of any charges.
R: Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House was built in 1858 and was used as a dance room during the Second World War. The Royal Opera House holds over one hundred performances per season such as Les Troyens and Otello.
S: St. Paul 's Church
St Paul 's Church was built in 1633 by Inigo Jones and holds services most days and every Sunday. The Church has a beautiful Churchyard where individuals can enjoy the peace and quiet away from the busy hustle and bustle of the London streets.
Please see our surveying articles on:
Church property maintenance problems
T: The London Coliseum
The London Coliseum was opened in 1904 and was designed by Frank Matcham and contains just over two thousand seats; it is the largest Theatre in London . The London Coliseum was restored and improved and in the mid 1990s with Frank Matcham giving two hundred drawings to the London Coliseum.
U: University of London
The London School of Economics and Political Science which was in 1895 founded by Beatrice and Sidney Webb is located in the Covent Garden area.
V: Visitors
Visitors to Covent Garden will see a variety of properties in different styles, types and from different eras; the architecture is both stunning and diverse from The Royal Opera House's modern arched windowed extension to the majestic Theatre Royal Drury Lane .
W: Wide Range of Restaurants and Cafés
There are a number of restaurants and cafés in Covent Garden which provide a place to stop and enjoy the surroundings.
X: Xmas at Covent Garden
At Christmas in Covent Garden they have a range of celebrations and there is a stall which provides minced pies and hot apple juice. There is also the food market every Thursday and Friday from the beginning of November until the end of Christmas.
Y: Yearly Events
There are a number of events that occur every year in Covent Garden such as the Apple Market.
Z: Zero Traffic
Shopping in Covent Garden is much less stressful as there are wider streets for pedestrians where there are not a large number of cars near them.
Tubes:
Covent Garden, Leicester Square , Holborn, Charing Cross .
Trains :
Charing Cross, Waterloo , Waterloo International, London Bridge , Kings Cross, St Pancreas, Euston, Paddington and Victoria.
Buses:
1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 38, 55, 59, 69, 73, 77A, 91, 98, 134, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 242, 243, 341, RV1 and X68.
The Blewcoat School Gift Shop in Caxton Street, Westminister, London SW1
National trust attractions in other parts of London:
Fenton House in Hampstead
Carlyle House in Chelsea
Ham House and Garden in Richmond
Chapter House and Pyx Chamber in Westminister
English Heritage attractions in other parts of London include:
Blue Plaque at 91 Ashfield Street, Whitechapel. The founder of Tesco Sir Jack Cohen (1898 – 1979) grew up here.
St Mary Spital Charnel House, Spitalfields
Jewel Tower, Eastminster
Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner
Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner
We hope you enjoyed our article on Covent Garden Market and our comments from an Independent Surveyors point of view. Here are some links to some other articles that we have written and that may be of interest you.
We survey buildings in West London. Our independent surveyors are experienced and qualified and produce high quality surveys including Structural surveys, Building surveys and valuations on both residential and commercial properties. We use surveyors who are experienced with old properties, many having direct hands on experience of working on listed buildings. Equally we understand newer construction, it may look the same to the untrained eye but performs very differently and we would say is built to a price not a quality standard. We also survey buildings that have been altered and extended both with and without planning permission and building regulations. We solve and deal with building disputes and can also help you with your extension and alteration design work.
If you are purchasing a property in West London please ensure that you have a building survey carried out on it. A building survey, prepared by a chartered building surveyor could literally save you thousands of pounds. The survey only needs to uncover one potential problem with the property and the cost of the building survey is more than recovered.
If you book a building survey in West London with 1st Associated surveyors you will find that we take great pride in the quality of our building survey and produce a very detailed building survey report, whether it be for a residential property or a commercial property. We use plain English in our building surveys to explain any problems with the property to ensure that you understand the problems and how to resolve them.
We are independent surveyors who carry out building surveys in West London. We are independent of any lender or bank or mortgage company. When we are surveying a property we are working for you, not them. This means we are working towards your best interests. We want to ensure that your property investment is sound and that you are receiving value for money.
We are independent building surveyors that operate throughout the UK. As building surveyors we are often asked to work on not only a residential building survey but also a boundary walls dispute survey or or a specific defects survey if you have a problem with dampness or cracking in your property for example.
We are also commercial building surveyors, we can provide schedule of condition survey, property report, dilapidations report and a commercial building survey - our independent building surveyors have the skills and experience to save you money on your commercial building purchase.
We have a wealth of experience in providing Building Surveys to make sure you are buying the right property and providing market Valuations to ensure that you are buying the property at the right price. If you have any particular property problems we can carry out a Specific Defects Report.
Call us today on free phone 0800 298 5424 to discuss the services we offer. We are more than happy to talk about what the Building Surveys involve, these are also sometimes known as Structural Surveys or Engineers Reports.
References
Whilst most of this is written from local knowledge of the area, here are some websites that we think may interest you, some of which we have used for information and we would like to give them credit for this. We are only human so if there are any amendments or additions or updates we would be pleased to receive your feedback so we can keep our website up to date.
London-theatreland.co.uk/theatres/adelphi-theatre/history.php
Londontown.com/LondonInformation/Attraction/Queens_Chapel_of_the_Savoy/5474/
Londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/westendvenues/drurylane.htm
Spendtimeinlondon.com/fleet-street.html
Garrickclub.co.uk/
Lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/
Ltmuseum.co.uk/
Thephotographersgallery.org.uk/archive-highlights
Roh.org.uk/
Eno.org/explore/about-eno/london-coliseum/london-coliseum.php
Coventgardenlondonuk.com/events-entertainment-culture/articles/enjoy-a-very-merry-christmas-in-covent-garden