THE COCK PIT
RESTORATION PROJECT
TRANSFORMING ETON'S OLDEST BUILDING
Currently on Historic England’s At Risk register after falling into a state of disrepair, the derelict space is thought to date back to 1420 but has been left to deteriorate after previous efforts to restore the space ended in the developer’s bankruptcy in 2016.
Fortunately, a local company has stepped in to restore The Cockpit to its former glory and has now outlined its vision for the building. Structural Repairs of Windsor committed to buy The Cockpit, repair it, and open it as a tourist attraction, after it was put up for sale by the official receivers.
The current condition
There are many areas of concern for the building. These include the loss of weathering protection from the removal of wall finishes and roofing to the west end of the site. The long-term failures and water ingress that have resulted. The inhibiting conditions of the site, overwhelmed by piles of material waste and vegetation overgrowth that have already caused the structural collapse of a section of boundary wall.
600 years later
We are working to restore this historic building
The overall building is in very poor condition. There are risks to health
and safety and to the condition of adjacent buildings. It is not fit for occupation and
the building is a risk of further loss.
There have been historic adaptations and additions of poor quality material, structural design and inadequate external weathering and junction details that have been undertaken throughout the buildings history.
There has been deterioration over a long term from the lack of maintenance and
inappropriate materials.