Historic Barnes House Collapses
Singer Duffy's former home was being renovated
The six bedroom Georgian property on The Terrace, in Barnes, was reportedly undergoing a basement extension when it collapsed at about just before midday on Thursday (26th November).
Local residents are speculating that the collapse is due to a basement being dug out at the property.
Now you see it
Now you don't!
Picture: twitter.com/grinty79
A spokesman for The Safer Basements Campaign said, “We started our campaign because we were so concerned about the safety of building basements in an area so close to the river. Much of Barnes is reclaimed marshland. Despite this, there are no compulsory requirements for the plans for basements in Barnes to have been properly assessed by specialist structural engineers with a knowledge of the dangers of building in such areas.”
Although Aimee Duffy has been registered at the address for the past four years on the electoral roll, local estate agents have said that she had sold it - it is recorded to have been sold for £3.5million.
It is also the former home of Ebeneezer Cobb Morley the inventor of the rules of Association Football.
London Fire Brigade say that the front elevation remains in a precarious position, but that no one has been hurt.
A spokeswoman for Richmond Council said: "Richmond Council was made aware of the collapsed building and council officers have been out on site to inspect the building. We are overseeing the removal of any part of the building that makes the site unsafe."
November 26, 2015