Letter from Hoggett Lock-Necrews, chartered Architects and Planning Consultants, concerning repair work which needed to be carried out at Penylan House, Cardiff, 30 November 1987

Description

A letter dated 30 November 1987 from Hoggett Lock-Necrews Chartered Architects and Planning Consultants, to Penylan House Management. The letter reports of the Penylan House visit carried out on 25 November to inspect the "defects evident in the external brickwork fabric of the south block, which constitutes Phase 2 of the Home" and then details the work that would need to be done. Some of these repairs include removing copings and specific brickwork to help assess how much moisture was trapped in the walls and making concrete repairs to the lintels. The letter gives a rough estimate of the work costing £10,000. It is suggested that all work be carried out simultaneously as no single job was more important than the others and recommends that work should begin in Spring 1988, as this would cause minimum inconvenience. The letter ends by asking for confirmation that the advice given us only based on opinions and assumption.

Pencare (formerly known as 'The Trustees of Penylan House') is a charity, which offers care for elderly people of the Jewish faith and is currently based in Cardiff, although the catchment area for the home covers South Wales and the West of England. Pencare has been working with Linc Cymru to redevelop their care home, Penylan House, to ensure high quality care to Cardiff's elderly Jewish community and extending the care to elderly people not of the Jewish faith.

Mr Henry Silver and other members of the Cardiff Jewish community had originally founded a Home for the Aged in 1946 in Canton. In December 1948, the Home moved to Holme Towers in Penarth to provide more space for its large number of applications. Despite the beautiful surroundings, the Home in Penarth was quite isolated, so the difficult decision was later taken to move the Home to Penylan Road in Cardiff, meaning many residents were now closer to their friends and relatives. Residents moved to Penylan House in February 1959.

Sources:
http://opencharities.org/charities/243968;
http://www.housingcare.org/downloads/facilities/generated-brochures/134508-penylan-house-nursing-home-cardiff-wales.pdf;
Cajex, Magazine of the Association of Jewish Ex-service Men and Women (Cardiff), Vol. IX, No. 1, Ninth Year - March 1959, pp. 60- 65.

Depository: Glamorgan Archives.