Walcot Reclamation was the world's first place selling old parts of buildings that was actually named a 'reclamation yard' by us in 1976. The name had a double meaning: it was a place reclaiming old building materials, and it was set in a run-down area of Bath that we were trying to revive. A large part of the Walcot area of Bath in the mid-70s was due to be demolished to make way for a road tunnel under the centre of the City. A 'yard' in Bath was from Georgian times a small area of buildings behind a street and surrounding a courtyard where people lived and worked, such as Walcot Yard. Up to then the only businesses using the name 'reclamation' were ones material recycling such as scrap metal or waste paper dealers.
 
So Walcot Reclamation was based at Walcot Yard where we had a reclamation yard. Most of who worked there called it simple 'The Yard'.
 
Before Walcot Rec, in 1973, Rick Knapp, Glyn Davies and I set up a small co-operative of around 20 people which started out as Bath Community Design Workshop (an offshoot of Bath Arts Workshop) and was renamed Comtek Depot in Bedford Street, Bath. This contained one of the UK's first salvage yards (see illustration) as well as a building business. We were then asked to clear the old Victorian builders yard of Hayward & Wooster in Walcot Street, and, with Rick, Simon Chippindale, Rich Cooper and me, we started the job of clearing up a hundred years of leftovers, and we started selling salvage on Saturdays.
 
Ricko ran Walcot Rec, with me running Walcot Builders, although nominally we were partners in both. Many people worked at Walcot, including the late Mike Kemp, David Bridgwater, John Robbins, Marcus Olliff, James McEnerney, Rod Donaldson and Damian Cronin. There were also a large number of workshops and studios housing craftspeople in most disciplines who designed and made new products, topping up their income by restoring our salvage.
 
Eventually Walcot Builders went bankrupt, and I left Walcot Rec in 1990 to start Salvo. Eventually Walcot Reclamation went bankrupt too and so the world's first reclamation yard ceased to be, and now the last vestiges are to be demolished to make way for new housing.
 
Will the materials from the demolition be reclaimed and reused in the new build?