Prince Charles 'black spider' letters released: Heir to throne urged charity to save Smithfield Market buildings from demolition

The chairman of English Heritage received the letter from Charles in 2005

(Getty)

The chairman of English Heritage received a letter from Charles in which he urged the conservation charity to step in to protect buildings in London’s Smithfield Market which were earmarked for demolition.

The Prince’s lobbying of Sir Neil Cossons was revealed in a February 2005 letter from the then Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, in which she told him she shared his concern about the fate of the buildings. On advice from English Heritage, she asked the then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to ensure they were not razed.

A letter Prince Charles wrote to then Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in March 2005

In his reply, the Prince wrote: “As you know, I attach the greatest importance to preserving, restoring and re-using such precious heritage townscapes and I can only pray that the Deputy Prime Minister will take your advice and give the most careful consideration to development plans.”

A month later, Charles wrote to Ms Jowell again to ask if she could intervene in conservation efforts to preserve Antarctic huts built by the explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott. While acknowledging that her department was unable to help with overseas projects, he added: “Whatever the case, and however futile my plea to you for a bit of imaginative flexibility in the interpretation of these rules, I just want to emphasize the iconic importance of these huts in those great Antarctic journeys.”