In his single-minded drive for academic excellence, the Vice-Chancellor was almost inevitably forced to delay or play down the financial demands and needs of other parts of the University. One of the major casualties was the University estate, such that by mid-1991 major problems of maintenance were pressing. In many parts of the University the state of its buildings was very poor. These problems would have been present anyway, since many buildings were of a similar age, and some were of poor design and finish; the cuts exacerbated an already serious situation. Brickwork was crumbling; broken sashes were commonplace; in one building, a lift had not worked for years; in Physics, the roofs over very expensive machinery were leaking; and in Senate House itself, early in 1990, water was running down the light flex of one of the most prestigious offices on the Vice-Chancellor's corridor. Some staff rooms were damp, and throughout the University there was a tremendous backlog of painting waiting to be done. Indeed, in 1987 a Peat Marwick Report on Building and Estates Operations noted that