C O N T E X T 1 1 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 3 rural villages to develop new business ventures to breathe new life into their areas, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for local people. Villages in Cheshire, Cumbria, Dorset, Lincolnshire and Carmarthenshire are among 28 villages shortlisted and awarded a development grant of up to £10,000 to develop their business proposal. Funding could preserve and develop the Grade II listed Trafford Watermill in Mickle Trafford, Cheshire. Lying in the valley of the River Gowy and first referred to in the 1300s, it would be transformed into a working corn mill and museum. The proposed transformation of the crushing mill in Cerne Abbas, Dorset, would resurrect the processing and production trades in the village, famous for its chalk giant. Surplus electricity generated would power village amenities such as the school and church. Ty Talcen, based in Myddfai, Carmarthenshire, would produce saleable items through its Made in Myddfai project. The enterprise is based around the Physicians of Myddfai, known for their work in homeopathy in the 13th century. Coniston Institute and the Ruskin Museum Trust’s Coniston Institute Transformation Scheme plans to transform the historic Coniston Institute into a venue for seminars, conferences and lectures. In Caistor, Lincolnshire, the Caistor Arts and Heritage Group has bid for Village SOS funding to refurbish a local disused building to create the Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre. Experienced business professionals – village champions – found through a nationwide search run by the BBC and Enterprise UK, will live and work for a year with the final six villages selected for filming. Alongside the Village SOS series a learning campaign will help other villages start new businesses. Bricks and water BritishWaterways and English Heritage have launched a joint publication England’s HistoricWaterways: a working heritage – promoting high-quality waterside development. Aimed primarily at local authorities, architects and developers, it is intended as an antidote to mediocrity and neglect in waterside development. The document was launched at a debate at London Zoo. The historian and broadcaster Tristram Hunt reminded the audience that the concept of context was fairly recent. The Victorians did more or less what they wanted when building. He warned against pushing the notion of functionalism too far: even functional architecture could be used as a means to portray status. The architect Derek Latham wanted to consider how water is perceived and used. Do we see it as a photogenic mirror that reflects the adjacent life? Do we fear water? Is it perceived as a barrier? Does the value of the network lie in the water itself: should water be a permanent feature while buildings might become redundant? Does the romantic notion of canals preclude using these for transport? Robin Nicholson of Edward Cullinan Architects pointed to the canal network as the most brilliant metaphor for slow living – now fashionable, but ironic considering that this network was built to provide a fast transport system. IHBC chair Dave Chetwyn highlighted the importance of developing a clear understanding of what local England’s HistoricWaterways: A working heritage Promoting high quality waterside development Brownsfield Mill in Piccadilly Basin, Manchester, before and after improvement communities wanted at an early stage. The document can be downloaded from the helm website (www.helm. org.uk) and BritishWaterways’ website (where an audio file of the debate can be found (www.britishwaterways.co.uk/ourwork/delivering-public-benefit/heritage). Florence Salberter, heritage advisor, BritishWaterways Brooking online A website has been launched as a guide to the Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail for potential users, from architectural students and professionals in the fields of architecture, restoration and conservation, to home owners seeking guidance on replacing items lost from their houses due to unsympathetic modernisation. The site explains how to arrange a group tour of the gallery at Cranleigh, Surrey, and how to commission Charles Brooking to encourage a building to give up the secrets of its past. Brooking takes his message around the country by presenting workshops and giving talks. The Brooking Collection is a comprehensive collection of architectural detail originating from buildings, domestic and commercial, ranging from castles, palaces and country houses to artisan cottages. It covers wooden and metal features extracted from buildings dating back 500 years, and some taken from 1960 icons. The collection was founded in 1966 and became a registered charity, the Brooking Architectural MuseumTrust, in 1988. The trust’s aim is to display the collection within a publicly-accessible museum but, for the moment, the Brooking Home Study Gallery in Surrey is the best way to access items. The collection illustrates the evolution of the British window, the British door, and their furniture, frames and fittings, and displays a cross-section of these, with domestic stained glass, staircases, fire grates and fire frames, and rainwater goods such as rainwater heads. Among the exhibits are hugelycomplex sash windows painstakingly removed from site and stripped of layers of paint to reveal their original construction details. There is also a dedicated section on the development of the Crittalltype domestic steel window, introduced in its standard sizes after 1918 and made by many different companies throughout the country. Contact Charles Brooking through the website (www.charlesbrookingcollection. com) or by phone on 01483 274203. Wendy Rosier Johnson
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