C O N T E X T 1 1 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 1 Cover: IHBC Annual School delegates visit the historic London Hippodrome, currently a spectacular shell. (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) Editorial Institute ofHistoricBuildingConservation No116 September 2010 IHBC Annual School in London Delivering excellence in conservation The serious business of heritage The organisers’ first thought had been to focus the 2010 IHBC Annual School on the theme of how the historic environment meets today’s leisure needs in the context of the run-up to the Olympics. But it was pointed out to them that they might be misjudging the sensitivities of some of those who might pay the fees of potential delegates or sponsor the event. In a recession, the organisers concluded, leisure might be thought to be just too lacking in seriousness. So the theme became how to provide high-quality conservation services. Of course, as David McDonald pointed out in chairing the Day School, leisure is still a major force in the economy, and in a recession some people have more time on their hands than they would like. The question is how to support heritage at a time when money is tight. But then, money is always tight for heritage. Even in economically buoyant times the sector has to explain how heritage is valuable not just for our enjoyment, and to learn from, and as a force for social cohesion, and to help us to understand where we came from, and for its aesthetic value, and for creating successful places, but also for its role in supporting economic growth. In a recession, and at a time when the government is keen to let communities decide for themselves what they value (or how much compensation will persuade them to sacrifice something they value), we need to find new opportunities for expressing the familiar truths. It’s what we are good at. A decade ago, Robert Grant noted that ‘at Safeway, the label “Heritage” denotes a superior grade of meat; at B&Q, a simulated mahogany shelving system’. Such was the value – or at least the assumed selling power – of a concept that is as powerful as ever. People ask: what is the difference between heritage and history? You could say that heritage is what we value from the past. And Safeway is history. www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a Charity Number 1061593. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England Number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road,TunbridgeWells, Kent TN2 4QZ. Officers President Eddie Booth email [email protected] Chair Jo Evans email [email protected] Vice Chair Sheila Stones email [email protected] Secretary Richard Morrice email [email protected] Treasurer Michael Knights email [email protected] Membership Secretary vacant email [email protected] Education Secretary John Preston email [email protected] Publicity Secretary Doug Black email [email protected] Law & Practice Coordinator vacant email [email protected] Director Seán O’Reilly email [email protected] Projects Officer Fiona Newton email [email protected] Consultant Consultations Coordinator James Caird email [email protected] Membership Services Officer Joanna Theobald email [email protected] Administration Officer Lydia Porter email [email protected] Committee Chairs Policy Mike Brown email [email protected] Membership & Ethics (Acting) Richenda Codling email [email protected] Finance & Resources Richard Morrice email [email protected] Education John Preston email [email protected] Communications & Outreach Charles Strang email [email protected] Branch Officers North Geoff UnderwoodTel 0191 433 3435 NorthWest Kate Borland Tel 0161 235 8803 Yorkshire Keith Knight Tel 01904 658482 West Midlands Charles Shapcott Tel 0121 7044312 East Midlands Roy Lewis Tel 01636 619335 South Julia Foster Tel 01296 585888 SouthWest Ian LundTel 01225 477687 East Anglia Phil Godwin Tel 01263 516131 South East David Kincaid Tel 01227 862185 London David McDonald Tel 020 7361 3352 Scotland Stuart Eydmann Tel 01506 775279 Wales Nathan Blanchard Tel 01492 583443 Northern Ireland Sharon BrownTel 028 9754 3087 Republic of Ireland Cormac O’Sullivan Tel 00353 5677 62907 Business Office Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA England Tel 01747 873133 Fax 01747 871718 email [email protected] Briefing 2 Out of Context 4 Periodically 5 The writer’s voice 7 IHBC Annual School 2010 Going for Gold in 2010: a capital conference Sheila Stones 9 Day School reports Keynote address Debbie Dance 13 Delivering a high quality conservation service John Davey 13 Knowledge is power: historic environment records Alyson Cooper 14 Creative thinking: making the best of design panels David Clegg 15 The way ahead: PPS5 and all that Marc Timlin 16 Structural works to the Royal Albert Hall Rik Fox 17 A game of two halves: Highbury Stadium redevelopment Edmund Bird 18 Waving not drowning: keeping historic swimming baths in use LouiseWallace 19 London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust RoseWakelin 20 Seminars and tours London’s Theatreland tour David McDonald 21 South Bank walking tour Michael Taylor 23 Kings Cross canal-side development tour David Blackburn 24 Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields tour Stewart Ramsdale 25 Royal Albert Hall tour Pippa Card 26 Bursary winner reports Nourishing fare at the beginning of a career Lynda Tomkins 29 Learning about excellence Liz Bates 29 Architecturally speaking 31 Archaeological view 34 Notes from the chair 38 Director’s cut 39 The 2010 Gus Astley Award 40 Vox pop 41 Conference report: Heritage as Opportunity, Vilnius 42 Book reviews 43 Products and services 45 Advertisers index 48
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