Institute of Historic Building Conservation No 117 November 2010 Looking back Ten years of the heritage cycle
Call us now on 01248 600 656 or visit www.welshslate.com Welsh Slate Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 4YG E-mail: [email protected] ROOFING THE NATION’S BUILDINGS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 1 Cover: Ten years of the heritage cycle (see p10). Image by Rob Cowan Editorial Institute ofHistoricBuildingConservation No117November2010 Looking back Ten years of the heritage cycle A wobbly ride on the heritage cycle With unprecedented turmoil in the world of local government, there is no guessing where the world of heritage will be in 10 years time. What we can do is look back at the decade in the heritage cycle. That is what Nigel Barker does in this issue (p10). It was, he writes, 10 years of change and uncertainty. That sounds like good preparation for some more of the same. Remember how we all struggled to become familiar with the concepts of local development schemes and statements of community involvement, he asks? And how we wondered how we would manage to retain protection of the historic environment in the relentless drive to deliver housing, as reform of historic environment legislation entered a critical phase? Barker regrets that the continual attrition and attacks on the value of planning that have taken place over the past 10 years have not been effectively challenged. Time to consolidate change has not been provided and speed has become a virtue. The move to place the historic environment at the centre of the planning system has not been accompanied by a recognition of how important it is to provide resources, time and appropriate political support for such a move. Now that the value of the planning system itself is being fundamentally questioned, Barker asks, will the time and intellectual effort spent over the last decade prove to be irrelevant? Jo Evans, in her Notes from the Chair (p40), also reviews the past 10 years, in her case by looking through a decade’s issues of Context. Two strong themes emerge: the role of conservation as a force for the economic health and vitality of our countryside, towns and cities; and a new emphasis on sustainability and green matters. One thing is certain: those issues will be no less central to the heritage cycle in the coming decade. And although some of the coalition government’s instincts may seem deeply worrying for the heritage sector, the IHBC’s development over the past 10 years has put it in a position where we can relish whatever battles lie ahead. 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 5 Letter 5 Periodically 5 The writer’s voice 8 The heritage cycle: 2000–2010 Nigel Barker 10 Looking back from the future Alan Powers 13 Managing the waterways heritage Nigel Crowe 17 Tickhill Castle revisited Charles Hippisley-Cox 21 Striking a balance Alex Jones 24 Walls in the historic landscape Matthew Price 28 Lost: from Babel to 9/11 Graham Tite 32 Architecturally speaking 34 Archaeological view 36 Notes from the chair 40 Director’s cut 41 Vox pop 43 Book reviews 44 Products and services 49 Advertisers index 52
2 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Briefing Context Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Fiona Newton 21 George Street, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 9JU Tel 01507 602567 email [email protected] Editorial Board Fiona Newton (chair) Nigel Crowe (main features) Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Michael Taylor (main features) Cartoons by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2010 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Published for the Institute of Historic Building Conservation by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Fax 01747 871718 email [email protected] www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to non-members of the IHBC at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £50.00 Elsewhere £75.00 Subscription orders, together with remittances payable to Institute of Historic Building Conservation, should be sent to the IHBC Business Office at Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily held by the IHBC or the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November.The copy deadlines in 2011 are: March, Issue 118 17 January May, Issue 119 21 March July, Issue 120 16 May September, Issue 121 18 July November, Issue 122 19 September New work at Mary Arden’s Farm Conservation work will be carried out at Mary Arden’s Farm, near Stratford-upon-Avon, this winter, as the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust embarks on phase two of a long-term programme to conserve the childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother. Mary Arden’s House and the adjacent Palmer’s Farm, which date from the early 16th century, present a complex conservation challenge for the trust, the independent charity which is responsible for maintaining the five Grade l listed Shakespeare houses in Stratford-upon-Avon. The first-floor structure in Mary Arden’s House will be strengthened, enabling an area that has been closed for many years to be reopened. The tiles on the roof of the adjacent Wagon Bay barn will be re-fixed. There will be further conservation to roofs, gutters and exterior decoration across the site. Bournemouth online A new virtual museum presents the history of Bournemouth online.The Streets of Bournemouth website (www.streets-of-bournemouth.org. uk) is the result of a partnership between Bournemouth University and Bournemouth Council. Part of the celebrations to mark the town’s bicentenary this year, the site has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Visitors to the website can see how their own areas developed by comparing layers of historical Bournemouth maps, available for the first time on the internet. They can call up associated images and information about Bournemouth’s people and buildings, and its development as a health and seaside resort. The exhibits include a collection of Victorian glass photographic plates depicting Bournemouth between the 1860s and 1880s at the height of its early development as a spa resort. The photographs are the work of father and son Robert andWJ Day. Bournemouth residents past and present will be able to add their own photographs, collections, stories and memories to the site. The university and the council have distributed a programme for primary schools featuring online learning material and a physical resource box for teachers called Bournemouth in a Box. The photographs show repairs in the first phase at Mary Arden’s Farm in 2009.Top: Palmer’s Farm: steel supports supporting the end of the building while the defective stonework below was demolished and rebuilt on new foundations. Bottom: Rebuilding works in progress on the stone wall of the Byre (Photo: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust) An early photograph of Bournemouth town centre Plans are being drawn up to restore and carry out seismic retrofitting to the President’s House on the outskirts of Portof-Spain,Trinidad.The British colonial-style house, built in 1874, was damaged in an earthquake earlier this year. One wing partially collapsed. Gifford is the engineering and environmental consultant.
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 3 Landscapes Project was conducted by English Heritage in collaboration with AdvantageWest Midlands and local authorities to promote new uses for historic farmsteads, while respecting the character of the landscape. The study found that more than 80 per cent of historic farmsteads in the West Midlands had retained some or all of their traditional working buildings. Over two thirds of those in existence since 1900 had already been converted to non-agricultural use (the majority for residential use), and five per cent to sole industrial, commercial or retail use (such as workshops, self-catering holiday homes and office rental space). A third remained in agricultural use, with varying degrees of diversification. The study claims that the economic benefits of residential use (which typically can result in the conversion of individual buildings) are often overlooked. One in 12 of the farmsteads in residential use in the region are now the registered office of a limited company. Historic farmsteads are more often used for home-based entrepreneurial business than other dwellings. SPAB scholarships The SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) is looking for four young professionals from the world of architecture and building to award 2011 scholarships. The successful applicants will set off together early in the new year on a journey of architectural discovery. They will visit some of the country’s best built heritage projects to deepen their knowledge of historic buildings and the issues surrounding their conservation. The scholarship is open to young architects, building surveyors or structural engineers who have some post-qualification experience and who can demonstrate their enthusiasm for historic building conservation. The aim is to give outstanding young building professionals first-hand experience of conservation, visiting and working on site and in craft workshops and studios throughout the UK. During the nine-month programme, the scholars travel together as a group, living, learning and working in a range of locations from stately homes to building sites. After spending the first six months together, they take individual paths for the last three months of the scheme, developing their own specific areas of interest in a project related to the English country house. Successful candidates will receive a bursary to cover basic travel and living costs. The closing date for applications is 1 January. Email [email protected] for details. Hoveton’s glass The early 19th century glasshouse at Hoveton Hall, Norfolk, has been restored. The Grade II* listed cast-iron structure, one of the earliest examples of its kind, had been derelict. Archaeological investigations and historic research undertaken as part of the project suggest that the structure was completed in the 1820s, possibly the work of John Adey Repton. Purcell Miller Tritton was the architect for the restoration. Energy House In January the University of Salford will unveil what it calls the world’s first Energy House. The house is a full-size traditional terraced house built in a laboratory to study domestic energy consumption. It is fitted as a typical working home, built in the same style as 4.5 million pre-1920 Former SPAB scholars Meriel O’Dowd, Lucy Stewart and Maya Polenz get to grips with a ventilation shaft on a site visit to theWest Somerset Mineral Railway. The restored early 19th century, cast-iron glasshouse at Hoveton Hall, Norfolk The Energy House: tests will show how its energy consumption changes. homes in the UK, with fully functioning water, gas and electricity supplies. The university’s academics are conducting tests inside the house to gauge how its energy consumption changes depending on variable factors and conditions. Statistics from the Communities and Local Government English House Condition Survey 2007 Annual Report show that 70 per cent of the country’s residential property will still be inhabited in 2050 and 91 per cent of all UK homes would benefit substantially from improvements in energy efficiency. Improved insulation and boiler upgrades alone could see heating emissions reduced by 22 per cent. The country’s least efficient properties were predominantly constructed prior to 1920. These currently make up 15 per cent of UK homes but account for 23 per cent of total notional carbon dioxide emissions. Of these dwellings, more than two million are the two-up, two-down terraces that the university has replicated. Recent research commissioned by Salford has shown that 50 per cent of registered housing providers do not yet have a retrofit plan. This is in spite of the government’s continuing commitment to theWarm Homes, Greener Homes strategy that has set a carbon emissions target of virtually zero from nearly all housing stock by 2050. More details at www. energy.salford.ac.uk. The diverse farm A study of more than 22,000 historic farmsteads in theWest Midlands shows that historic farm buildings are contributing significantly to the 21st century economy and countryside. TheWest Midlands Farmsteads and
4 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Carved and painted eaves at the Baekje temple The Buddhist temple complex, with lotus pond Yorkshire Dales survivor It may not look so pretty these days, but the Punchard Gill toll house in Arkengarthdale inYorkshire Dales National Park has been saved. The building has been re-roofed and partially underpinned, stonework has been rebuilt and repointed, and external joinery and guttering has been renewed. The work was carried out through a partnership between theYorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Natural England and the owner. The toll house was sited at the edge of the enclosed land, just as the road opens out on to moorland, in order to make it difficult to avoid paying tolls. The building, which was used to collect tolls from passing traffic after the road was turnpiked in 1770, has been used as an agricultural store for the past 100 years. Turnpike trusts were generally wound up in the second half of the 19th century and responsibility for the roads passed to the county councils in 1888. Symposium in Buyeo Dennis Rodwell writes: South Korea has experienced rapid industrialisation and urbanisation since the early 1990s, accompanied by much loss of its architectural heritage. At the same time, focused programmes of heritage recovery and interpretation are generously funded, satisfying a popular hunger for knowledge about the nation’s past and affording good professional opportunities in the field. The Baekje kingdom, founded in 18 BC, was one of the three ancient warrior kingdoms of the Korean peninsula. It fell to invasion in 660 AD, and its people became exiled Punchard Gill toll house before (above) and after in Japan – where cultural traditions survived and evolved. The city of Buyeo was the third and final capital of the kingdom (538–660 AD). A three-day international symposium, a component of the 2010 Great Baekje World Festival, was hosted in Buyeo. The importance of presenting ‘a past for the future’ in today’s technologically advanced Korea was emphasised by a number of the speakers. The need was not merely to explain the surviving relics – whether archaeological sites or movable finds – but also their socioeconomic and geo-cultural context. In-Souk Cho, an architect from Seoul, spoke of the importance of creativity in cities as the life-blood of cultural continuity. She and other speakers emphasised the importance of preserving authenticity. In architectural terms, of setting, form, design, materials (but not, significantly, original fabric), craftsmanship, functionality and uniqueness. And in human terms, of keeping traditions vivid and alive by galvanising audiences’ interactive emotional responses through creative performance, the arts, music, and story-telling. Globally, there is no one philosophy of conservation. Asian cultures, especially those conditioned to the use of perishable building materials such as wood and thatch, do not, for example, coincide with ours in their definition of authenticity or concern for original fabric. The 1994 Nara (Japan) Document on Authenticity encouraged a more inclusive approach through the UNESCOWorld Heritage Convention, exampled in Europe by the inscription of Viollet-le-Duc’s ‘restoration’ of Carcassonne, France, as a world heritage site in 1997. The philosophical challenge at the venue of this Buyeo conference was, however, of a quite different order. The Baekje kingdom collapsed in 660 AD. Today’s Baekje royal palace, complete with its temple complex, village settlement (community buildings, houses and workshops) and defensive fort, is new. It was begun in 1993 and completed for the opening of this Baekje Festival in September 2010.Whatever the documentary and archaeological evidence (the latter, from other locations), today’s Baekje palace is in every way the ‘rebirth of a 1,400-year legacy’ – a fact that is freely admitted in the publicity handouts and very well presented in the adjacent interpretive museum. That history and heritage are good for tourism and drivers for economies is well-documented. This year’s Baekje Festival (the Buyeo palace was the main venue; there were others in the neighbouring city of Gongju, the second of the three capitals of the former kingdom) attracted almost three million visitors. The educational and tourist value of historical re-creation is also known to us in the UK – as visitors to Stirling Castle, for example, will be well aware. The sheer scale of the recreation at Buyeo was impressive, as was its self-evident popularity with local and international visitors. Of these, a significant proportion were from Japan – to where the Baekje people migrated in the seventh century. Dennis Rodwell is a consultant in cultural heritage and sustainable urban development.
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 5 Letter ‘The generations who will either pass on the memory of our disputatious liberty or be not much bovvered about the doings of obscure ancestors, and go back to Facebook for an hour or four, need history most.’ Department for Education history adviser Simon Schama setting out his vision for the future history curriculum in the Guardian. ‘Whywas English Heritage’s grant from government cut by 32 per cent when the national museums were cut by a more modest 15 per cent? I have to say that in my mind there is no doubt that those two figures were closely related to each other. The national museums have protected free entry. The rest of the historic environment now bears that cost.’ Baroness Kay Andrews speaking at the AGM of the Historic Houses Association ‘The government isn’t supporting us. Nobody would say there is too much money going in. It would be negligent not to try to appeal to a wider audience. It’s commercially important and morally important. ‘If you don’t open to the unconverted, as well as the converted, then financially you won’t be able to survive. My job as curator of history won’t be done until it’s as popular as the X Factor.’ LucyWorsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, speaking at the AGM of the National Trust ‘I’m finding the Big Society so far no fun at all. Almost daily emails are arriving from hard-working and committed contacts, saying that their job, role and whatever else is coming to an end, and they as yet have no clear idea what, if anything, will happen next. No provision it seems is being made by these people’s organisations to retain core knowledge or maintain legacy. Basically, it’s all off. ‘The unemployment stats are dreadful and will get worse, but they still tell only part of the story. More is being lost than is visible and measured. Many people on short-term contracts, or sitting as appointees on A listed building deserves respect. New commandment From Brian O’Callaghan, Sonning Readers of Context may be interested in this little-known protection afforded to listed buildings. These are the railings outside the building built as the Bristol Philosophical and Literary Institution, Park Street, Bristol, by Charles Cockerell (1821–3). Brian O’Callaghan committees and councils – surely the very essence of the Big Society? – are finding their role is no more (and often without so much as a thank-you note because the organisation which they served has disappeared). These invisible, uncounted folk, with their more evidently cast aside ‘employee’ co-workers, provide a backbone of knowledge and expertise which is easily destroyed and very difficult to replace. ‘Is it simply unthinking failure to grasp the underpinnings of our complex civic society, or is it actually plain knowing neglect, which will soon lose the current rich seam of expertise across public life? It would be good if some of those urging us to ‘work with’ the Big Society were also promoting vigorously the need to conserve the skills and knowledge which are at such serious risk of being lost.’ From Hilary Burrage’s blog on www.newstartmag.co.uk ‘Otherways of financing restoration must be found, otherwise Venice is doomed to be covered in ads for the rest of its life, because its buildings will always be undergoing work due to their great age and the environmental fragility of the city. ‘We ask you to imagine the disappointment that the 17.5 million visitors to Venice this year will feel. They come to this iconic city with an image of it in their mind’s eye, and instead they see its famous views grotesquely defaced.’ From a letter to the Italian government fromVenice in Peril complaining about the practice of selling advertising space on awnings covering scaffolding erected for restoration work around St Mark’s Square and on the Grand Canal. ‘IN MANY CASES churches can co-exist quite happily with bats, but where they are roosting in large numbers the damage they cause creates an intolerable burden for rural congregations and we are urgently seeking ways of mitigating the problem within the law. ‘At a time when we in the Church are trying to keep the fabric of our beautiful historic churches in good order for the nation as a whole and opening up the buildings for wider community use, it is unfair that the financial burden of what is in effect running wildlife sanctuaries should also be placed on rural congregations.’ Anne Sloman, chair of the Church Buildings Council ‘HERITAGE assets are wrongly viewed as a crumbling piece of an awkward obstacle to development. In most communities, they are rightly seen as huge assets from which the community can benefit. They make each community distinct and different, and keep us in touch with our local past.’ Minister for Heritage and Tourism John Penrose MP speaking in the House of Commons
6 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Periodically The axe-wielding barbarians are at the gates! The thunderous pounding of their advance has been ringing in our ears for some time. By the time you read this, the extent of the intended plunder will be clearer. This mood is captured by John Innerdale’s cartoon in Cornerstone, the newsletter of the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), Vol 31, No 3 2010, which depicts ‘Charlie Coalition’ struggling with a huge in-tray (the heritage brief) with the caption ‘Whitehall embraces change in the heritage sector – merge, unify, combine, streamline, bin’. Is the heritage sector about to be laid waste? If decimation or dismemberment is not to be our fate, is dissembling? Philip Venning, secretary of the SPAB, detects a worrying revival of ‘Restoration’ – not the TV series, and not the word most people use to mean any kind of work to an old building, but the pejorative term invoked by the damaging Victorian re-invention of the past, and what the society was founded to oppose. The object of this ire, surprisingly, is the National Trust chairman, Simon Jenkins, who declares that he is all for restoration when it comes to ruins. Jenkins considers himself to be Victorian in his approach, seeing little point in ruins other than as a work or art or piece of archaeology. What worries Venning is the implication that ‘the longstanding philosophy of the SPAB and, broadly, of English Heritage is too austere, too elitist. That only by turning historic buildings into versions of how they might possibly have been at some random date can one explain the past to the general public and fire their enthusiasm for it. Maybe not as undiluted Disneyland, but as more academically accurate versions’. Venning is also concerned with what lies behind English Heritage’s recent Conservation Principles, and in particular what he refers to as ‘that restorer’s charter, the test of “significance”. Had this weasel word remained part of an internal English Heritage document, it would have been less serious’. Now ‘significance’ has found its way into PPS5.While this was only supposed to clarify and simplify procedures for listed building and other heritage consents, SPAB found at a recent public inquiry at which it gave evidence that the opposite side claimed that PPS5 permitted a degree of restoration, and that this was now more acceptable. Fortunately for the society, in that particular case the inspector took SPAB’s view, but it was felt that at a future inquiry PPS5 might prove a dangerous weapon in the hands of a shrewd and determined restorer. Not everyone seems unhappy with the new government’s relationship with heritage. Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, comments in C20, the society’s magazine (Autumn 2010), that the new set of ministers responsible for historic buildings (both are Conservatives) so far seem to be good news as far as the buildings of that era are concerned. The first listing decision to be announced under the new regime was the Chamberlain Powell and Bon buildings at Leeds University, a very large complex of brutalist buildings that the society had campaigned to be protected. All were listed (one element at Grade ll*), although it transpired that the decision had never reached the minister, having been signed off by a junior civil servant. The minister, John Penrose, subsequently used his blog to describe the case as ‘straightforward’ and some of the buildings involved as ‘rather beautiful, modern and – as far as I could see – entirely uncontroversial’. Croft remarks that ‘this was a fantastic rejection of the knee-jerk tabloid sensibility that still tries unfailingly to link the word “concrete” with “monstrosity” and a calm acceptance of the evident quality of a great bit of architecture’. Subsequent listings have also included the much-delayed case of Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. Among the quango abolitions and amalgamations, the Theatres Trust observes in its magazine (No 25, Autumn 2010) that it has not been immune from the government’s commitment to reduce public spending. The DCMS is making sweeping changes to its arms-length bodies, including the trust. The DCMS rightly identifies the trust as a valued advisory statutory body. Its continued existence is important to protecting the future of theatres, but to reduce its administrative costs the secretary of state is proposing to declassify them. What this seems to mean in practice is that they will become independent of the department, but they are
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 7 still empowered by the terms of the Theatres Trust Act(s) to promote the better protection of theatres for the nation. The culture secretary will transfer the power of appointment of the trust’s trustees to the Theatres Trust itself. It will take over responsibility for trustee recruitment from the DCMS public appointments unit. At least for one valued body it appears it is business as usual. The announcement that the DCLG will replace regional development agencies (RDAs) with local enterprise partnerships means that local authorities and others will need to regroup and make new alliances. RDAs which had been so supportive of heritage-led regeneration (most notable among them being the North West Regional Development Agency) will be missed. Policy is essential to support protection. In this issue, Rose Freeman, the trust’s planning policy officer, has marked the receipt of the trust’s 3,000th (yes really!) local development framework consultation to synthese the way in which spatial policies secure the protection of theatres. She reports on her work and how local authorities have adopted the trust’s suggestions and recommendations. Turning to weighty matters further afield, the Association for Preservation Technology’s APT Bulletin (Vol 41, Nos 2–3 2010) continues to demonstrate outstanding technical work being done in North America, while also highlighting projects in Sweden and, through UNESCO, in Asia. The Swedish study is by Emma Hocker, who describes a very out-of-theordinary scheme: the extensive upgrade to the air-conditioning of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, helping to preserve the largest and best-preserved wooden warship ever salvaged from the seabed and conserved. The ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, was salvaged in 1961 and, after 26 years of conservation, moved to the purpose-built museum in 1988. The internal airspace of the museum is 105,000 cubic metres. The exhibition areas, although air-locked, were generating an unstable climate which the new climate-control system has rectified, despite the huge volume of air involved. This is probably one of the largest internal public spaces in the world maintained to such a close tolerance. The solution is a major conservation achievement. The scientific investigation of bright, unsightly, red staining on white marble at the Memorial Amphitheatre of 1920 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington is the subject of an evaluation by Carol Grissom, Claire Gervais, Nicole Little, Genevieve Bieniosek and Richard Speakman. Such staining of marble, documented in Italy as early as 1844, was initially ascribed to biological sources, but research 25 years ago concluded that it was caused by the oxidisation of lead derived from its use for roofing, gutters and so on. Alkaline mortar, acidic water, atmospheric agents and microorganisms were also proposed as contributors. The article illustrates this phenomenon in colour, explaining in detail the recent scientific process of analysis. This definitively proves lead to be the culprit. Preventing staining requires the elimination of any of the elements necessary for its formation: excess water, lead and high alkalinity cement mortar. The report warns that methods of remediation, apart from overpainting or replacement of the affected stone, are unlikely to be successful. Conservation of modern materials in 20th-century historic buildings is the subject of two articles in this issue of APT Bulletin: matters which will become of increasing concern as more modern buildings such as those at Leeds and Milton Keynes become protected. Laura Buchner describes the restoration of Akoustolith ceiling tiles (a 20th-century acoustical-finish material) at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Devine in NewYork, which are a significant component of the interior finishes. The article outlines the history of the material; how it was incorporated into the building; and how it was cleaned and stabilised following a fire in 2001. The author emphasises the importance of gaining a full understanding of the properties of the material though archival and laboratory research to ensure sensitive repair. The second article looks at the conservation of architectural cast Pyrex glass, a material, usually associated with cookware, which presents its own special conservation problems. Mary Jablonski gives a brief history of the production of the material which, despite some experimental antecedents, commenced in 1915, with panels for architectural work made in the early 1930s. One of the best examples – illustrated in the article – is at the Rockefeller Centre in New York. Of the lessons learned from the conservation project, the author stresses how complex the decisions about conservation treatments can be. They are potentially further complicated by a lack of information on such ‘modern’, if transiently used, materials. Those concerned with the fire protection in historic buildings will find the article by Douglas Porter and Nick Artim of interest. It explores the application of the latest technology in designing and installing fire detection and fire suppression systems to a mid-18th-century California property on the register of National Historic Landmarks. This involves some clearly explained and sensitive interventions. Another article by James Mellett and Shelley Smith looks at the non-invasive techniques, namely the use of groundpenetrating radar as a powerful tool for discovering voids and deteriorating mortar in masonry buildings. The two associated case studies demonstrate that this technique can also verify the success of injection-grout remediation of stone walls, which is especially useful for areas of honeycombed mortar that retain water after heavy rain. The authors argue that wholesale grouting and repointing may not be necessary if the major source of water infiltration can be addressed. The central eight-page pull-out Practice Points section gives advice on non-destructive evaluation in relation to the structural performance of masonry. The section gives detailed tables of appropriate test methods to evaluate or investigate various masonry conditions, and the (American) standards for nondestructive evaluation and in-situ tests. The final article illustrates the developing consensus about powerful ‘first principles’ behind award-winning UNESCO projects. Although anchored by international standards, these reflect
8 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 different regional characteristics in the Asia-Pacific region. The structured thinking is illuminating for professional practice here. The Asia-Pacific region is a crucible for forging creative new strategies for heritage conservation that are based on living traditions of cultural practice and community stewardship. Historic structures there are overwhelmingly in private hands. The community stewardship issue may assume far greater importance in the new government’s Big Society and localism agendas in the near future. The 1972 UNESCOWorld Heritage Convention provides the framework for international action. But the annual Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, inaugurated in 2000, respond to the question: within the realities of contemporary, fast-track development, what do Asians want to preserve from the past to inform their place in the global future? This relates to the often-heated debate about ‘western principles’ versus ‘Asian values’. A noteworthy corpus of projects has since come forward, with more than 500 entries from 23 countries. Of these, 91 have been recognised with awards representing a broad spectrum of the region’s built heritage. They are a testimony to how buildings can be successfully preserved in their traditional settings, and how conservation principles can be integrated into local development strategies. The submissions tackle head-on the key issues facing the conservation profession everywhere. Is it possible to adapt heritage buildings for contemporary needs and still retain their heritage significance? How do we insert contemporary architecture into the historic urban landscape? To what extent is change possible if historic districts are to maintain their character and identity? Most crucially, is historic conservation a mainstream action, essential for sustainability strategies or only a minor diversion in the development process? Entries are evaluated for excellence, based on eleven criteria grouped into three distinct categories: spirit of place, technical excellence and impact. Spirit of place The first three criteria together emphasise the importance of safeguarding the spirit of place in the conservation process.Without unqualified success in this prerequisite category, a project, however technically proficient, can not be considered successful. These are, first, the articulation of the structure’s heritage values in order to convey the spirit of place through the conservation work; second, appropriate use or adaptation of the structure; and third, the interpretation of the cultural, social, historical and architectural significance of the structure(s) in the conservation work. Technical excellence The next four criteria emphasise technical excellence, judged both by international standards and by the standards of traditional practice, on the basis that technical expertise is not a relative concept but is determined by exacting professional standards. The four criteria are, first, understanding of the technical issues of conservation and restoration in interpreting the structure’s significance; second, the use and quality control of appropriate building, artisan and conservation techniques; third, the use of appropriate materials; and fourth, how well any added elements or creative technical solutions respect the character and inherent spatial quality of the structure(s). Impact The final four criteria relate to impact in the community and within the profession to influence conservation practice and to catalyse further efforts in conservation. The indicators, which may be economic, social or political, comprise the following: • The manner in which the process and the final product contribute to the surrounding environment and the local community’s cultural and historical continuum. • The influence of the project on conservation practice and policy locally, nationally, regionally or internationally. • Continuing socio-economic viability and relevance, and provision in the project for future use and maintenance. • The complexity, sensitivity and technical consistency of the project methodology. The award winners consistently demonstrate that technical achievement in conservation must be underpinned by a profound understanding of conservation as a social process. The basis of the assessment provides an invaluable starting point for thinking through the issues in greater depth. The articles are well worth seeking out for the full discussion in greater depth than space permits here. Bob Kindred MBE From The Castles on the Ground by JM Richards (1946; this edition 1973) A legitimate complaint against suburbia is that it spreads itself too widely. As the motorist drives out of town along his concreted highway, his hopes of green fields are frustrated mile after mile. Though kerbstones give place to wide green verges and side turnings offer glimpses of gravelled country lanes, he still finds himself confined between barriers of bricks and mortar, to say nothing of the dwarf walls and garden gates, the shrubberies and rock gardens guarded by lead statuary, that form the outworks of this impenetrable fortification. And when the single ribbon of building breaks away, as it does every now and then, into deep bastions of residential development, fanning out inland until they seem to threaten the existence of rurality itself, the motorist sees with alarm a future England that has become, in effect, one enormous built-up area. Occasionally he is made aware that the phenomenon about which he complains is not quite as new as it seems. A mossgrown wall, backed by wellingtonias and monkey puzzles, only partially conceals a slate-roofed villa from which the stucco is now peeling sadly and whose garden, seen through a rusty iron gate, is overgrown with weeds, but was once the pride of some successful tradesman from the nearby town. A public house, which now flourishes on the passing motorist’s custom as well as serving as the local for the newly populated neighbourhood, once made its profits from supplying a change of post-horses to the users on the coach road. We can deduce its previous history from the Georgian gable that appears above the new plate-glass bay window of the bar parlour, from the extent of disused stabling at the back (which the landlord is thinking of converting into a tea lounge, with the help of some potted palms and a radiogram) and finally, if we care to enter the saloon bar, from a framed engraving on the wall depicting the simple rectangular façade of the ‘Coach and Horses’ before the magnificence of its roughcast and terra-cotta additions made it so notable a landmark. And when the schoolchildren scamper across the highway to the annoyance of the speeding motorist, he may notice that the object of their perilous journey is a sweetshop whose wares – which also include lemonade and minerals – are displayed behind the cast iron casements of what was once the gate lodge of a Victorian gentleman’s park.
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 9 Build Restore Renew Restores ComptonVerney, Warwickshire. RIBA Award 2004. From cathedrals and abbeys to small churches and chapels. From stately homes and royal palaces to small houses and cottages. For historic buildings across Britain, Linford-Bridgeman is the contractor of choice for repair, restoration and conservation. For more information about Linford-Bridgeman, find us at: www.linfordrestores.com, or call 01543 414 234 Linford-Bridgeman Ltd, Quonians, Lichfield, StaffordshireWS13 7LB Tel: 01543 414 234 Fax: 01543 258 250 [email protected] www.linford.com Stonemasonry • Architectural Metalwork •Traditional Plastering • Fine Joinery Linford SpecialistWorks brings together Linford Group's renowned stable of craft companies to provide a unique service for the property owners, architects and specialist contractors concerned with the care of traditional and heritage buildings. Our skilled and directly-employed teams can be contracted individually or in combination for projects of all sizes across the UK. By helping our clients to source multiple craft services from a single organisation, we can deliver outstanding craft quality alongside savings in client time and money. For more information about Linford SpecialistWorks, please visit www.linfordSW.com, or call us on 01543 414 234 today. L I N F O R D S P E C I A L I S T W O R K S Linford Masonry • Dorothea Restorations • Trumpers • Linford Joinery Linford SpecialistWorks A division of Linford Group Quonians, Lichfield, StaffordshireWS13 7LB [email protected] www.linfordSW.com
10 C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 NIGEL BARKER The heritage cycle: 2000–2010 Ten years ago Context looked forward to a ‘faster, more challenging, more exciting’ 21st century. Here we look back at the first ten years of change and uncertainty. It just does not seem possible that it was only 10 years ago, as newly installed acting editor and chair of the fledging editorial board, that I oversaw the production of the March issue of Context. With, for the first time, a full-page cover illustration with red lettering, jauntily inclined within a picture of the London Eye, the issue celebrated the ‘century that saw conservation grow up, come of age and be counted’. The editorial prophesied that the new 21st century would be ‘faster, more challenging, more exciting and more awesome’ (ouch). A decade on, this is a natural time to review whether that proved to be the case. One aspect of change, legislative reform, has certainly has been a challenging feature of the decade. For some time before the new century dawned there had been a growing sense of unease about the existing system of heritage legislation. This was first signalled by the 1996 consultation document Protecting our Heritage, produced by the then Department of Heritage. It suggested the introduction of new controls for marine archaeology, and considered the heritage aspects of scrapping Crown Immunity and extending the functions of English Heritage. Four years later the 21st century opened with a formal Review of Policies Relating to the Historic Environment. This was carried out by English Heritage, which brought together major partners to consider the issues. It led to the publication of Power of Place and a newly articulated concept of inclusive heritage. It took a year for the government, in the form of the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), to respond with A Force for Our Future, published in 2001. This contained a promise to review statutory controls, but also contained a commitment to retain the basic policy approach in PPGs 15 and 16. One of the other commitments in the report was that English Heritage would produce annual State of the Historic Environment Reports, the first of which was duly published in 2002. But in parallel, in 2001, the then Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) produced its series of green papers, Planning: delivering a fundamental change. One of them contained a commitment to review permitted development rights. Thus a pattern of what became a defining feature of the decade was established: an almost continual cycle of poorly coordinated consultation and review. July 2003 saw the publication of Protecting our Historic Environment: making the system work better, to be followed in June 2004 by the DCMS response The Review of Heritage Protection: the way forward. Meanwhile the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was busy producing a report on Unification of Consent Regimes in the same year. It was as a result of the Heritage Protection Review that the government decided on the idea of the single Register of Historic Sites and Buildings of England. The first main part would be compiled by English Heritage. The second, local section would be compiled by local authorities using standards and criteria developed by English Heritage. Into this heady mix came the introduction in 2004 of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the ODPM consultation Changes to the Development Control System, and a review of PPGs 15 and 16. All of these gave an impression of frantic government activity, intent of modernising and reforming what was regarded as a problematic planning system. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which introduced local development frameworks and set out the requirements for regional spatial strategies under PPS 11, was accompanied by the publication of PPS 1: Delivering Sustainable Development. Here for the first time the protection of the historic environment and the promotion of good design were brought together in a clear and overarching guidance document. The biggest and welcome change was that essentially the question now to be asked of proposals for development was: is this good enough to permit,
C O N T E X T 1 1 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 11 rather than is it bad enough to refuse? As we all struggled to become familiar with the concepts of local development schemes and statements of community involvement, and wondered how we would manage to retain protection of the historic environment in the relentless drive to deliver housing, reform of historic environment legislation entered a critical phase. The publication of the long-awaited white paper was continually deferred, until in January 2006 the first specific parliamentary inquiry into heritage since 1993 was held by DCMS. Set against the backdrop of loud noises of radical reform of local government coming from Ruth Kelly at Communities and Local Government (remember her?) it looked as if the opportunity for reform was slipping away. The role of English Heritage in this process became one of balancing the very different aspirations of separate government departments while maintaining credible progress on reform to reassure an increasingly sceptical heritage sector. The DCMS white paper Heritage Protection for the 21st Century finally emerged in 2007, but without the CLG logo. The CLG was too busy issuing yet another planning white paper and the second report from economist Kate Barker, only three years after the major reforms of the 2004 Act. As the IHBC reported at the time, there was significant concern about the rate of legislative change and its impacts on already stretched local authorities. Despite this concern, there was a considerable response to the consultation, which improved and informed revisions of the proposed legislation. A similarly vigorous and lively response was given to the draft PPS when it too went out for consultation in the following year. We awaited a demonstration of the long-overdue joining up of government which passing the bill and issuing the PPS together would represent. As election speculation mounted during the last months of 2009 and into 2010, the prospects of the Heritage Protection Bill faded. The PPS did just sneak under the wire before the election was called but the final result is far from the aspirations of all those years ago. The vision of a simplified and more transparent system for managing the historic environment has fallen victim to a lack of coordination by a government that just could not resist change for change’s sake. Trying to produce a considered reform that ensured that the rich variety of the historic environment would be safely handed on to future generations proved incredibly difficult to achieve. One view is that the result is once again one of those typical compromises that characterise the development of historic environment legislation in Britain, but this fails to recognise the real change that has happened. To paraphrase PPG15, a familiar and cherished scene has been transformed, but has it been for the better? The correlation between legislation and policy guidance has been ruptured. Instead of a simpler system, complications have arisen. The intellectually appealing approach of PPS5, supported by the application of Conservation Principles, allows for a new language to be used to express special interest and the wider public value of the historic environment. But it is not comfortably supported by the existing tests in the Planning, Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990. The level of protection provided by previous legislation and guidance may remain, but it is not as easy to articulate. Accessibility to information on the historic environment has been transformed with the development of resources like the HELM website, the Images of England and the Heritage Gateway, but the well-understood policy framework for managing it has been altered. There is a real danger of even this transformed landscape being lost. The continual attrition and attacks on the value of planning that have taken place over the past 10 years have not been effectively challenged. Time to consolidate change has not been provided and speed has become a virtue. The move to place the historic environment at the centre of the planning system has not been accompanied by a recognition of how important it is to provide resources, time and appropriate political support for such a move. With the effects of the recession likely to be felt for at least five years and the cold winds of austerity beginning to blow, the question has to be asked: will all of the time and intellectual effort spent over the last decade prove to be irrelevant if the value of the planning system itself is now being fundamentally questioned? Change is always challenging but there are
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