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
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