6 C O N T E X T 1 2 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 1 Periodically This reviewer’s last column highlighted the concerns of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings about the public expenditure cuts, although many of the more insidious cuts – including those to the local authority conservation specialists – appear to have passed by the rest of the sector unremarked. Cornerstone, the magazine of the society (Vol +&, No !, &"!!) continues to highlight some of the other effects. Among these are the implications of the Localism Bill in attempting to remove the general statutory duty to protect historic buildings (still unresolved at the time of writing despite ministerial assurances); and encouraging the unseemly haste to sell off local authority historic buildings while ignoring the recently revised English Heritage best practice guidance about disposal. The response of communities to taking on these assets and managing them better, has been decidedly mixed, especially as there is unlikely to be adequate public subsidy. Ian Lush, chief executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund, explains how the recommendations of the Quirk Review and the recent work of the Development Trusts Association’s Asset Transfer Unit may help. But if too many buildings are offloaded too quickly in too poor condition and without any form of endowment, wherever it comes from, to enable them to be properly regenerated, many of these neglected or underutilised historic buildings in public ownership may end up more not less at-risk. SPAB is also concerned about what it considers ‘disastrous’ new requirements under Regulation +' of the European Union’s Public Contracts Regulations to be introduced by English Heritage. These will compel tendering for the services of architects and surveyors under Repair Grants for Places of Worship. Grants hitherto funded equally by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have evolved as a two-stage application process, with English Heritage awarding some &&( grants a year for high-level work for those places of worship in greatest need. This appears to have operated since inception without any noticeable level of complaint about the process. Previously only building works contracts were required to be tendered. Now professional advisors must also be appointed on a competitive basis from at least three ‘professionals capable of doing the job’. For projects with fees above £(",""", hard-pressed (frequently small) parishes and congregations must advertise such appointments prior to the tender and selection process. The society highlights the point that many architects and surveyors undertake quinquennial inspections as loss leaders, charging far less than the commercial rate in the belief that they will be awarded the subsequent grant-aided works. The society believes that enforced competitive tendering for often small grant-aided schemes is likely to result in many architects giving up most of their church work due to commercial pressures; to undermine the quinquennial inspection process; and to ‘reduce further the small, committed and loyal band of good church architects and surveyors’. The society contends that the buildings will suffer, ‘sacrificed to short-term thinking and gain’. The latest issue of the Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin, Journal of Preservation Technology (Vol '&, No !, &"!!), is stimulating and authoritative reading on a wide variety of topics. The introductory article by L Brad Shotwell, Joshua Freedland and David AWaugh looks at inexpensive devices to improve photographic recording of the surfaces of materials using inexpensive digital cameras. When these are combined with a macrotube, they can provide a supermacro capability, making it possible to take high-quality, uniformly lit images of small-scale features essential to accurately documenting surface conditions prior to selection and monitoring of clearing programmes. Ease and economy make rapid documentation possible. Some of this recording can easily be done stereoscopically. As cameras can now record sound and capture video, additional information about the materials and conditions can be documented for later transcription. The article helpfully illustrates typical equipment. It provides a materials list for the making of macrotubes and brief instructions on their relatively straightforward fabrication; advice on the selection of suitable digital cameras (usually those capable of a minimum focusing distance of three centimetres) and on the use of the combination of equipment. Recent reviews of the bulletin have drawn attention to the centre-spread ‘practice points’, dealing in particular with aspects of mortar analysis. Part + by Lorraine Schnabel examines the importance of buying the right mortar analysis services. This is not about specific service providers in North America but about the generic objectives of analysis. This can be a complex issue, as no single method of analysis is right for every situation. Schnabel emphasises that in buying such services an understanding is required of the knowledge skills and experience necessary for all the different steps in the process. This should ensure the right skill-sets are used for the project. Sometimes the requirement will be to develop mortar mixes for re-pointing and repair. In other cases it may be to clarify construction history or to identify the causes of mortar deterioration. The
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