C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 1 Cover: A new interpretation of our seaside heritage: Jabba the Hut was one of the winners of the competition to design a beach hut for the 21st century (see page 26). Photo: Garry Mayle Editorial www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a charity in England andWales number 1061593 and in Scotland number SC041945. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road,TunbridgeWells, Kent TN2 4QZ. Officers President Trefor Thorpe email [email protected] Chair Mike Brown email [email protected] Vice Chair Emilia Hands email [email protected] Secretary Eddie Booth email [email protected] Treasurer Richard Morrice email [email protected] Membership Secretary Paul Butler email [email protected] Education Secretary David McDonald 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 Carmen Moran email [email protected] Administration Officer Lydia Porter email [email protected] Committee Chairs Policy David Kincaid email [email protected] Membership & Ethics Paul Butler email [email protected] Finance & Resources Richard Morrice email [email protected] Education David McDonald email [email protected] Communications & Outreach Charles Strang email [email protected] Branch Officers North Geoff UnderwoodTel 0191 433 3435 NorthWest Crispin Edwards Tel 0161 474 2620 Yorkshire David Blackburn Tel 01943 603479 West Midlands Charles Shapcott Tel 0121 7044312 East Midlands Roy Lewis Tel 01623 756623 South Julia Foster Tel 01296 585888 SouthWest JamesWebbTel 01202 732849 East Anglia David Andrews Tel 07760 208231 South East Sean Rix Tel 01483 523379 London JohnWebb Tel 020 8871 6645 Scotland Stuart Eydmann Tel 01506 775279 Wales Nathan Blanchard Tel 01492 583443 Northern Ireland Colin Hatrick Tel 028 9064 1126 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] Institute ofHistoricBuildingConservation No 130 July 2013 Our seaside heritage A magic of its own ‘There are only four kinds of artistic activity: fine art, music, poetry and ornamental pastry cooking, of which architecture is a minor branch’. So wrote Berthold Lubetkin before he abandoned architecture in favour of pig farming. Architecture’s roots in ornamental pastry cooking can be seen more clearly than anywhere in our seaside resorts. Design for the seaside is intended to lift the spirits, enabling holidaymakers and excursionists to relax and lose their inhibitions.Who can forget the experience of the rattling old wooden rollercoasters, where the thrill of speed and stomach-churning turns was enhanced by the possibility that the salt-rusted nails would finally expire, allowing the sun-bleached planks to tumble to the ground. Health and safety? That’s not what we came on holiday for.We wanted an experience that we (and any of our children who survived) would remember. The location at the edge – where the finite world meets the infinite sea and sky, and the ceaseless waves roll and withdraw – gives the seaside a magic of its own. Such magic: sun, salt, seabirds, the architecture of enticement, piers, beach huts, pavilions, helter-skelters, merry-go-rounds, and promenade railings and shelters; and the faded glories of an era when resorts promised fun for all the family (such an unlikely prospect!) rather than places for the elderly to stroll away their sunset years. Architects at the seaside were expected to spark the imaginations of the people who saw and used their buildings through all sorts of exoticism, from the orientalism of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion downwards; or, similarly eschewing the everyday world, through the art deco, modernism or moderne that announced that these were not places constrained by architectural convention. Fred Gray (page 15) writes that new ways of experiencing seaside nature may produce new forms of seaside architecture. Anya Chapman (page 18) reports on some determined efforts to keep seaside funfairs and their rides going. Tina Lloyd (page 21) describes a conservation project that will lead to the reopening of Penarth Pavilion. Elizabeth Mayle (page 24) peeks out of the beach hut that she has designed and built for herself to report that in many places these small buildings are as popular as ever. David Viner (page 27) describes the conservation challenge arising from a traditional method of using old boats as breakwaters. And Antony Firth (page 30) argues that we now have an opportunity to make something of the marine historic environment. Briefing 2 Obituary: Anthony Swaine, architect and conservationist Richard Morrice 5 English Heritage selection guides, and introductions to heritage assets Paul Stamper 6 Periodically Bob Kindred 8 The writer’s voice 10 Legal briefing Tom Deards 12 Seaside architecture Fred Gray 15 Coasters at the coast Anya Chapman 18 Silver shingles for a seaside town Tina Lloyd 21 Beach huts, icons of the British seaside Elizabeth Mayle 24 Conserving the Purton hulks DavidViner 27 Heritage at sea Antony Firth 30 Relocating redundant church bells David Kelly 33 Regenerating historic areas in Cuba Nicholas Falk 36 Introducing HER21 Richard Morrice 39 Restoring Drake’s concrete house Paul Latham 41 Notes from the chair 45 Director’s cut 47 Vox pop 49 Book reviews 50 Products and services 53 Advertisers index 56
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