26 C O N T E X T 8 8 : M A R C H 2 0 0 5 buildings in order to contribute to research work on smoke-blackened thatch in the area. Gould’s article highlighted the lack of a research agenda for historic buildings, which would enable any recording or evaluation to be specifically targeted to contribute to a national understanding of our historic built environment. The lack of this type of research framework at a national level has certainly been a problem for building recording and evaluation in Northamptonshire. Research objectives that have been established in the county have either been very specific (a particular strategy has been developed for the buildings relating to the boot and shoe industry) or ‘borrowed’ from the archaeological profession. Northamptonshire contributed to the East Midlands Regional Research Frameworks process in 1999–2000. Many of the topics and issues covered are relevant to the historic built environment as well as below-ground archaeology. Extensive urban surveys of 26 settlements in the county (funded by English Heritage) have helped to provide a more localised research agenda for individual settlements. They are frequently referred to in building recording briefs. A limited number of extensive surveys of particular building types, including watermills and monuments in the highways boundary, have also been produced in order to provide a framework for understanding individual buildings. There is a clear need for a survey of agricultural buildings in the county. Conservation officers working within a clearly defined area develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the historic buildings within their patch, but there is limited opportunity for this information to be formally shared. A properly defined research agenda for historic buildings and structures in this country would benefit the conservation profession enormously by improving understanding of our historic building stock, and improving the quality and consistency of decision-making across the board. Over the past five or six years we have had some real successes with our building recording and evaluation programme. In a number of instances the special interest of the building has been properly identified during an evaluation or impact assessment, and an appropriate scheme for the building has been devised. A small number of buildings have been listed following building recording or evaluation work. In a large number of instances building recording has ensured that a proper record of the historic interest of a structure has been made prior to the demolition, conversion or substantial alteration of the building. The process has not been without its problems. Sometimes it can be difficult to convince not only owners and developers, but also development control and conservation officers at district councils (who we are reliant upon attaching relevant conditions to planning/ listed building applications) of the importance of the evaluation and recording of historic buildings. The 83 briefs that Northamptonshire County Council has prepared represent just a proportion of the buildings where recording or evaluation has been requested. The recording of archaeological sites prior to development has been a well-established part of the planning process for some time, but there has been some reluctance to accept the same standards for standing buildings. There is often the misconception that ‘just a few photographs will do’. The principle has become better established, following a number of successes in the county on large-scale developments, but there remains some reticence about recording and evaluation for small-scale projects, particularly on vernacular, domestic buildings. The other major problem has been to find appropriately qualified and experienced people who are willing and able to undertake building recording and analysis. In Northamptonshire we invite people to submit a curriculum vitae and sample of their building recording work before including them on our list of building recording contractors, rather than insisting that they hold a specific qualification or level of experience. As historic buildings recording has become an established part of the planning process, training and development opportunities have been offered to fulfil this need. The historic built environment desperately needs a research agenda that can be targeted on issues of direct relevance to conservation. Without this, individual conservation officers, often working alone or with just one or two colleagues at a local authority, are working in a vacuum. Clearly defined research questions relating to building type, construction and materials, with an emphasis on regional distribution and characteristics, would ensure that recording and evaluation work carried out by individual authorities would provide a meaningful contribution to a national understanding of historic buildings and structures. Building recording and evaluation work is essential if the conservation profession is to continue developing. Who is going to undertake this vital role? The conservation team at Northamptonshire County Council has recently been cut from three fulltime equivalent posts to just one, with less than half the time being spent on recording and evaluation work. Conservation officers at district councils with a heavy development control caseload and a relatively small area are not necessarily best placed to carry out this strategic role. Gould’s article indicates that evaluation and recording is primarily being undertaken by local authority archaeological officers. It is positive that the archaeological profession is taking the study of historic buildings seriously, but it does mean that recording and evaluation is not being directed by the people who have day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the protection of our built heritage – conservation officers. Perhaps the answer lies in the ‘sub-regional groupings’ recommended in the DCMS’s Review of Heritage Protection: the way forward. But in order for it to be carried out in practice resources and funding are needed in addition to good intentions. Jenny Ballinger is senior conservation officer at Northamptonshire County Council. Reference 1 An evaluation or impact assessment is commonly undertaken to provide further information on the possible impact of a planning or listed building application on the significance of an historic building. Acknowledgements I would like to thank members of Northamptonshire Conservation Officers Forum, other officers of Northamptonshire County Council and Shane Gould for commenting on earlier drafts of this article. I would particularly like to thank my former colleagues Ann Bond (now English Heritage) and Martin Ellison (now Kettering Borough Council) for their longstanding work and support for the building recording and evaluation process in Northamptonshire.
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