C O N T E X T 1 0 8 : M A R C H 2 0 0 9 7 heritage reforms have been highlighted for some time in this column. The latest Cornerstone (Vol 29, No 4) considers the draft heritage bill ‘probably consigned to oblivion’ and conducts the brief post mortem of most other Englandbased heritage publications. ‘A lost opportunity certainly, but we as many others argued relentlessly, the bigger danger was that it would end up making matters worse,’ stated SPAB secretary Philip Venning. Hard on the heels of this abandonment came news of the Heathrow expansion. The issue appeared just before the government’s announcement to proceed and, perhaps in anticipation of the inevitable ‘scandalous progress’ of the proposals, the society has given further prominence to the devastation this will cause to heritage assets within the intended site. How heritage will fare under the new Infrastructure Planning Commission when consent is required for the many listed building demolitions will test to the limit of the government’s commitment to joined-up heritage policy, irrespective of the axing of the not-much lamented bill. We are not alone in experiencing such cultural vandalism. Cornerstone also highlights the painful 20-year destruction of an architecturally rich Saxon village, Heurersdorf, in the former East Germany, by a US-owned mining company. SPAB sees parallels with proposed expansion of Stansted airport. Elsewhere, Jeremy Musson makes a persuasive argument for the neglected conservation credentials of Sir John Vanbrugh as one of the first to advocate the protection of historic buildings. Prominence is also given to the campaign to save the worldrenownedWilliam Morris Gallery in Walthamstow in the face of ‘philistinism’ and ‘cultural vandalism’ byWaltham Forest councillors, who have put the very existence of this institution at risk. In a shocking case of historical amnesia, some on the council described Morris, a radical socialist and early environmentalist as well as an advocate of art for all, regardless of class or race, as ‘just a white imperialist’. The RICS Building Conservation Journal (September 2008) deals primarily with timber decay and repair. It includes short articles about the qualities and vulnerability of timber by Robin Nugent, how to design out timber deterioration by Jagjit Singh and an interview with National Trust joinery conservator Ray Stevens. Also, for those who might have been unable to attend it, there is a resume of SPAB’s recent seminar Historic Buildings and Flooding, held appropriately at Tewkesbury Abbey, which suffered during last summer’s inundation. The December 2008 issue explained the Heritage Skills Initiative work which commenced in 2005 and which is being promoted by the North of England Civic Trust. Last year this included a ‘Training the Trainers’ programme secured under the Learning and Skills Council’s ‘Training to Gain’ agenda, for trainers and assessors of NVQ3 in various traditional skills in all 23 colleges in the north east. This latest issue also explains the principles behind dynamic buffer zones (DBZs) to address the balance between building conservation and energy efficiency. Achieved by greater insulation of masonry structures, creating an air barrier in a building envelope to protect the exterior façade to interior air moisture, this technique was used successfully on a large 1914 terracotta‑faced building in Vancouver. For those readers who believe we live in a colourless world, reinforced by the architectural profession’s obsession with grey building materials; the latest issue of TheVictorian (November 2008 No 29) is entitled Colour inVictorian Britain. Paul Atterbury, known to many as one of the resident experts on the Antiques Roadshow, unpicks the 20th century perception that Victorian Britain was a dour, gloomy and colourless place, while Kathryn Ferry, former architectural advisor to the society, discusses Owen Jones’ approach to the colour scheme for Crystal Palace. The bicentenary of Jones’ birth falls this year: there will be exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museum of Wales, which will expand understanding of his work beyond his seminal publication the Grammar of Ornament, published in 1856. This column has referred in the past to theatres at risk. Theatres, the Theatres Trust’s Newsletter (Autumn 2008) describes past and current progress. Since its establishment in 1976, protection of theatre buildings throughout the UK has been a key aim. By 1998 the trust had identified an informal watch list known as the ‘sleeping beauties’. This was significantly expanded into a register in 2006 which differs from most BAR registers by including theatres whether listed or not, within the UK. The full register is found on the trust’s website. The issue also features the current optimism surrounding the refurbishment of the Grade II* Brighton Hippodrome from a disused Mecca bingo house to a live music venue. This commends some forward thinking by Brighton Council in the 1960s, without VICTORIAN THEMAGAZINEOFTHEVICTORIANSOCIETY NOVEMBER 2008NO29 Colour in Victorian Britain Thepurestandmost thoughtfulmindsare thosewhich lovecolour themost. Ruskin, TheStonesofVenice
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