C O N T E X T 1 2 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 3 controversially, should there be a Heritage Demon award? The developer who was recently prosecuted for demolishing a house in Richmond (see p5) springs to mind. David McDonald is chairman of the IHBC London branch. Industrial heritage at risk English Heritage has published the results of a major research project into the condition of England’s industrial heritage. It reveals that listed industrial buildings are more at risk than almost any other kind of heritage. Almost 11 per cent of Grade I and II* industrial buildings are at risk, compared to the three per cent of Grade I and II* buildings at risk in England. Forty per cent of listed industrial buildings at risk, such as mills, warehouses and factories, could be put to sustainable and economic new uses. The remaining 60 per cent, typically buildings that contain historic machinery, redundant engineering structures or mining remains, are of immense cultural value and often greatly loved. Lead, tin, copper and coal mines are the industrial sites most at risk on the register. Textile mills, also making up a large proportion, are often concentrated in a single place – Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The remains of 20th century industries are poorly understood, under-appreciated and very much at risk. Most industrial heritage sites at risk in the north east of England are things which are not capable of being converted for new uses, 54 per cent of them being connected to various forms of mining. Most industrial heritage sites at risk in the east of England are wind and watermills, and most in the south east are maritime structures. A poll of public attitudes to industrial heritage which English Heritage also published today shows that almost half the population does not know when the industrial revolution took place, and 80 per cent thinks that the industrial heritage is just as important as castles and country houses. English Heritage is offering a new developers’ portal on its website, offering advice on re-using industrial buildings. Each English Heritage local office will, for the first time, publish a list of 10 at-risk priority sites, many of which will be industrial. Developers interested in taking these on will get additional help from English Heritage to guide them through the process. A new guide to keeping buildings safe from decay or in temporary use until better economic times (Vacant Historic Buildings: an owner’s guide to temporary uses, maintenance and mothballing) is available from the English Heritage website. English Heritage, the Pilgrim Trust and the J Paul Getty Junior Foundation Machinery at Pleasley Colliery Tyntesfield Orangery, Somerset, before restoration A restored tomb at ArnosVale Cemetery Thanks to the angels David McDonald writes: Readers of Context who watch the Culture Show on BBC2 may have been following the progress of English Heritage’s Angel Awards. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the awards ceremony on 31 October. The venue was TE Collcutt’s marvellous Palace Theatre at London’s Cambridge Circus, formerly the home of Jesus Christ Superstar, and now showing the rather more worldly Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The event was opened by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who handed over to the compere, Clare Balding. The list of media names continued as the individual awards were presented by the likes of Melvin Bragg and Graham Norton. The only notable absentee was the Bishop of London, who had more pressing matters to deal with at St Paul’s Cathedral. The real stars of the show were those groups and individuals who, as Simon Thurley said, ‘demonstrated people power, passion and perseverance’ in bringing their respective heritageassets-at-risk back to life. The winners in the four main categories were: best rescue of an industrial building or site: Pleasley Colliery, Nottinghamshire; best rescue of any other entry on the heritage at risk register: Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol, and Church of St Stephen, Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead (joint winners); best rescue or repair of a place of worship: former church of St Antioch, Leeds; best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue: Smythe Barn,Westwenhanger, Kent. There was one final award, for the project with most votes from English Heritage members and readers of the Daily Telegraph. The winner was from the craftsmanship category and went to Tyntesfield Orangery, Somerset. The fact that this was the well-deserved ‘peoples’ choice’ was no doubt in part due to the National Trust’s enlightened approach to letting its visitors observe repairs being carried out at close quarters. Both Andrew Lloyd Webber and English Heritage should be applauded, not only for giving awards to some of the unsung heroes of conservation, but also at the same time highlighting the issue of heritage at risk. The occasion did make me reflect on two issues. First, should there be awards for those many heritage professionals who frequently go the extra mile? Second, more
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=