C O N T E X T 1 2 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 11 Periodically By the time you read this, the London Olympics will be over. While there has been much talk of a lasting legacy, the latest edition of the Journal of Architectural Conservation (Vol 18, No 2, July 2012) takes one genuine physical legacy of the 1948 games held at Wembley Stadium as its opening paper. Tim Pretty and Alison Foster describe the conservation of the monumental Olympic Plaques (Roll of Honour), removed from the Wembley site when the old stadium was demolished in 2003. After a lengthy debate to determine their future that lasted for over seven years, the plaques have finally been conserved and returned to Wembley as part of a permanent public exhibition display within the new stadium. The authors describe the challenging processes of extraction (including the careful removal from their concrete backing), transportation, repair and safe return of these three-tonne edifices. The work was aided by the input of the original artist Hugo Powell. He provided important details not only about the initial design and manufacture of the panels but also about the context of the aftermath of the second world war, which has made this project such a worthwhile, if protracted, undertaking. This issue of the journal also has something of a brick and terracotta theme. Hugh Byrd takes the suburb of Handsworth in Birmingham, one of the best examples of decorative artisans’ terraced housing in the UK, as a demonstration of the threat to the particularly rich variety and detail of the ornamental brickwork characteristic of this inner suburb. Having described the dynamics of how the area rapidly developed during the latter part of the 19th century, the author describes the pressures the brickwork which adorns the houses. Having managed to survive wartime bombing, rapid social change and redevelopment in the 1960s (as so commonly found elsewhere), the brick decoration of Handsworth continues to be threatened by social ‘improvement’, and defacement by external painting and rendering. These attractive dwellings are significant local heritage assets. They deserve better appreciation and recognition, and protection from unthinking mutilation. The article illustrates many of the attractive detail types. These are a persuasive argument for better area-based conservation controls, especially with the prospect of further exterior alteration to mitigate the effects of climate change and cut energy consumption. Where brickwork has been defaced, tinting can restore this. In an excellent article Peter Sloane describes the historical practices of enhancing the colour of English brickwork over many centuries, and highlights with some good colour illustrations. He explains the often very subtle craft practices and how tinting can be identified. In modern times a lack of knowledge and inappropriate colouration can be damaging. They represent a lost opportunity for correct conservation. The author laments the loss of the appropriate craft skills since the second world war. In highlighting the differences between modern and traditional practice, he has provided many valuable insights, which should be of great interest to all readers who deal with brickwork conservation. Two other interesting European papers in the same issue are worth highlighting. The first is an assessment by Claudio Galli and Francesco Conserva of architectural terracotta friezes in Bologna. They explain how they have identified the chronology of the way these friezes developed from the 11th to 16th centuries, and the colours and coatings applied in the second half of the 15th century. With exemplary illustrated examples, they explain the solutions adopted for appropriate cleaning, consolidation and conservation. They also present proposals for rapid prototyping and reverse engineering of the restoration of ruined terracotta friezes. The second European paper, by Ann Verdonk and Marjolein Deceuninck, describes the conservation of the interior of the Japanese Tower (pagoda) of 1904 in Laeken, Brussels, designed by the French architect Alexandre Marcel as a curiosity for King Leopold II of Belgium. The timber tower, made by European craftsmen, has a remarkable interior decoration, comprising decorative interior elements shipped from Japan, mixed with other European elements. Architectural paint research, illustrated in colour, identified and differentiated the Japanese and European interventions. The former provides unique insights into Meiji era Japonisme in Europe, and cultural relations between Europe and Japan at the turn of the 20th century. Recent issues of this column have highlighted the enhanced significance being attached to the value of historic windows and window glass. A further perspective is offered in the latest issue of The Historic Environment: policy and practice (Vol 3, No 1, April 2012). This looks at new strategies for the retention of historic casement windows in Bavaria, written by Susanne Gampfer, professor of building construction, University of Applied Sciences, Augsburg. Unsurprisingly the greatest danger being identified today is the pressures to improve thermal performance. The article is valuable for rehearsing
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=