C O N T E X T 1 2 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 27 S Evening civic reception at the Great Hall The Great Hall of Winchester Castle was the grand venue for a civic reception, which began with a welcome to Winchester and the South branch from the South branch chair, Emilia Hands, the national chair, Jo Evans, and IHBC president Trefor Thorpe, who opened the annual school for the first time since taking office. There was a warm welcome from Winchester’s deputy mayor, Councillor Ernie Jeffs, and its heritage champion, Councillor Patricia Stallard. They both considered the dilemma of how to balance a significant heritage with the requirements for modern living. Jeffs detailed the city’s rich history – it was founded in 150BC and became the capital in 871 under King Alfred. Stallard said that the city’s considerable heritage and culture generated a vitality and vibrancy which brought incalculable benefits for the city’s economy. Michael Pearce, former head of Hampshire County Council’s historic buildings bureau said that in 1988 a grant budget of £500,000 had been used to set up the Hampshire Historic Buildings Trust. The council successfully used the threat of repairs notices; it listed owners’ names on its buildings-at-risk list and shamed them with press coverage; and it could pay for the services of a top conservation engineer to save buildings. Pearce encouraged us not to hide behind emails but The civic reception in the Great Hall ofWinchester Castle (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) Councillor Ernie Jones, Winchester’s deputy mayor, welcomes delegates to the Great Hall. to talk to people. He warned that the potential result of the trend for charging for services might be that buildings would become merely archaeological sites. Pearce was one of the founding fathers of the ACO/ IHBC, the first meeting of which was convened in Winchester in 1982 at the suggestion of RoyWorksett of the Crafts Council. The first formal meeting of
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