C O N T E X T 1 2 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 49 made by hand hundreds of years ago, and that once they are destroyed, they can not be replaced in anything but replica, which can not tell the story of human toil and craftsmanship. What is the biggest frustration in your job? Computer systems that do not work; security rules that prevent me from getting easy access to information through a work computer; people who offload work on to more conscientious staff because they know it will get done that way; people who abuse the democratic process; people with too much money who demand the right to wreck their historic buildings simply because they can; complacency; lack of investment in high-quality staff; and open-plan offices with too much noise, not enough ventilation and fittings that remain broken for months.Why carry on, you ask? I live in hope that what I do will influence others, in some small way, to care for the things I care for. What would you like to be doing in five years’ time? Running that tea shop, the way I want it to be run, putting joy back into the quintessentially English ceremony of taking tea. What is your favourite building? When I worked at Guildford and was having one of those stressful, frustrating times, I would take myself off to calm down at theWatts Cemetery Chapel in Compton. MaryWatts designed and built it for her late-Victorian artist husband George FrederickWatts. It is the most beautifully decorated fusion of art nouveau, Romanesque, Celtic and arts-and-crafts architecture and decoration. Formed of red brick and terracotta under a pantile roof, it is built on the side of a small hill surrounded by cedar trees, and can be glimpsed across a tightly formed valley as one drives past or enters the village. The decoration both outside and inside is full of symbolism, and is a delight to explore every time I go there. I think of the hands that created it, and the joy and skill of those who worked on it, many of whom were volunteers from the local village. Watts Chapel: a most beautifully decorated fusion (Photo: Fiona Curtis, Compton Parish Council) Your favourite place? Home.Wherever I travel, whatever delights I discover, however relaxed or inspired I may feel in other places, I always love to come home. Your favourite book? Only two, in all the books I have ever read, have made me cry: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. But my all-time favourite is Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, which ends sadly with Tess being hanged at Wintoncester (Winchester) Gaol. What do you do in your spare time? I have just joined the local branch of the Clandestine Cake Club. It is a relatively new club with branches all over the country, set up for people to meet over tea and cake.You take a home-made, family-sized cake with you to a pre-arranged venue once a month, and the members and guests share them while enjoying conversation and the chance to get to know people. The mission statement is ‘bake, eat and talk about cake’. What organisations are you a member of? IHBC, Victorian Society,Weald and Downland Open Air Museum and Clandestine Cake Club. I am also a parish councillor. Which one issue would you particularly like the IHBC to campaign on? Getting the government to insist on local councils engaging properly qualified and experienced conservation officers to deal with historic environment matters, and to not allow them to pass the work to other people in the authority who do not have the knowledge or passion to handle it. (Photo: Anne Purkiss ©Watts Gallery)
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