C O N T E X T 1 2 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 51 future, and how it will be necessary for conservation professionals to adapt to a new range of skills required in increasingly complex conservation projects.Within the appendices can be found helpful checklists, sample surveys forms and a comprehensive bibliography. Notwithstanding the vast range of data included,Watt manages to communicate the information without recourse to impenetrable charts or formulae as found in some technical handbooks. Indeed a real strength of the book is its clear, logical and easily navigable structure, which makes it easy for the reader to find the information they require; for there is little that the building surveyor in search of source material or sound advice will fail to find in its pages. Peter de Figueiredo, historic buildings consultant Progress and peril Architectural Conservation in Europe and the Americas John H Stubbs, Emily G Makaš, John Wiley and Sons, 2011, 752pp, over 600 b&w illustrations, index, hardback, ISBN 978 0 470 60385 7, £70 Following on fromTime Honored: a global view of architectural conservation parameters, theory and evolution of an ethos, published in 2009 (reviewed in Context, July 2009), this second book in the series is an astonishing feat of research, compilation and synthesis. What can the second and proposed third volumes add? In Architectural Conservation in Europe and the Americas, John H Stubbs, former vicepresident for field projects for the World Monuments Fund and associate professor of historic preservation at Columbia University, is joined by Emily G Makaš, assistant professor of architectural history at the University of North Carolina as co-author. The book is in two parts (Europe and The Americas) and eight sections. Each section is divided into countries, with a description of the history and development of historic building conservation, followed by comments on recent conservation success and challenges. The authors’ enormous knowledge is supplemented with specialist essays by distinguished international practitioners, which contextualises some overarching themes in global conservation. These include Dennis Rodwell on ‘Urban conservation and sustainability’ and Lisa Ackerman’s ‘Conserving fine architectural interiors’. Many examples of conservation introduced in Time Honored, whether as a ‘challenge’ or a ‘promising development’, are explored in the current volume to describe good practice. Controversial projects are aired, training initiatives, such as the Transylvania Trust’s work in Romania, are discussed, and the revitalisation of old Havana in Cuba through sustainable reuse of historic buildings are but a few of the many case studies presented. Each section concludes with a summary. Despite the great individualism within Europe in approaches to conservation, the availability of resources and cultural diversity, there is a remarkable similarity due to adherence to international charters and the influence of panEuropean advocacy programmes. The conclusion of Part 2, ‘The Americas’, is also upbeat, noting great progress over the last two decades. While most influences stem from European conservation practices, there is growing appreciation of both indigenous and colonial heritage in Latin America. However, there is still a need to engage wider audiences, to improve the training of professionals, and to reappraise the social role of the built cultural heritage. Stubbs and Makaš look to the future of architectural conservation in Europe and the Americas with guarded optimism. They commend the shared knowledge and increasing understanding of the intrinsic and economic value of international cultural heritage, through the advocacy and influence of international bodies and the hard work of NGOs which have undertaken many of the projects described. The authors also highlight major threats to cultural heritage in the 21st century: global warming; targeting heritage through vandalism, terrorism and iconoclasm; commodification and marketing of the past in insensitive ways; and the dilution of history through inaccurate treatment and interventions. An overriding concern is the perceived threat of under-investment in the historic environment, although the book does not reflect the effect of global recession on the built heritage sector. As governments spiral into debt, it is the conservation projects that are shelved, the conservation officers that are made redundant, the building preservation trusts and NGOs that can not find match funding. Heritage-led regeneration may grind to a halt. This ambitious, 730-page book is very readable, but who can afford three large volumes at £70 each, when increasingly such material is more up to date on line? It is profusely illustrated with over 600 black-andwhite photographs, maps and drawings, with comprehensive end notes and an extremely useful section on further reading, arranged by region. The third volume of the trilogy will cover Asia, Africa, Oceania and the polar regions. Each volume is able to stand alone, but the sum of the three will be even greater than the parts, providing a comprehensive review of the history and the philosophies and practicalities of early 21st century global architectural conservation. Harriet Devlin runs the post graduate course in historic environment conservation at the Ironbridge Institute. The real thing The Stained Glass of AWN Pugin Stanley A Shepherd, Spire Books, 2009, 443 pp, 150 colour illustrations, ISBN 978 1 904965 20 6 The Victorians produced vast quantities of stained glass, partly to furnish their innumerable new churches and partly to repair the ravages inflicted on medieval ones by the Reformation. Much survives, but there have been few substantial publications about it, and Martin Harrison’s Victorian Stained Glass, which appeared as long ago as 1980, remains the standard general survey. Stanley A Shepherd’s new study of the stained glass of AWN Pugin, the brilliant designer whose writings infused the gothic revival with moral fervour, is therefore very welcome. It provides a thoroughly researched account of the commercial and practical sides of Pugin’s work, as well as the Architectural Conservation John H. Stubbs • Emily G. Makas Foreword by Mounir Bouchenaki in Europe and the Americas
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=