C O N T E X T 1 4 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 23 laid out so that ‘goodness’ and the passage to heaven were depicted on the right hand side of the building, to the well-lit south. The north side was thought to represent ‘badness’ and hell. More controversial was his view that the building also had a more subtle anti-Jewish expression to the decoration, as it contained a secondary shrine to Little St Hugh, for whose murder in 1255 Lincoln’s Jews were blamed and persecuted (they were finally expelled in 1290). After being presented with a choice between church and synagogue at the Judgement Portal, monstrous images overlook the shrine, which include a depiction of owls – identified with Jews by authors of medieval bestiaries. Thus this magnificent structure can be read on one level as a representation of cultural hatred and persecution.When such an interpretation was given within the context of our current society it could change how we appreciate the building from being a structure of great and undeniable beauty to something with a less palatable meaning. Clearly, this has to be understood in the historical context of the 13th century. Further, it is a true expression of the nature of the place and society in which it was built, and the cathedral admirably recognises this history. The fact is that the past was sometimes brutal, and its values simply unpalatable to our own sensibilities. Yet, paradoxically, beautiful materials, crafts and design can render such unethical ideas into exquisite architecture that we all value for itself. So what should we do with this kind of history, one that affects the diversity of place? Do ‘accessibility’ and ‘participation’ tend to gloss over these intellectual knots? Whose ‘meaning’ are we to look at – and represent? Foyle’s recent publication Lincoln Cathedral: the biography of a great building presents his interpretation in more detail. Having established what elements make up a sense of place, Foyle explored what happened if we moved beyond our traditions and cultural identity. He argued that many designers who had concentrated on functionalism and utility as an expression of modernity had created meaningless and mediocre architecture which had an adverse impact on both our sense of place and identity. However, he considered it is possible to bridge between the past and the present, and create modern design which still perpetuated a national or local tradition, through engaging memory, place and belonging. He cited as a good example of this approach the work of the Italian architect Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978). Scarpa’s architecture was very sensitive to the changes in time, successfully mixing old and new elements. Finally, Foyle considered the importance of the adaptive reuse of buildings where new uses were identified for structures which had heritage significance for a nation. As an example he cited Milan University. This was housed in a former monastic hospital, built in the 15th century and seriously damaged in the second world war. The buildings have been reconstructed and successfully converted to their new use. When considering buildings which have heritage significance, decisions must be taken which take account of the long-term economic or social context rather than temporary circumstances. Canterbury Cathedral was almost pulled down in the English Civil War, for example. Foyle concluded that as conservation professionals today we are more enlightened than in the past. We are taught to identify the values and significance that buildings contain. This should form part of our decision-making process to avoid important buildings being demolished or insensitively altered. Retaining a building which was perfectly good and a past investment was sustainable, and should outweigh any short-term arguments for the loss of the structure. However, we must question whether this was always achieved in Britain. In this country we had had the benefit of pioneers such as Pevsner identifying and recording important structures.This had influenced the development of our own legislative system to preserve and enhance heritage assets. Most important, Foyle’s talk highlighted the global need to identify and record heritage assets of other cultures which may be at risk. A record of human achievement would identify what was important and serve as a databank in the event of such artefacts or assets being destroyed. Current natural and human disasters highlighted the pressing need for such a record to be made by every nation. Charmain Hawkins Lincoln Cathedral’s magnificent structure can be read on one level as a representation of cultural hatred and persecution. (Photo: James Newton)
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