Institute of Historic Building Conservation No 144 May 2016 Restoring Kew’s Temperate House A drone’s view of Overstone Hall The hidden impact of HGV vibrations The changing face of the high street
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 1 Cover: The structural frame of Kew’s Temperate House after cleaning (Photo:Thomas Erskine) See page 9 www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a charity in England andWales number 1061593 and in Scotland number SC041945. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road,TunbridgeWells, Kent TN2 4QZ. Officers President David McDonald, president@ihbc.org.uk Chair Mike Brown, chair@ihbc.org.uk Vice Chair Kathryn Davies, vchair@ihbc.org.uk Secretary Jo Evans, ihbcsecretary@ihbc.org.uk Treasurer Richard Morrice, treasurer@ihbc.org.uk National Office Director Seán O’Reilly, director@ihbc.org.uk Projects Officer Fiona Newton, projects@ihbc.org.uk Consultant Consultations Coordinator James Caird, consultations@ihbc.org.uk Membership Services Officer Carmen Moran, membershipservices@ihbc.org.uk LETS Officer Kate Kendall, lets@ihbc.org.uk BES Officer Carla Pianese, support@ihbc.org.uk Administration Officer Lydia Porter, admin@ihbc.org.uk Committee Chairs Policy David Kincaid, policy@ihbc.org.uk Membership & Ethics Paul Butler, membership@ihbc.org.uk Finance & Resources Richard Morrice, resources@ihbc.org.uk Education Henry Russell, education@ihbc.org.uk Communications & Outreach Charles Strang, communications@ihbc.org.uk Branch Officers North vacant NorthWest Crispin Edwards, 0161 474 2620 Yorkshire David Blackburn, 01943 603479 West MidlandsVacant East Midlands Roy Lewis, 01623 756623 South Julia Foster, 01296 585888 SouthWest JamesWebb, 01202 732849 East Anglia David Andrews, 07760 208231 South East Sean Rix, 01483 523379 London Sheila Stones, 01223 582716 Scotland Jane Jackson, 0775 527314 Wales John Edwards, 07796 440934 Northern Ireland Jill Kerry, 028 9048 7395 Republic of Ireland Cormac O’Sullivan, 00353 5677 62907 Institute ofHistoricBuildingConservation No144May2016 Restoring Kew’s Temperate House A drone’s view of Overstone Hall The hidden impact of HGV vibrations The changing face of the high street 2 Briefing 4 Out of Context 5 Obituary: Jon Finney 6 Periodically 8 The writer’s voice 9 Restoring Kew’s Temperate House Aimée Felton 13 A drone’s view of Overstone Hall Daniel Jones 17 The Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund Charlotte Dodgeon 19 Scaffolding historic structures John Ruddy 23 The hidden impact of HGV vibrations Matthew Champion 27 The changing face of UK high street frontages Graham Tite and Chris Pond 31 Conservation officers in historic towns Richard Bate 33 IHBC North West Day Conference 2015, Manchester Keith Parsons 35 Notes from the chair 37 Director’s cut 39 The uses of philosophy: reflections of a membership secretary Paul Butler 40 New members 41 Vox pop 42 New member profile 44 Book reviews 49 Products and services 52 Advertisers index
2 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Fiona Newton, 01507 602567 editorial@ihbc.org.uk Editorial Board Nigel Crowe Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Rebecca Madgin Fiona Newton (chair) Elizabeth Smith Michael Taylor Cartoons by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2016 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA 01747 871717 context@cathcomm.co.uk www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to corporate bodies at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £60.00 Elsewhere £90.00 Context on-line archive Past editions of Context can be viewed on the IHBC website six months after publication. The archive provides a searchable database and reference for key articles. See www.ihbc.org.uk/page55/context_archive. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily held by the IHBC or the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Briefing Copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November. The next four copy deadlines are: July, issue 145 13 May September, issue 146 15 July November, issue 147 16 August March, issue 148 13 January Merseyside prepares Fires at world heritage sites over the past two decades have presented special challenges to fire and rescue services worldwide, not only because of the loss or damage of historical value, but also because of the difficulties in fire-fighting and rescue. In 2011 the three-year Heritprot project was launched to promote the prevention of fire risk in world heritage sites in the centre of European cities. The project was funded through the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg IVC programme. Representatives of public authorities and fire-fighting and civil protection institutions from nine EU countries worked jointly. Some of the partners have suffered fires in buildings or sections of the old quarters of their towns; others want to avoid future disasters. The project’s good practice guidance on how to protect historic buildings from fire was launched at a closing ceremony at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MF&RS) Training and Development Academy. The Heritprot project gave MF&RS the opportunity to gather risk information about the historic buildings that would be needed in the event of a fire, flood or any other emergency. The project developed relationships with staff responsible for heritage buildings and enhanced emergency arrangements at those sites, improving joint working and developing a shared understanding of risk. The project has enabled MF&RS to focus on the Liverpool’s world heritage site, but the Heritprot model is transferrable to all parts of local authority areas in Merseyside. Each of the European cities involved held a two-day conference where they highlighted the areas of fire risk at heritage buildings in their city. MF&RS held a two-day conference in Liverpool in 2013. In the three years leading up to the conference, MF&RS held a series of training exercises at heritage buildings in Liverpool, focusing on the recovery of valuable artefacts in the event of a fire. Local listing with Placecheck Amenity societies in the London Borough of Wandsworth are helping to update the borough’s local list with the help of the new Placecheck app. The borough has around 500 locally listed buildings, and the review of the local list is expected to add a number of buildings, parks and gardens. The aim is to get most of the local listing done by September 2016. At the same time the borough council has prepared a draft historic environment supplementary planning document, which has recently been through the first round of public The towers of the Grade I listed Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol have been refurbished in a scheme that involved re-pointing and restoring the sandstone structures, providing cathodic protection for the Bath stone pillars, and painting the bridge chains.The specialist contractor Rateavon used a variety of Kemper System products. Merseyside firefighters outside St George’s Hall
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 3 consultation, with a further consultation planned for the autumn. The app enables people to add a building, feature, or historic park or garden to an online map, with a description and a photograph. This can be done using a smart phone or tablet. The Placecheck app’s mapping information will be transferred to the council’s geographic information system (GIS), which will then display the information internally and externally via web mapping pages. The map is based onWandsworth’s Ordnance Survey licence, and the app also uses the free Open Street map. The mapped suggestions will be considered for inclusion in the local list by a panel drawn from the amenity societies and chaired by the council’s heritage champion. Locally listed buildings, parks and gardens that are included enjoy additional protection in a conservation area or within the curtilage of a listed building. Elsewhere, works to a locally listed building or historic park and garden represent a material consideration under the National Planning Policy Framework. Additional protection to local listing can be provided through the making of Article 4 directions, relating to changes of use, demolition and alterations. ‘The Placecheck app enables us to collaborate with local people in reviewing our local list,’ says Wandsworth planner Barry Sellers, ‘and it provides us with a userfriendly, efficient, visual and transparent method of handling large amounts of information.’ Further information about Placecheck from Rob Cowan (rob@urbandesignskills.com) The value of pubs A year to the day since new powers were introduced to protect pubs, the number registered as assets of community value (ACV) is soaring, according to the latest figures from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. Almost 1,500 are now registered and 300 have been added so far this year. With 27 pubs closing every week, community groups have been coming together to save their beloved pubs by nominating them as ACVs. Last year the government announced new protections for pubs listed as ACVs, ensuring that owners apply for planning permission should they want to change the use of the building. Since this announcement, nearly 1,500 community groups across England have come together to list their locals and protect them from redevelopment. CAMRA branches and community groups would like to see 3,000 of Britain’s best pubs listed as ACVs by the end of this year, to help stem the number of pub closures. Without ACV status, a pub can be demolished or converted into other uses including small supermarkets, betting shops, estate agents and pet shops without planning permission and community consultation. The ACV option is only available for pubs in England. Small and surreal Student conservators at West Dean College have conserved the Toll House, created by Vivien Greene (1904–2003), a leading authority on dolls’ houses and wife of the novelist, Graham Greene. The dolls’ house, part of the Edward James Collection, is described as ‘A surreal interior, inspired by Monkton House and a meeting with Edward James’. It was made and furnished by Greene following a chance meeting with Edward James at West Dean in 1972. Monkton House, built in 1902, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and sensationally reinterpreted in the surrealist style by Edward James in the late 1930s. The Toll House contains miniature copies of objects, all made by Greene, including a surrealist painting reminiscent of Magritte’s La Reproduction Interdite, a ‘lips sofa’ and a facsimile of James’ bed, which was modelled on Nelson’s funeral car. Recording history inWandsworth A fundraising campaign has been launched for the restoration of the 120-year oldVictorian glasshouses atWest Dean Gardens, near Chichester inWest Sussex.The funds will pay for nearly 2,000 metres of treated timber, 120 panes of glass, 70 litres of paint and primer, and 100kg of putty.The 13 glasshouses, listed Grade II and said to be some of the finest examples in the UK, were designed by Foster and Pearson between 1895 and 1901. The 18th-century Grade II* Sacrewell Mill near Peterborough has undergone a £1.8 million restoration. The project has included repairing the waterwheel, and restoring the Collyweston slate roof. Purcell was the architect.
4 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 ‘THE POSSIBILITY is now that 3D printing technology can restore whole swaths of 20th-century ruination. It can recapture artistry and a sense of place, much as photography can recapture forgotten faces and disseminate great paintings. Of course it is a “copy” and thus lacks “authenticity”, but so what? Photography did not die for want of authenticity… ‘There seems a craving for normality, to put back the clock on the destruction wrought by Isis. The obstacle is not the will or the means. Both are now present in abundance. The obstacle could yet be an inability on the part of so many enthusiasts to work together, and an obtuse academic dismissal of a technology that can release to the world a new delight in the past.’ Simon Jenkins writing in the Guardian about proposals to reconstruct parts of the Syrian desert city of Palmyra. ‘TO STRUCTURALLY consolidate those elements that were at risk; to differentiate new additions from the original structure, thus avoiding the imitative reconstructions that are prohibited by law; and to recover the volume, texture and tonality that the tower would originally have had.’ Project architect Carlos Quevedo describing the objectives he pursued in restoring the 1,000-year-old Matrera castle in southern Spain.The work has been both condemned as a disaster and shortlisted for an architecture prize. ‘IT SEEMS entirely possible that a pavement collapse as far away as Barnet could one day drop bemused pedestrians into the middle of one of the tycoon’s dinner parties.’ Sam Leith writing in the Evening Standard about the grant of planning permission to dig out the basement of a Primrose Hill townhouse to provide an 80-person banquet hall, separate Roman and Turkish baths, a Jacuzzi, sauna, hot pool, plunge pool, 65ft pool, gym, wine cellar, games room, massage room and walk-in humidor. ‘THE PURPOSE of listing is to flag things which are of historical and cultural importance. I think punk is a really important part of our cultural history, and including it in the listing is a way of recognising that. ‘The alternative is saying: let’s forget all about punk because they don’t want to be remembered as part of our history. Punk can teach us a lot in our modern lives in terms of freedom of expression and not conforming... it is really important these things are understood and valued. ‘Punk was not the clincher but it certainly adds a layer of interest.’ Historic England listings adviser Posy Metz (quoted by Mark Brown in the Guardian) commenting on the upgrading from Grade II to Grade II* of the Sex Pistols’ London home in Denmark Street. well balanced in its content and imaginative in the use of different media. Rather than damaging what makes Tintagel precious, it plays to the site’s strengths, and will be appreciated by the many visitors to one of the premier heritage sites in Cornwall, and in Britain as a whole.’ From a statement by Historic England defending itself against accusations of the Disneyfication of Tintagel Castle. ‘WE’VE TRIED umpteen solutions to the problem... eventually they’ve all failed. I’m beginning to tear my hair out. It’s so frustrating. ‘We have tried many solutions and each works for a short time.We have coated the thatch to deter the jackdaws, we have used decoys.We’ve tried a double layer of netting over the thatch but they still manage to pull the straw through it.We even took some of the netting off so they had nothing to grip on to when they land on the roof. ‘We have tried everything we can and while we win for a period of time, the jackdaws eventually come back and start pulling straw again. It is very frustrating as each solution only works for a little while before they learn how to get round it. Jackdaws are very clever birds.’ National Trust building surveyor Karl Papierz contemplating the roof of the Grade I-listed Tithe Barn at Avebury, Wiltshire, which was re-thatched three years ago but is being picked apart by jackdaws. ‘I USEDTO ride in the back of the car and imagine I had a huge bat, and I could swat down every ugly roadside building. ‘Preservation is good, but it doesn’t allow any opposing force. If you save a few beautiful buildings, it’s not as if the stuff that really should go then gets demolished. Instead, we end up putting the pressure on the buildings that are quite good, but not quite good enough to be deemed historical.’ US architect David Bench announcing a competition ‘Taking Buildings Down’, in which architects will be asked to dream up a demolition scheme in the interests of improving the urban environment. ‘THE INEFFABLE Gehry has his head in the corpse of Battersea Power Station like a vulture in a lamb’s ribcage.’ Rowan Moore writing about London’s architecture in the Literary Review. ‘WE STRONGLY believe that the new interpretation installations are not so large that they negatively impact on the visual appeal of the site, whose massive and rugged character will essentially be unchanged, and all new installations will be sited in order to minimise or avoid impact on the site. ‘We believe that the interpretation we have designed for Tintagel is
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 5 Obituary Jon Finney, architect/planner and conservation officer Jon Finney, who has died at the age of 71, studied architecture at Birmingham and Portsmouth, followed by a town planning diploma at Central London Polytechnic. After working in various architectural firms in Birmingham, in 1972 he moved to London, where he worked as an assistant architect for several private practices before taking a job at the London Borough of Croydon as a planning officer in the urban design section. Five years later he moved to Bromley as design and conservation officer. In 1988 he became principal architect/planner for urban design and conservation at Hillingdon, where he stayed until moving to Barnet for a short period before his retirement. At Hillingdon he made equally significant contributions to historic building and conservation initiatives in metroland, and to the urban design quality of major developments, particularly in Uxbridge town centre. Following the changes brought in by PPG16, he represented Hillingdon on the Archaeological Joint Liaison Group for West London. He played a major role in Heathrow-related schemes and was influential in ensuring that a full archaeological investigation was carried out prior to the development of Terminal 5. Jon Finney’s interest in archaeology led to his long involvement with the London and Middlesex Archaeology Society (LAMAS). He became chair of LAMAS’s buildings committee, which shares the task of commenting on statutory notifications with the Council for British Archaeology as a national amenity society, making a huge commitment to the role. LAMAS received extra cases through his personal connections to conservation officers in London. The amount of time he spent on casework over and beyond his other work is testimony to his concern for heritage. After his retirement from local government he maintained an active role in both LAMAS and the IHBC, of which he was one of the first members. He was chair of the London branch for three years, during which he was also treasurer and branch representative on IHBC council, working with a small committee to run local activities. On retirement as chair he continued as a hard-working member of the branch committee. One of his branch committee roles was to provide a mentoring service for prospective new members. It was typical of his modesty and wry sense of humour that he would often remark that he was not entirely sure that if he were to make an application for membership himself, that it would be of a sufficient standard to be accepted. In 1990 Jon Finney was invited to join a group of conservation officers and architects who met for monthly walks visiting historic buildings and enjoying a good pub lunch. The Historic Buildings Walkers, as they came to be known, became good friends and an important part of his life. He nearly always walked carrying a sturdy umbrella, which became his trademark. He organised many outstanding walks, including a memorable weekend walk in Hereford, which started at Kilpeck and finished at Lethaby’s All Saints, Brockhampton. He never missed a chance to include modern architecture in his walks and a meticulously arranged tour of Oxford just had to include a visit to Jacobsen’s St Catherine’s College. One of his last walks sampled the architectural highlights of Watford, starting and finishing in Hemel Hempstead, to explore its post-war architecture and urban planning. Jon Finney was always good company and a good friend. He was greatly respected as a conservation officer due to his deep knowledge of historic buildings, coupled with and tempered by his broad cultural background and a personal approach that lent great authority to his well-informed judgements on conservation and design. His professionalism, common sense, calm air of authority and, not least, that keen sense of humour will be sorely missed. Jon married Josephine (Jo) Smith in 1977 and is survived by his two daughters, Kate and Megan. Ray Rogers
6 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 Periodically Sharp-eyed readers with good memories might have noticed the absence of the Journal of Architectural Conservation from these review pages recently. Although papers from the journal have appeared promptly online, the print edition has had a few teething troubles under its new ownership and the July 2015 issue (Vol 21, No 2) has only just appeared. It is hoped that the backlog will be eliminated soon. A very welcome appearance in print is Lisa McIntyre’s paper on a review of the Church of England’s management of medieval bishops’ palaces. This synthesizes her excellent submission to the Gus Astley Student Awards which Terry Levinthal of the National Trust for Scotland, the judge in 2013, decided merited a very worthy high commendation. Managing housing for diocesan bishops is a complex task for the Church Commissioners in balancing pastoral and domestic requirements with the church’s finite resources, set within the context of some of the nation’s most historically important buildings, and the physical and operational constraints these impose. The paper concludes that the commissioners may have been looking at this precious resource from an unduly pragmatic and short-term perspective; focusing on the costs and inconvenience of some of the palaces without always considering the potential of the buildings. The paper suggests that in terms of resources and ministry and the development of community engagement and outreach, there is within each diocese the potential for the building to be more self-sustaining. These objectives have not always been well served when palaces have been sold.While the commissioners have a duty to ensure the continuing suitability of bishops’ houses, the definition of this will continue to change. But as unique and irreplaceable assets the best course would be for the commissioners to make more of the existing stock. The other papers in this issue of the journal have an international flavour. Esperanza González-Redondo describes the growing interest in timber-framed buildings of up to six storeys built between the 16th and 19th centuries in the historic centre of Madrid. Structural decay has led to the demolition of many of them. Their modular timber construction system, which dates from as early as 1606, was regulated in 1719 and developed further in the 1800s. The author looks in particular at the most common forms of damage, and the current methods of repair and conservation. The rather startling archival illustrations of this form of construction and the photographs of the structural composition of some of the taller buildings will be very thought provoking to anyone unfamiliar with this way of building. Interest in and technical literature about earthen buildings continues to grow. The wide regional distribution of such buildings can throw up differing approaches to the resolution of many generic repair problems. In another paper from Spain, Quiteria AnguloIbáñez describes studies into the traditional approach to using wooden reinforcement for vernacular rammedearth wall structures typically found in Albacete. The paper sets out the advantages of bracing walls in this way to resist horizontal pressures from wind and seismic activity – a topic not previously studied – and the value of incorporating such bracing in earthen historic building refurbishment and in new construction. Perceptions of significance and the approach to changes to post-war heritage is the subject of a paper from Jeffrey Chusid of Cornell University. He describes a case from New Delhi, the India International Centre (IIC), designed by Joseph Allen Stein in 1958. Construction coincided with Le Corbusier’s Assembly Building in Chandigarh; both buildings are significant works from the early years of India’s independence. The IIC also has significance because of its original benefaction by the Rockefeller Foundation as a coldwar era commission designed by an expatriate American. In 2008 the IIC topped a poll of local architects’ favourite buildings in the capital, but its popularity had led to numerous subsequent changes and additions, raising questions about how late-20thcentury Indian monuments should be identified, conserved and managed. This reviewer has remarked in the past about the paucity of journals that are able to explore subjects in great depth. One such is the Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society, which in 2016 has reached the milestone of Volume 60. (The occasional Proceedings of theVictorian Society and the specialist topical volumes of the Twentieth Century Society also permit longer individual essays). The Transactions are well known for their exploration of the history and conservation of under-appreciated individual historic buildings. In these Transactions Maxwell Craven describes the evolution and significance of Norbury Manor House in Derbyshire, acquired by Marcus Stapleton-Martin and extensively restored by him from 1968 to 1973, before passing to the National Trust on his death. In 2014 the trust decided to make the house a holiday let. The essay is based on a reassessment of the building for a
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 7 projected new guide, which remains unpublished. (The building appears as The Old Manor in the National Trust’s 2016 Handbook). Tours d’horizon are also valuable in setting the historical and architectural context for particular building types. Anthony Jenkins has performed a service by looking at the influence of the parsonage in English domestic architecture. This 30-page paper is a companion piece to his valuable and informative examination of Victorian parsonages that appeared two years ago in Volume 58. The paper compares the parsonages to other houses of it period, to determine the extent to which it may be said to have influenced domestic architecture. Jenkins detects differing influences in different periods, analysing them in architectural terms and examining the underlying reasons. Some general conclusions are reached, including the contribution of the parsonage to the ‘dilemma of style’. Two papers deal with 20th-century architecture. Peter Larkham and David Adams consider issues surrounding the contentious conservation of recent architecture, particularly large-scale, city-centre brutalist buildings that are neither widely loved nor always critically praised. Birmingham’s Central Library is used as an example of the varying attitudes expressed by experts, politicians and the public. The heritage minister Margaret Hodge refused to list the building, against the recommendation of the then English Heritage. An intensely polarised debate preceded the building being recently demolished, just before its certificate of immunity from listing was about to expire. In something of a departure from the normal compass of the Transactions, there is a paper by VictoriaWatson with a distinctly international focus. Watson questions whether the work of Mies van der Rohe should be divided into two historical periods either side of 1933. Her question is prompted by the installation in 2013 of a full-sized plywood model of a rural golf clubhouse in Krefeld in north-west Germany, on a site close to that of Mies’ original proposal. JeffreyWest, formerly a director of English Heritage, gives some personal reflections of an insider on the emergence of the organisation as a public voice in defense of the historic environment. In particular, he discusses its role in property management, and how this related to its other conservation responsibilities, and its role in promoting historic landscapes. TheVictorian (No 51, March 2016), the magazine of the Victorian Society, highlights concerns about Victorian pubs. Geoff Brantwood looks at the reasons why they have been closing in record numbers. Pub-going is not the leisure activity it once was, and consumption is down, particularly among younger adults. Furthermore, a discrepancy has developed between the value of buildings as pubs and other uses, particularly residential conversions or redevelopments. However, although pubs are operating in a tough environment where margins are tight and customers have plenty of other leisure opportunities, the picture is not entirely grim. Brantwood notes the rise of the community-owned pub; the role of the Localism Act in defining pubs as assets of community value; and the successful innovation of micro pubs that have been easier to set up since the passing of the Licensing Act 2003. While heritage professionals understand the differences between conservation and preservation, misconceptions about the distinction remains widespread among non-experts. In Michael Hall’s article ‘When aspic is not on the menu’ (have you ever tried ‘savoury jelly made with meat stock, set in a mould and containing pieces of meat, seafood or eggs’?), excellent examples are given of the sensitive, adaptive and creative reuse of Victorian and Edwardian buildings. These range from the Coal Exchange in Leeds to the CoffinWorks in Birmingham. Both represent challenges overcome, but the society is keen to hear views fromContext readers about the issues surrounding other difficult building types, and particularly the contentious issue of fittings in building such as law courts, banking halls, pubs, chapels and churches. It is now about 20 years since the government proposed a review of the ecclesiastical exemption and there is not currently any sign of an appetite to investigate its workings. From time to time specific cases have emerged suggesting that the system is not functioning properly. Christopher Costelloe cites one in his editorial. The society has recently won an appeal in the Court of Arches against a consistory court ruling – a rare event. The case concerned the removal of a font from the church at Shipton Bellinger in Hampshire. The society considered this to be damaging to the special interest and lacking any practical justification. As this is a Grade II church, Historic England was not involved; the Church Buildings Council decided not to comment; and the diocesan Chancellor approved the Faculty application with the blessing of the Diocesan Advisory Committee. Approval came as a huge surprise to the society as an important principle was at stake: the removal of a valued element of the church’s Victorian interior because of what was seen as ignorance and prejudice. The Court of Arches concluded that ‘in the handling and determination of this case at every level almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong’. The society concludes that the case has a wider significance in directing attention to the flaws in the operation of the ecclesiastical exemption. If it is not to be reviewed, it is hoped that the diocese will learn from the flawed process in this case and revise its procedures.
8 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 From Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) The lamplights now glimmered through the engirdling trees, conveying a sense of great smugness and comfort inside, and rendering at the same time the unlighted country without strangely solitary and vacant in aspect, considering its nearness to life. The difference between burgh and champaign was increased, too, by sounds which now reached them above others — the notes of a brass band. The travellers returned into the High Street, where there were timber houses with overhanging stories, whose small-paned lattices were screened by dimity curtains on a drawing-string, and under whose bargeboards old cobwebs waved in the breeze. There were houses of brick-nogging, which derived their chief support from those adjoining. There were slate roofs patched with tiles, and tile roofs patched with slate, with occasionally a roof of thatch. The agricultural and pastoral character of the people upon whom the town depended for its existence was shown by the class of objects displayed in the shop windows. Scythes, reap-hooks, sheep-shears, bill-hooks, spades, mattocks, and hoes at the iron-monger’s; bee-hives, butter-firkins, churns, milking stools and pails, hayrakes, field-flagons, and seed-lips at the cooper’s; cart-ropes and plough-harness at the saddler’s; carts, wheel-barrows, and mill-gear at the wheelwright’s and machinist’s, horse-embrocations at the chemist’s; at the glover’s and leathercutter’s, hedging-gloves, thatchers’ kneecaps, ploughmen’s leggings, villagers’ pattens and clogs. They came to a grizzled church, whose massive square tower rose unbroken into the darkening sky, the lower parts being illuminated by the nearest lamps sufficiently to show how completely the mortar from the joints of the stonework had been nibbled out by time and weather, which had planted in the crevices thus made little tufts of stone-crop and grass almost as far up as the very battlements. From this tower the clock struck eight, and thereupon a bell began to toll with a peremptory clang. The curfew was still rung in Casterbridge, and it was utilized by the inhabitants as a signal for shutting their shops. No sooner did the deep notes of the bell throb between the house-fronts than a clatter of shutters arose through the whole length of the High Street. In a few minutes business at Casterbridge was ended for the day. Public houses featured in C20, the magazine of the Twentieth Century Society (No 1, 2016) with an exploration of the work of Arthur Edward Sewell. He was chief architect of Truman’s brewery between the wars and designer of eight pubs in London, among 20 from the inter-war period recently listed by Historic England. Although a veteran pub designer and witness to some of the capital’s opulent 19th-century pubs (that the Victorian Society notes are under threat), Sewell recalled many in back streets to be ‘cheerless, dirty and gas-lit’ bar rooms with ‘sawdust on the floors and filthy cuspidors all over the place’. Under Sewell’s direction, Truman’s forged a new, refined house style for their pub interiors, remodeling more than 150 during his time in charge. The success of the new designs is well illustrated in the article by Luke Jacob. The salubrious interiors were seen as somewhere where the ‘reputable citizen can not only be seen there himself but can bring his wife should the occasion arise’, a telling reflection on inter-war mores. The first issue of C20 of 2016 also features the British output of the American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, designer of the BAFTA mask trophies, and an exploration of the colonial architecture of Nairobi. As with all issues of C20, the extended reviews of major casework issues, event reports and exhibitions (including the recent Charles and Ray Eames exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery) are insightful and informative. Bob Kindred MBE Sculptureforall: theartofMitziCunliffe Truman’sbest: interwarpub interiors Colonialheritage: Nairobiarchitecture C20MAGAZINE/ISSUE12016 9772055503003 16 ISSN 2055-5032 ttingham.Architect:SirOwenWilliams Architecture/Design/Conservation Themagazineofthe TwentiethCenturySociety Issue12016 £4.50 Book your place now, for the Photo courtesy of Chris Dobbs: wwwcdimages.moonfruit.com ihbc.org.uk/worcester2016 @ihbctweet IHBC Annual School 2016 Worcester Thursday 23rd – Saturday 25th June Humanity & Heritage:Catalyst for Change Principal Sponsor Iceni Projects
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 9 AIMÉE FELTON Restoring Kew’s Temperate House Decimus Burton’s monumental Temperate House precinct at the Unesco world heritage site of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is half-way through a £36 million restoration project. Lying at the heart of London’s Kew Gardens, in spring 2016 the Temperate House is shrouded in a plastic, scaffold cloche, mimicking many of the plants within the botanical gardens, the metamorphic transformation of winter to spring.Yet the Temperate House has at least one more winter of transformation ahead, to complete the £36 million restoration project for the client Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, prior to the formal re-opening in May 2018. Substantial funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund of £15 million, a DEFRA donation of £1 million, and a range of private trusts, donors and contributions from the visiting public are allowing for an expansion of Kew’s education programme, and public engagement and participation activities. The 30-month construction period is half-way through, with a handover back to Kew programmed for April 2017. The Temperate House will then remain closed for a further 12 months as it is re-landscaped, replanted and fitted with new visitor interpretation. TheTemperate House, one of the major architectural features of the Royal Botanic Gardens, exemplifies the Victorian approach to collections and glasshouses. Designed by Decimus Burton in 1859, its central block and octagons were complete by 1863, followed in 1897 and 1899 by the north and south blocks.Twice the size of the monumental Palm House at 4,880 square metres and extending to 19 metres in height, the Temperate House is the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse.When first constructed it was the largest glasshouse in the world. The site is alongside the 1840s avenue between the PalmHouse and PagodaVista. Immediately to the west of it is the later Evolution House, listed Grade II.The position of the glasshouse within the gardens has posed some logistical issues during the restoration process. These have been managed with a large enclosed compound providing amenities, café and changing facilities for the construction workers, and golf-buggy-escorted deliveries through the public areas. The Temperate House before work started (Photo: Donald Insall Associates)
10 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 Last renovated in 1970 by Posford, Pavry and Partners and nowby a teamwithDonald InsallAssociates as conservation architects,the precinct is in need of a comprehensive restoration, reinvigoration of visitor interpretation and improved access.The building houses important historic living plant collections, including a number of plants of exceptional size and unique heritage value. TheTemperate House range of buildings has a number of longstanding defects, all related to inherent failures in the original construction detailing. As an architect, Decimus Burton was a leader in the innovative use of metalwork for large spanning structures and in the early use of cement. Study of the extensive archive records, including original drawings held at the National Archives, has helped inform the subsequent restoration. The North and South Blocks both, unusually, incorporate wrought-iron posts and angled braces in their masonry piers, possibly to speed up construction, enabling the main structure to rise before the masonry was completed. This feature is coupled with the use of dense cementitious renders throughout the whole building. Together these give rise to problems of entrapped moisture, iron corrosion and cracking of masonry. Without complete dismantling and rebuilding of the structure, the solution proposed is the introduction of a new cathodic protection system, designed by Ramboll UK, the structural engineer on the project. It is hoped that the range of techniques proposed will suppress the corrosion of the metal structure and metal components within the masonry by providing the electrochemical condition to control the corrosion process. This will result in less cyclical differential movement and resultant cracking of the cement render. This restoration, project-managed by Turner + Townsend, will strip the building down to reveal its original metal and masonry core, carry out repairs, and repaint with the latest high-technology, long-lasting and protective paints.The existing irrigation and ventilation systems are no longer functional and sustainable; effective solutions are being implemented to provide the very best conditions for the new collection of plants. The existing piped and electrical services, largely more than 30 years old, are reaching the end of their lives.They no longer comply with contemporary codes of practice and the two Octagon Basements services areas were badly planned and arranged. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew was the first UNESCO world heritage site to receive the ISO14001 standard. As such the organisation believes that its operation should be undertaken with minimal adverse impact on both the local and global environments. Environmental considerations are therefore at the heart of RBG’s corporate strategy. In line with this ambition Hoare Lea, consulting services engineers, have designed a new heating and servicing strategy for the building, utilising a new biomass boiler situated within the, back-of-house, StableYard Energy Centre to provide sustainable energy for the heating of the glasshouse. The original glazed roofs of the Temperate House included hand-operated timber sash frames.According to site notes from the 1970s, these were beyond repair and were replaced with an aluminium glazing system.As part of the current restoration, the aluminium system is being overhauled and cleaned, fitted with improved glazing and connected to a new actuator opening mechanism to provide the fine control of ventilation required by the horticultural team. Scaffolding rising in Centre Block (Photo: Donald Insall Associates)
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 11 The transept entrance to the Temperate House (Photo: Thomas Erskine, Donald Insall Associates) The existing sculpture within the Central Block, somewhat overshadowed by the planting, includes works by Cheere and Rysbrack.The careful restoration of these, and of the urns and decorative plasterwork on the building, is being undertaken byTaylor Pearce. In the case of the urns the aim is to restore structural integrity to the socles and replace missing finials. The sculpture will form an integral part of the new interpretation and visitor interaction proposals. The present all-over, brilliant white, decorative scheme inside and out is significantly different from that of the original. Moreover, it covers architectural detail previously left unpainted, particularly the high-level sculptural terracotta figures on the east front. Research by Catherine Hassall revealed a total of up to 13 different paint layers in the older parts of the building. Early schemes within the 1860s buildings exhibited stone-coloured walls and a pale blue and off-white decorative scheme on the structure (not untypical of decorationwith a late-Regency influence). This changed to dark green schemes on the metalwork with the addition of the later North and South Blocks (which thus never received the blue scheme).The final design will be developed in coordination with both London Borough of Richmond and Historic England, in order to provide the best possible setting for the foliage and sculptures. The project is not solely focused on the built fabric of the Temperate House. As part of the construction process and wider educational emphasis of the project, the main contractor, ISg, is offering six three-year heritage conservation apprenticeships and Kew is directly employing a further 10 focusing on horticulture. The introduction of new landscaping to the precinct by Land Use Consultants, and the integration of ramps, will provide for the first time full level access throughout the wholeTemperate House. Internal landscaped paths have been re-configured to correlate in plan more closely with the original Decimus Burton layout and encourage interaction between the public and the planting, and to help with maintenance access. New public toilets and baby-change facilities are being provided.These, coupled with a new servery kitchen and back-of-house kitchenette, changing facilities and staff breakout space, offer Kew the business opportunity for greater event and activity planning for the glasshouse. The horticultural team has been working since 2013 to move the entire plant species collection from the Temperate House to the newly created Decant Nursery (previously the Munchbox),where it is being propagated. Very large plants have been lifted, potted and transported to the Decant Nursery spaces. Additionally, a new purpose-built Propagation House (which will be a permanent legacy of the project) is providing glasshouse nursery space for continued care of the main collections and space for growing the changing annual displays.The new internal landscaping will generate regional zones for the new plants. Following the successful propagation period there will be a mix of mature and young plants by 2018. For the next year, the seven remaining trees within the scaffold are being protected and tended in their individual micro-climate cases. Work will continue around them, with the final paint layers being applied before re-glazing the structure beginning at the end of the year. Kew Gardens remains open to the public. Aimée Felton is an associate at Donald Insall Associates Architects
12 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 Purcell. Thoughtfully designed evolution. www.purcelluk.com @purcelluk ARCHITECTS & DESIGNERS HERITAGE LEADERS CONSULTANTS Please see our website for galleries and much more information www.toppandco.com enquiry@toppandco.com • +44 (0)1347 833173 We create and restore fine architectural metalwork for some of the most architecturally sensitive sites in the world. We thrive on the demanding technical challenges set by the heritage sector. We implement the National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) Conservation Principles. Specialists in Historic Ironwork Restoration and Replication CAA approved • RPQs qualified £5 million Public Liability Insurance Remote Aerial Photography and Video Building inspections and roof surveys • Versatile, cost effective solution • Investigate defects and repairs • Access from the safety of the ground Tel: 01636 819117 • www.buzzpix.co.uk Care and conservation of historic stained glass of all periods Expert consultancy services Condition surveys, conservation concepts, grant applications Environmental protective glazing External protection for all types of historic building Design and fabrication of new windows 6 Deangate York YO1 7JB Tel: 01904 557228 Email: info@yorkglazierstrust.org www.yorkglazierstrust.org THE YORK GL AZ I E R S TRU S T
C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 13 DANIEL JONES A drone’s view of Overstone Hall The use of an unmanned aerial vehicle – a drone – allowed Daventry District Council’s conservation team to take a close look at the highly dangerous ruins of Overstone Hall. The Grade II listed Overstone Hall, sited just outside Northampton, is a ruinous 19th-century mansion designed byWilliam MilfordTeulon. Commissioned in 1860 for the first Lord and Lady Overstone, the building is of limestone ashlar under slate roofs. Its plan is complex. Generally three storeys tall with a large square central tower dominating the roof lines, the building was reputed to have 119 rooms. It was surrounded by 40 acres of grounds which contained three lakes, walled gardens, farm buildings and a carriage block. According to The Builder it was ‘a mixture of Elizabethan and Renaissance’ styles and features which added up to an eclectic design and slightly bizarre appearance. The project was completed in 1866. Unfortunately, Lady Overstone died in 1864 and so never saw the building completed. Lord Overstone, who was reputed to have a great interest in art and architecture, and who gave the buildings their unbalanced and eclectic mix of features, styles and patterns, never came to like the property and never took up residence, choosing to live with his daughter in Berkshire instead. Locals say that the designer was employed accidentally and that it was actuallyWMTeulon’s more accomplished brother whose services Lord and Lady Overstone believed they had secured. That may go some way to explaining the mix of styles and designs found across the building, which to some may look as though the architect has flicked through various pattern books and selected random elements. The Hall stayed in the family, being used as a hunting retreat and a place to throw lavish parties and entertain. Eventually the family sold the land and buildings in the The Builder called it ‘a mixture of Elizabethan and Renaissance’.
14 C O N T E X T 1 4 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 6 early 20th century. The house was bought by Sir Philip Stott, who donated it for use as a Conservative party college in 1923. The college was shut by 1928 and sold again, after which it was used as a girls’ school for 50 years. After changing hands a couple of times more it came into the ownership of the NewTestament Church of God. In April 2001 a fire broke out in one of the upper bedrooms and spread through the building in a matter of hours.The fire destroyed many of the house’s prized features and spaces, leaving only the south wing and the shell and cross walls of the east wing standing.The building has remained in this perilous and structurally unsound condition, and is in constant danger of vandalism, trespassers, theft and further damage caused by the elements. Surveying the structure is dangerous as the walls are unstable, and floors and ceilings have collapsed. Underneath the property runs a series of service tunnels and cellars which are not fully recorded on the plans. Normally a careful inspection would be carried out on foot, or using scaffolding or mobile working platforms like cherry pickers. But the precariously hanging floors, walls and ceilings, and the unknown routes of the underground passageways, make using conventional methods extremely risky. Early in 2015 the conservation team at Daventry District Council was approached by BuzzPix, an aerial photography and video company which was exploring the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in building recording and surveying. UAVs are becoming more common in field archaeology, being used on digs to give bird’s-eye views of sites, to help visualise findings in the landscape, and to provide scaled survey data. Drones, as they are commonly called, can be fitted with high-definition cameras, sensors, video cameras and GPS units, making them highly versatile, and providing much better access than the previous methods of aerial survey such as planes, helicopters, cherry pickers, hot-air balloons, telescopic masts or kites. Historic England has used imagery from UAVs since 2008. At Overstone Hall a UAV flew above the building to allow assessment of the condition of the roofs. In some places it dipped down inside the building, providing close High-level photographs have provided a plan view of the entire property.
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