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
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