CONTEXT 15 - April 1987

m ::· ' I l ' ~'>--,.·;;,- ' ,, ' I SAVE TORQUAYOLD TOWN PUBLICMEETING 6-30 pm SATURDAY17th JAl-.',A,y Town Hall Torquay • The New Conservation Scheme t National ,n~ Loe,/spea,er.s , Queshnns ~·, , ~· ,.' -\ f I f:.~ t 1 f<t I '/ ., Association of Conservation Officers Quarterly Newsletter No. 15 April 1987 Context ~0 (,.·<· in association with TORQUAY CHAMBER OF TRADE & COMMERCE • >r; FLEET!~!~',~ ~,~~~7!MENT I, -I \ . _;-~ This Area rs Scheduled for Redevelopmen-f; \q. f Refurbishment as a new Shopping Centre end Car park ·i' i T~ Inconvenience to the Shopping Public anc:A Ti-aders , j dunng the pre development period 1s Reg,etf:ed. 1

Context CONTRIBUTIONSfrom any member are very welcome, and are essential if the Newsletter is to be topical, relevant and useful. Please send copy to your Regiohal Contact - see next column - or to the Editor at the address below. If possible please type,single spaced, to a column width of 85mm. If you have a choice of type face, please use this one, which is Pica Elite 12. EDITOR: Jenny Birkett, 130 Bouverie Avenue South, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 SEA tel. 0722 336272 ext 387 (office); or 0722 334129 (home). ASSISTANTEDITOR: Bob Kindred (Ipswich Borough Council) 0473 262934 4 All Saints Road Ipswich, Suffolk lPl 4DG COVER:Fleet Street, Torquay. Jn these scenes which didn't make the picture postcards:(top row) is this juxtaposition coincidental? And the Borough Council apologises for the disruption caused by a little local difficulty. (Bottom row): Ye Olde HumbugShoppe became t~e headquarters . for Save Torquay Old Tovm campaign. Right, a pleasant early C20 1oor proclaims its faith in plast~c money. Page 2 ACOREGIONALCONTACTS NORTH: Keith Murray: 091 4567531 x251 (South Tyneside Borough Council) NORTHWEST: Mike King: 051 2273911 x568 (Liverpool City Council) YORKSHIRE:Robert Scriven: 0924 370211 (Wakefield Metropolitan DC) x417 W.MIDLANDS:Michael Fox: 0902 27811 (Wolverhampton Metropolitan BC) E.MIDLANDS:Graham Beaumont:0602 824824 (Nottinghamshire County Council) SOUTHWEST: Robert Ladd 0749 3399 ext 320 (~endip District Council) SOUTH: Chris Brett: 0734 786833 x358 (Wokingham District Council) EAST ANGLIA: John Preston: 0223 317616 (Cambridgeshire County Council) SOUTHEAST: Geoff Pink: 01 541 9416 (Surrey County Council) LONDON:Rosemarie MacQueen: 01 253 8455 (London Borough of Hackney) SCOTLAND:Graham Reed: 050 684 3121 x89 (West Lothian District Council) WALES: Jon James: 0352 2121 (Clwydd County Council) NORTHERNIRELAND: Colin Hatrick 0232 (DoE NI) 653251 ACOOFFICERS CHAIRMAN:Mike Pearce: 0962 54411 x670 (Hampshire County Council) The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire. SECRETARY:Chris Smith: 0272 290777 x530 (Avon County Council) 3 Paul Street, Kingsdown, Bristol BS2 8HG TREASURER:Peter Richards: 0245 352232 (Essex County Council) x 289 139 Lifstan Way, Thorpe Bay, Essex SSl 2XG MEMBERSHIPSECRETARY:James Ross: x293 (Essex County Council) 0245 352232 Three Beari, Laindon CommonRoad, Little Burstead, Essex CM12 9TL PUBLICITY: James Clifton: 0494 26100 (Wycombe District Council) Bucks HPll lBB PROJECTSOFFICER: John Fidler: 01 734 (HBMC) or 01 741 7297 ( 6010 x721 Top Flat, 36 Ravenscourt Road, London W6 OUG PLEASESENDALL COPYFOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF CONTEXTBY MID-JUNE.

Fawlty Premises Conservation problems in Torquay It used to be rumoured,that the inspiration for the appalling Fawlty Towers and its manic owner was a real hotel in Torquay. Having thereby inspired a classic farce, Torquay over the last few months looks also to have inspired a classic conservation drama. The decision in January of Torbay Borough Council to allow a 150,000 sq ft shopping development, which entails the demolition of a sizeable area of a Victorian shopping street, enraged the local conservation pressure group 'Save Torquay Old Town' and attracted attention - and vocal diaapprouaZ-from national newspapers and conservation groups too. Because the debate raised in particularly stark relief the sort of dilemma that must confront most conservation staff during the current retail boom, it seems worthwhile to Zook at this controversy in some detail. I asked Alan Taylor, AGOmember and conservation officer for Torbay, who supports the approved scheme, to outline the genesis of the proposals, and explain Page 3 the reasons for Torbay's decision. The opposing view is given by George Ferguson, architect of the 'conservation alternative' scheme. Torquay is not unique; similar controversies rage in many towns and cities, and many involve more important buildings. The issues are familiar. How hard should we try to retain 'marginal' (ie unlisted~ buildings? How necessary is it for the provincial town to succumb to the blandishments of the national multiple and chain store, whose charm may easily fade with the collapse of plastic money? How far can the architect stray from professional impartiality to engage as protaganist in the bunfights? Perhaps, as The Guardian's architectural correspondent, Martin Pawley (no conservationist) remarked about the Torquay debate .. " .. the content only appears to be fought over architecture; in fact it is between national and local retailing interests, with the local authority playing the part of a compromised referee, torn between civic pride and lust for higher rateable values" ))

Alan Taylor VIEWS OF TOR BAY ALANTAYLORis conservation officer for Torbay Borough Council. This is a synopsis of the talk he gave at the conference 'Reviving Our Old Towns' ~n Torquay in February of this year. Since 1974 when the present Borough Council came into being, conservation has been a central plank in our planning strategy for Torbay. Prior to this, a number of unfortunate developments had occurred, and only three conservation areas had been designated (one of them in Torquay). Since then, a further eleven conservation areas have been designated, including Torquay Harbour. During that time we have protected listed buildings and other buildings of character, and we have promoted high standards of design both inside and outside conservation areas. We have also made a start on positive environmental improvement measures. Fleet Street Fleet St is a particularly interesting example of the problems and opportunities in the revival of historic town centres. The site was bedevilled even in the late 18th century, before Tor Quay was more than a harbourside hamlet, by conflicts of ownership. Throughout the 19th century, these conflicts prevented proper redevelopment of the area, and perpetuated what were recognized at the time as highly unsatisfactory street patterns. In order to trade at all, shopkeepers in Fleet St had to try and create a more satisfactory shopping depth by bridging over George St which ran parallel and at a lower level. This created an ugly street, about 40% of which lay in tunnel. It is incorrect to describe the area behind Fleet St as 'Torquay Old Town'. It was an area neglected by the two major landowners of the area, and subordinated to their conflicting interests. It contains no listed buildings at all; there are three 19th century buildings, and one early 20th century building, in the area, which are of some character but of marginal quality. Fleet Street is important for its serpentine curve, and the repetition of first floor arched window openings, creating a powerful image of Torquay. It Page 4 ~ .. _,_, \:.: \ (: ?t¥ f ) • -~ f,. , . ,..:_:•i:>. .·• ·,. ···. . ~ .-···,.. ~--=:.._ ~ '•.-:-:~_ ,' is, however, flawed and poor in execution and constructed of brick, which is not basically a Torquay material. It is considered that a new facade in stucco could achieve everything which the present facade offers - and a great deal more. Torquay is a sub-regional shopping centre which is failing to fulfil its sub-regional role. Part of the reason for this is Fleet St. It is not a

(Left) (Top) (Below) Torquay central area,map of 1866 Approved scheme by Dyer Associates Alternative by Ferguson Mann retains many existing buildings secondary shop~ing area~ such as Brighton Lanes -but part of Torquay's shopping heart, where inadequacies are accentuating the town's drift towards seasonal trading only. Local traders and shoppers have been calling for better car parking and improved shopping facilities for many years. Towards re-development Since the 196O's, the Council has been Page 5 active through the production ot a number of briefs and planning studies in trying to find a way forward. At the end of the 197O's, the traders recognised that they could not co-ordinate and finance an organic regeneration of the area, and the Council finally accepted the need for a comprehensive approach. Thus, in 1982 the Council launched a competition brief seeking a scheme that would not only fit in aesthetically with the surrounding conservation area, but would provide modern shopping facilities to compete effectively with other centres in South Devon. John Laing were selected as developers with Building Design Partnership as architects. After extensive publicity, consultations with the Dept. of the Environment and endorsement by the Royal Fine Art Commission, the scheme was given the necessary planning approvals in 1985. A public inquiry into the necessary compulsory purchase order was held at the end of 1984, at which time the first co-ordinated opposition to the scheme was heard. The 'Save Torquay Old Town' Group was formed, and a so-called "conservation alternative" was commissioned by them. The group and the architects campaigned to have this scheme considered by the Council, but in view of the history of the competitive brief and their commitment to proceed with the John Laing scheme the Council were unable to agree to this. Revised brief The compulsory purchase order was confirmed in 1985 by the Secretary of State who noted - "I am of the opinion that a comprehensive re-development in the manner proposed is justified". In July 1986 the developers reported that they were unable to find funders on terms satisfactory to themselves, and the Borough Council terminated their partnership with them. A revised brief was issued based on similar principles, but with more flexibility built into it. Eighteen expressions of interest were received by the September deadline, including two developers who put forward schemes based on the preservation of existing buildings on the site. One of these was by the architects who had acted

for STOT, and who were this time submitting proposals on behalf of Greycoat Securities. Neither of these schemes reached the final short list of four. The main reasons were that it appeared that neither scheme could fully fund the necessary site acquisition, provide the necessary car parking, highway or environmental improvements, or provide the necessary level and mix of shopping to strengthen year-round trade. Additionally the Greycoat scheme provided an unsatisfactory car park access, which ~ould have created acute environmental problems in a nearby residential area. A scheme has now been selected, submitted by Rosebaugh Heritage plc with Dyer Associates of Cheltenham as their architects. This has been the subject of consultations with the DoE, the HBMC and the Royal Fine Art Commission, and we believe that its implementation will give Torquay the strategic shopping that it needs, while contributing to the regeneration of what is arguably our most important conser~ation area. Warehouses behind Fleet Street Page 6 George Ferguson THE CASE FOR CONSERVATION George Ferguson of Ferguson Mann, was architect of the 'conservation alternative' scheme for S.T.O.T., later backed by Greycoat The greatest point of difference that we had with Torbay District Council at the time of the Laing's scheme was that we felt that this was the wrong site for a large store, and that it should provide for a variety of sizes and types ranging from a 16,000 sq ft unit (say, Habitat) down to some very small "kiosk" units. Our development team (Greycoat and Hillier Parker) believe that the location and character of this site were ideally su~ted to speciality shopping, with a large proportion provided by local traders. It is for this reason that we provide more economical space in a pedestrianised Swan St, at rents well below the £45/£50 mark that the Rosebaugh scheme will have to achieve the '£2m annual rent role that will be necessary to pay for their £25m scheme. Their largest store is smaller than ours, and they p~ovide nothing like the variety of sizes and types that we feel is essential to the success of allyear speciality or recreational shopping of this nature, Fleet St.still retains much of its elegance and character, while the heart of the run-of-the-mill shopping, with the large stores, has virtually destroyed the character of Union St. Torbay Borough Council seems hell-bent on extending this planning disaster down to Fleet St., and removing yet more of Torquay's past. We regard this as unnecessary and unwise. We are appalled at the support this proposal to replace real buildings with sham "heritage" architecture has received. We assume the pedestrianisation of Fleet Street. We may have treated Torbay's brief as being slightly flexible, but the brief itself specifically allowed for this. It also said "Developers considering proposals for the core area and its possible extension should pay heed to the open space of Cary Green and also the very important serpentine facade at the southern end of Fleet Street". We know that verbally officers of Torbay Borough Council were telling other developers that they did not want to keep these buildings. It is difficult to compete on such terms!

Mike Pearce VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES The centre of Torquay is essentially a Victorian creation. The harbour is tucked into one corner of the bay, with terraces of grander houses or hotels facing the sea, backed by villas climbing the surrounding rocky hills which rise to 200ft - Waldon Hill to the west, Braddon Hill set back to the north of the harbour, and Vane Hill to the south and east. The River Fleete ran from the north to the harbour between Waldon Hill and Braddon Hill, and formed the boundary between the two principal landowners, Cary and Holden. Fleet St curved through this narrow gorge on Holden's land, as the principal access to the residential and commercial areas developed inland, 8which is where Marks & Spencer and the other modern shops are now to be found). The narrow strip between the Fleete and a 50 - 60ft high cutting into Waldon Hill was developed in the early part of the 19th century with commercial and industrial premises, a brewery, an iron and brass foundry, a smithy and a number of inns either side of Swan St, in reality no more than a lane, on Gary's land. The Fleete was culverted, and became George St. for its most southern length, with some property fronting George St and some Fleet St. The present serpentine facade of Fleet St was _quilt after 1864, when the local Board of Health had promoted the demolition of older property in Fleet St to widen it from 23ft to 45ft. As a result, the new brick facade, though built by stages has a unifying theme as , the arch-headed windows of the first floor follow the curve of the road; but the properties have always suffered from the disadvantage of being very shallow - some 15 - 20 ft for about half the length of the terrace. None of the buildings in the area are listed. Of the backland development, some small workshops are in use, other older warehouses appear to be empty, and some are demolished. One pub remains (called -with touching faith perhaps - The Second Chance). Most of the shops are now empty as the Borough Council has bought property; there is a confirmed compulsory purchase order, outline planning permission for re-development of the whole, and listed building consent for the demolition of the unlisted buildings which are nearly all in the Torquay Harbour Conservation Area. The corner of Abbey Place and Fleet Street -retained in the Ferguson Mann scheme .for Greµcoat Should the area be conserved or redeveloped -or bot~? Individually, none of the buildings is of special interest - some were not particularly well built in the first place, and all have reached a critical age where, at the very least, substantial repairs are required. But only very limited capital could be generated without new floorspace, and a comprehensive scheme. The approved scheme In the circumstances, it is understandable that the Borough Council should take the opportunity to improve the· layout by abandoning George St (to the west and parallel to Fleet St) to produce a good depth to the shopping frontage of nearly 900ft to Fleet St, thereby attracting national as well as local retailers; and to pedestrianise Fleet St. At the same time, by also abandoning Swan St (further west again, and parallel) it is possible to accommodate a 500 space multi-story car park against the cliff with access at two levels from the west, without it being visible from the street. The disadvantage in creating what will be the largest building in Torquay is that a lot of roof is going to be visible from surrounding heights. The other difficulty in accommodating the car-park behind the shops, and servicing them from the rear, is in Page 7

providing a north-south route for pedestrians at the upper levels. The approved scheme, by Roger Dyer for Rosehaugh Heritage PLC, does this at first floor level on the Fleet St frontage, so is unable to retain any of the existing facades. The 'conservation alternative' One of the schemes not short-listed by the Borough Council, is by George Ferguson of Ferguson Mann, Bristol based and part of the Acanthus group. Originally commissioned by Save Torquay Old Town to produce a 'conservation alternative' to the first John Laing scheme, Ferguson later secured the backing of the shopping centre development group Greycoat. This scheme retains the frontage properties ori Fleet St, retains Swan _st, the pub and the best warehouses, and converts George St to an internal arcade at the level of Fleet St. 300 car park spaces are tucked into the back corner of the site with access from Rock Rd, which accords with the brief. Ferguson argues that the advantage of this scheme -in commercial as well as cDnservation terms -is that it provides a 'wider range of shop sizes than the Rosehaugh scheme. It does not have a department store, but this makes good commercial sense - the John Laing scheme may have foundered because a taker could not be found for its big store allocation. The provision of small shops allows existing local retailers to continue in locally-affordable units. In conservation terms it makes sense to keep big stores• in Union St - which is in reality alreadythe commercial heart of the town, rather than try to fit them into the smaller scale of Fleet St. Moral dilemmas Acanthus organised a conference - called 'Reviving our Old Towns' - in Torquay in February, the advertised purpose of which was to draw attention to "the worst excesses of institutionalised vandalism caused by an unleashed national boom in retail development" - and to discuss the alternatives. While George Ferguson of Acanthus made it clear in his introduction to the conference that its purpose was not to chew over the merits or otherwise of the approved and rejected schemes for Torquay, nevertheless the choice of venue, the timing of a public Page 8 meeting held on the last day of the conference to demand a call-in, and the fact that the conference was originally scheduled to take place immediately before the Torbay Council's decision was due to be made, all call into question the advisability of a professional consultant (in this case an architect) becoming part of the lobbying process for his own scheme. The promotion of a conference with a number of well-known and respected names in the heritage industry - including members of English Heritage and SAVE - does not appear to be an entirely disinterested activity when the promoter would stand to gain financially from a reversal of the decision. Ferguson was assiduous in not mentioningj or actively promoting his own scheme at the conference; but every~ne was aware of its existence, and a number of speakers did make specific reference ~ to the Torquay case, usually with disparagement of the approved scheme and its supporters. THELAST WORD In discussion of this apparent conflict of interest, George Ferguson agreed on behalf of Acanthus that his dual involvement could potentially cause disquiet, and that Acanthus were aware of the p1"oblem when organising the conference. However, he observed that Acanthus had never disguised the fact that its position was one of enlightened self-interest - "Acanthus couldn't exist without the self-interest, and couldn't justify its existence without the enlightenment", he said. The Editor ~-- 'Thu Lr Mr Trimp from the Town and Country PlanningDepartment. He't h~ to demon1trate the propo1aLrfor the old town" Reproduced from Michael Talbot's 'Reviving Buildings & Communities' - see review, p.20

A SMOKE-BAYHOUSE P. Harness Peter Harness, conservation officer in the London Borough of Bexley, writes about the recent discovery in Foots Cray of a late 16th century smoke bay house. \II. The chance discovery of a smoke-blackened lath and plaster screen in the roof of a Foots Cray ~ottage has provided the missing link in the history of No. 164 Sidcup Hill. Local historians had long suspected that the building, known as Walnut Tree Cottage, was of considerable age; but no-one suspected just how old it really was. Its white rough-cast exterior, with fake external beams on the gable end, hides a true timber frame dating from the late 16th or early 17th century. Its special distinction, however, is that it was a smoke bay house. Smoke bay houses first made their appearance at a time traditionally associated with the 'Great Rebuilding' around 1550. On the evolutionary scale, this type comes between the open hall of the Middle Ages and the brick chimney houses of the 17th century. The smoke bay was an attempt to confine the smoke from the fire within a narrow timberframed bay screened with lath and plaster. The bay would have continued to the apex of the roof, and is today evidenced by Page 9 heavy sooting on some remaining timbers, and on plastered panelling within. The use of the bay to heat the hall-kitchen would have presented a considerable fire risk, even though the inside was plastered to protect the timber framing. Walnut Tree Cottage displays the 'new look' house plan, designed around the smoke bay. A central door gave access to a small lobby within the smoke bay. The ground and first floors each contain two rooms, the hall-kitchen and parlourbedroom on the ground floor with, most probably, storage above. Steps to the storage area may have been accommodated within the service room, which would have been as the dairy or bottle store. Unlike earlier hall houses, the service room is accommodated in the cat-s1ide outshot to the rear. Ceiling joists in the lower rooms are of slight scantling, ,compatible with the post-Tudor style. Elsewhere,where original timbers can be seen in the framing of walls and partitions, the material is of similar poor quality and is typical of the degeneration of building timber that took place during the late 16th and early 17th century. It was within the roof space that the most important evidence of the cottage's antiquity came to light. Part of the original lath and plaster screen was still intact and, although very friable, it indicated its former use as one of the first chimneys. The remaining screen, surviving in two sections, was only sootencrusted on one section. This would suggest that the smoke was channelled within the bay, and directed to a specific opening in the roof. The 'hood' within the bay would have taken a dog-leg route to avoid the ground floor lobby and first floor cross passage. The majority of the roof timbers have now been replaced, but remaining timbers show a clasped purlin arrangement, with a mortice and tenon apex to the rafters. Remarkably few changes have taken place over the centuries, although the smoke bay arrangement appears to have been abandoned within 50 years of its construction. It was replaced with a large brick-built chimney on the western gable, and a new staircase was introduced with-

in the disused smoke bay. Originally, the cat-slide only extended over part of the rear. Today, there is a continuous extension to incorporate a modern bathroom. The smoke bay house was a design which was built within a relatively short period, and was superceded by new styles, hastened by the increased production of cheap brick. Many centrally planned houses of this period had brick chimneys from the beginning; the substitution of the cheaper smoke bay arrangement in the design of Walnut Tree Cottage might have reflected the comparatively low social status and economic resources of the builder. SOURCES: Tester, P.J: A Physical Survey of 164 Sidcup Hill, Foots Cray; July 1986 (unpublished) Harding, J: Surrey Houses, Current Archaeology Novemeber 1980 Illustrations by Brenda Johnson < ,. !i~ ACANTHUSis looking for further 'youngish' architectural practices to fill the holes in its national network. This includes Kent, and/or East Sussex, Suffolk, Cornwall, North Wales, Cumbria, Northern Scotland, East Yorkshire or Humberside, Oxfordshire. They will consider suitable sympathetic practices in any of the areas not too close to their existing offices. If any members have an _idea of a practice that might be suitable, please let Vicky Maxwell know at Acanthus, Voysey House, Chiswick, London W4 4PN. Tel: 01-995 1232. EnglishOHeritage ENGLISHHERITAGERESCUESMEDIAEVALBARN English Heritage has come to the rescue of the world's largest timber cruck barn in Leigh, near Worcester. English Heritage will take the barn into guardianship and spend approximately£½ million on urgent repairs before opening it to the public in two years' time. Leigh Court Barn was built around 1300 as a storage barn for Pershore Abbey. It is still virtually complete; the enormous oak timbers making up its cathedral-like interior all remain intact. The barn is about 141' long and 35' wide, with a roof bf around 60,000 clay tiles. The oak crucks rest on a 47 high plinth, of huge sandstone blocks. The main walls are wattle, the floor earth and lias stone. The barn now forms part of Leigh Court farm. The whole farm complex is listed, and includes a Cl6 farmhouse, an Cl8 dovecote, and Cl9 outbuildings. The barn itself is both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument. Leigh Court is a working farm and the owners will continue as legal owners of the barn; English Heritage, with responsibility for repair and maintenance, will open the barn to the public in 1989 after two years' repair work. The repair work will aim to strengthec the existing structure and retain as much of the existing structure as possible. None of the crucks need replacing, but their spread will be corrected and foundations -at present non-existent - inserted. The whole roof will be re-tiled with tiles identical to the originals. The HBMC's Area Architect for the work is Christopher Cooke,and the contractors will be a local firm, Thomas Broad. COMMENT: LEIGH COURTBARNCOSTS The only rather curious apect of this work is the cost. The cost of repairing barns has so far fallen within a range of £10 - £52 sq ft; £10 sq ft at 1986 prices for the Tithe Barn at Titchfield, Hampshire, a 6,000 sq ft pre-Reformation barn which was stripped, repaired and re-tiled with some masonry work; and £52 sq ft for the substantial re-building of Coggeshall Barn in Essex, which is 5,000 sq ft. Leigh Court is just under 5,000 sq ft and is costing twice as much Page 10

as Coggeshall. Why? Given that the basic frame is sound, "the building is virtually complete", even if in need of restraint - one would have expected a cost of, say, £30 sq ft, instead of £101. And why 60,000 new tiles, when usually at least 50% can be saved? How much concrete and steel is going into "new foundations"? What, no advice from Freddie Charles, not a million miles away in Worcester! Perhaps prices so far obtained in Hampshire or Essex are not typical. More examples of costs .from readers~ please. MSP A BIG BROTHERFOR 'CONTEXT' A welcome to English Heritage's new Conservation Bulletin, first issued in February 1987, which should have been received by all ACOmembers since we gave EH our mailing list. The articles and reports are excellent, and the Bulletin will be a valuable source of technical information, statistics and news of projects within EH. My only criticism would be the lack of real topicality implicit in a four-monthly publication - not so much a Bulletin, more a Transactions. If the mailing and staffing budget would permit, a bi-monthly publication, for instance, would enable topical issues to be explored and perhaps also encourage (if this is required) a two-way communication between EH and the world outside. ENGLISHHERITAGEGIVES £1M TO CALKEABBEY Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, the Cl8 mansion of the Harpur-Crewe family which was acquired by the National Trust in 1985, ~s to receive a grant of £1 million from English Heritage. This is the largest single initial grant ever made by English Heritage, and will cover 40% of a fiveyear repair programme to the house, church, riding school, stables and dovecote. The work will concentrate on structural repairs to the main house and the other buildings. The whole of the lead roof, spanning a third of an acre, is to be repaired, together with supporting timbers. Major repairs will be carried out on the massive stone cornice. For wall repairs, the original quarry at Pistern Hills is being opened up again to provide new facing blocks. Listed,scheduled,and . ... .now read on In the last issue of CONTEXT,Peter Richards of Essex County Council commented on problems arising with buildings which are both listed and scheduled. Jane Sharman, of the HBMC Ancient Monuments Division, gives the HBMCview. The overlap of the ancient monument and historic building codes does give rise to some anomalies and problems in handling works of repair or alteration. English Heritage is concerned to reduce this overlap by recommending descheduling to the DOEwhere planning legislation· now offers appropriate and adequate protection. As many of your readers will know, scheduling predates planning legislation, and a number of buildings were scheduled simply because no other form of protection existed at the time. These should be identified in the systematic review of existing scheduled .ancient monuments which will form part of the Monuments Protection Programme to be launched soon by the Commission. The way for descheduling has been paved by the listing resurvey, one of whose objectives has been to list, or continue to list, buildings, whether scheduled or not, which are capable of return to residential use. Meanwhile, English Heritage is already considering for descheduling individual cases which come to its attention in relation to applications for grant or scheduled monument consent. Particular consideration is given to buildings which are in, or about to be returned, to residential use since, as Mr Richards points out, these may raise issues which ought to be dealt with in a general planning context. As the ancient monument legislation recognises, detailed scheduled monument control is in any case normally inappropriate for buildings in regular residential use. Timing can, however, be critical to successful transfer of buildings from scheduled monument to listed building protection. If, as in the case of Rochford Barns, the decision is left until work is underway, there can be legal, technical and financial problems for the owner in any chang~ of status. Ideally, the structure should be descheduled before detailed plans for work are drawn up. Page 11

pescheduling will not, however, be appropriate in every case. There are buildings of such intrinsic national importance, and whose fabric is so fragile or so rare that the detailed control of minor works possible under ancient monument legislation will continue to be desirable. Listed building control may afford only partial protection for other types of structure, for instance where there are buried archaeological deposits. Other monuments, such as military or naval installations may involve a very specialised historical and technical knowledge not readily available to local authorities. For buildings at risk, the powers under the respective codes for securing repairs do need to be considered carefully. English Heritage pupports the view that ancient monuments legislation is defective in not containing power to require owners to carry out essential repairs. The practical effect of this difference between the historic building and ancient monuments codes should not be overrated, how~ver. Local Authorities are not invariably prepared t.o exercise their powers under historic building legislation to serve repair notices; on the other hand, central Government (DOE or English Heritage) can step in to carry out repairs to, or even to acquire, ancient monuments if this should prove necessary as a last resort. The Commi5sion has indeed recently undertaken emergency action under Section 5 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 to save from collapse an 18th century bridge on a scheduled site at Downton near Salisbury pending the outcome of compulsory purchase action by the local authority. Where structures do remain scheduled and listed, special care is needed to ensure that wider issues are fully considered in re;ation to scheduled monument consent applications. The scheduled status or a building should not be a bar to coordination with interested parties and in particular with planning authorities : indeed, current discussions over the future of the Temple Cressing barns in Essex shows that. It is the will on both sides to look beyond narrow interests which matters, and central Government bodies from tunnel vision. English Heritage, too, can produce examples of less-thanperfect work carried out -or authorised by - local authorities. The objective for the future must be better communications to achieve the common objective pf better conservation standards. EDITOR'S NOTE: Members are invited to continue the debate. a English Heritage The Commission has vacancies for ARCHITECTS at its London headquarters Applications are invited from experienced men and women, preferably with post-graduate qualifications in building conservation, to work on the preservation, maintainance and enhancement of some of the 400 ancient monuments and historic buildings in care. We also have a vacancy for an ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANT to work with this team. Candidates will have a sound knowledge of architectural history and of sensitive repair and consolidation techniques. Those who demonstrate a syympathy in design will be especially welcome. Salary: Architects £10, 634 - £16,199 (under review); Architectural Assistant £9,097 -£11,546 (under review), depending on qualifications and experience and including London Weighting. There is a non- contributory pension scheme. For further details and an application form, please ring or write to: Ms J. Dean, Personnel Branch, English Heritage, Room 225, 15/17 Gt. Marlborough St., London WlV lAF Tel. 01 734 6010 ext 832. Page 12

LEGISLATION There has been a flurry of activity over the last few months wtih regard to legislation for conservation. The Environment Committee produced its report in February; the draft revision of Circular 23/77 appeared in January, and the final form has just been published. There has also been a Green Paper, The Future of Development Plans, which had implications for conservation policy. The Association of Conservation Officers has responded to all these with comments, criticisms or encouragement as appropriate- in 1 some cases despite very short consultation periods. Regional representatives were particularly efficient in responding to a call for comments on the draft circular. This is a brief summary of our involvement with the above matters. HOUSEOF COMMONCSOMMITTEEON THE ENVIRONMENT The Environment Committee published its report on Historic Buildings & Ancient Monuments, in three volumes, on February 18th (HMSO: HC 146 I-II-III: First Report from the Environment Committee 1986-87). There was broad agreement amongst those giving evidence, and the Committee's recommendations followed very ~losely many of the suggestions made by the ACO and other bodies. One of the main themes of the report was to acknowledge the value of tourism, and to say that English Heritage and others should give more attention to promotion. Another was the desirability of transferring nearly all the residual powers and duties of the DoE for the heritage to the HBMC(including listing, repairs notices, and LBC appeals procedures). With regard to financial matters, HBMC's resource,s should be increased; local authorities should be responsible for all grants in conservation areas other than for Grade 1 buildings; and the 'outstanding' criterion for grant should be dropped. Owners should be able to recoup 15% of repair and maintainance bills, either through the tax system or by grant, on all listed buildings. It is unfortunate that the HBMCunderspent by £9m in the year that it asked for £10m more .. the justification is that there were difficulties with a new office Page 13 structure & new computerised accounting ; there was no forward commitment to be taken on from the former GLC, and there were delays in spending money in Liverpool. The Environment Committee report is a worthwhile read -the oral evidence in particular being rich in quotable quotes. Well done, Environment Committee. We now await a government response. THE FUTUREOF DEVELOPMENPTLANS ACOresponded to the Green Paper, to say we still need statutory plans even if, understandably, they are simplified, clarified and expedited. However, both District Development Plans and Statements of County Policy (replacing Structure Plans) should include conservation policies. Conservation is good planning if it is conserving existing public investment - as well as historic buildings, some 2% of the building stock. For example, by 1988 there are likely to be 30 million rateable properties in the UK, but· current rate of increase (new development) is less than 1% per annum. The output of the construction industry in 1985 was 54% new development, but 46% repair and maintainance work, worth £12.9 billion a year to the economy. ACOwelcomed in principle the irlea of Rural Conservation Areas, but reserved its position in the absence of definitions and clarification of their role. CIRCULAR8/87 - HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATIONAREAS- POLICY & PROCEDURES STATUTORYINSTRUMENTS1987 No.349 The Town & Country Planning (Listed Buildings & Buildings in Conservation Areas) Regulations 1987 DoE TOWN & COUNTRYPLANNINGACT 1971 Current Wording of the Provisions Relating to Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas (HMSO£5.50) The Association of Conservation Officers responded at short notice to the Draft of what is now Circular 8/87, replacing Circulars 56/71, 23/77, 12/81. 8/84,

and 23/84 and Development Control Policy Note No.7. The new Circular embraces all policy and procedures and is Miss Payne's very successful effort to bring together everything since she first drafted 23/77 before she retires. The Circular takes in the many amendments to planning legislation, and the simultaneous publication of a definitive statement of the 1971 Act as &~ended and as it affects LB's and CA's (in a green cover, of course) is most welcome indeed. The new statutory instrument replaces the Regulations of 1977 and incorporates legislative amendments. There you have it. Three documents essential to conservation, and a lot of homework for every conservation officer in the country until we have it all off by heart. Start now! The only pity is that there is a reduction in notification to the Commission which must make them less effective on Grade II demolitions, although. a broadening to all CA's. We did manage to reduce the "trigger" on site area in CA's to l,OOOsq.m. Conservation Officers now get an official mention at paragraph 7, and other points have been picked up and incorporated as we suggested, for which many thanks. We must now all try to make it work as well as we can. CIVIC TRUST BOOKMARKET 28 - 30 APRIL 1987 Mike Pearce During Environment Week 1987 (25th April to 4th May) the Civic Trust and the Town & Country Planning Association are holding a BOOKMARKETat 17 Carlton House Terrace London SWl from 11am to 5pm on 28th, 29th and 30th April. There will be books both new and second-hand on environmental topics including planning, conservation, architecture, topography, landscape design, and transport. The BOOKMARKETis a 'fringe' event of National Environment Week and is in aid of the Civic Trust and the TCPA. Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Gifts of books are also welcome! Details if required from Saskia Hallam, Librarian to the Civic Trust - 01 930 0914. MEMBERS FORUM LONGGONE John Preston's article in the October issue was of great interest, and if I may I would like to both add and pose a question related to thatch in general. Worcestershire, and to some extent Herefordshire, are rich in thatched properties, many of which were <n:i~nal ly long straw - a method of thatc~ing which I am led to believe was an extension of the rick thatch. How£ver, it is not unusual now to see combed wheat reed and water reed. Not mentioned though is a style of thatch that may not have reached East Anglia, and could be interpreted as the modern thatcher's answer to long straw: wheat reed thatch, a cross between combed wheat reed and long straw. It is initially laid in the same fashion as combed wheat reed, but is dressed to give a more open texture. It is then finished with spars and liggers common to long straw. It appears to be a tolerable alternative, which avoids the crew-cut appearance of combed wheat reed though nto quite achieving the shaggy finish of long straw; yet carries the attractive sparwork which is such a feature. The article touched briefly on the possible demise of long straw, mainly because of the economic case against it in terms of longevity and cost. Long straw has a life of 12-15 years, combed wheat' reed 25-30 years and water reed up to 75 years. In all cases, the secret of long life is the ridge, which should be renewed about every 8-10 years. Netting is advised on both straws but not on water reed, and will require renewing when the ridge is replaced. The omission of netting is not a saving, as bird or vermin damage is likely to cause rapid deterioration. From experience, long ~traw is about twothirds the cost of combed wheat reed which in turn is about two-thirds the cost of water reed. Wheat reed has an anticipated life of 20 years, and is slightly cheaper than combed wheat reed. The average owner of a thtached cottage will primarily seek value for money, and it is most unlikely that he will know what material coats his roof; additionally tendering thatchers will not infrequently Page 14

quote for the method they prefer, and for materials that are readily available. ' Regarding listed building consent -with respect, how many planners or development control officers can identify the differing thatch types? Given the present circumstances, who ofthose that can identify the materials want to bother with another LBC application? After all, thatch is being retained. Correctly, it is said that the DoE has shown little awareness of the differing materials and characteristics; in fact, they have missed the very opportunity to rectify this oversight. We are half-way through the national re-survey of listed buildings, and all we read in the descriptions is that a property has a thatched roof. What a pity the fieldworkers could not have been educated and instructed to state the type of thatch. Listed building consent then really would have some clout. This last comment also relates to other types of material, but that is another story! Noel Knight Building Surveyor Hereford & Worcester SHEPTONMALLETPRISON, SOMERSET: HOMEOFFICE OVER-RULED Shepton Mallet prison, in Somerset, dates from 1620 and boasts a fine 20ft high perimeter wall in limestone rubble, with only two doors and no windows interrupting its length. It is a prominent feature within the conservation area, and was listed Grade II* in a review of 1983. In 1984, the Home Office gave notice under Circular 18/84 (Development by Government Departments) that it intended to demolish 47 metres of the wall and replace it with a new gatehouse complex built of reconstructed stone. Mendip District Council objected to this proposal, and were supported by Somerset County Council, Shepton Mallet Town Council, local amenity societies and English Heritage. An inquiry was requested, as provided for in the Circular, and was dealt with by the written representation procedure and inspector's site visit. The grounds for opposing the application were twofold. Primarily it was argued that the wall was of both historical and architectural interest, and should not be altered. Secondly, it was contended that the Horne Office's requirements for improved security and better visitor facilities could be equally well accommodated in a gatehouse complex within the wall. An inquiry was held in March 1986, and the inspector concluded that the works should not proceed, for the reasons advanced by the District Council. Subsequently, a proposal to build the gatehouse within the wall, thereby leaving the wall intact, has been received and approved. HOMESFOR THE ELDERLY Robert Ladd Mendip DC The conversion of vicarages, farmhouses, and country houses into residential homes for the elderly is becoming a growth industry in the West Country. Unfortunately, the need to squeeze in the maximum number of paying customers creates pressure for the sub-division of large, often ornate,_roorns; to say nothing of the need for lifts, medi-baths, toilets and fire-proofing. Many of our better buildings are.being ruined by the requirements imposed by fire officers, health department and social services officials. Presumably many conservation staff □ust have experienced this pro½lern, and I am wondering if anyone ~ad published policy guidelines on the subject. If so, please contact: Robert Ladd, Mendip District Council, Cannards Grave Rd, Shepton Mallet Somerset Tel: 0749 3399 (Editor's Note: Please also send details to me for publication if possible) Page 15

MANSFIELDWOODHOUSE MANORHOUSE This listed Manor House was sold by Mansfield District Council to Charlesland Developments. The District Council gave the developer listed building consent to alter the building, including removal of the staircase, panelling, carved doorcases and a Venetian window. The applicationwas not notified to the Secretary of State ~required for all demolition applications, although the removals clearly constitute demolition. The County Council were not consulted. Representations were made to HBMCby Nottinghamshire Preservation Trust, but the developer got to hear of this, and has removed the staircase weeks ahead of his programme. We await action from the HBMC, and are giving the matter publicity. Graham Beaumont Nottinghamshire CC Above: The staircase shortly before removal Page 16 In the last issue of CONTEXT,an item by John Davey drew attention to the potential hazards of imitation bottleglass. It occurred to the Editor that other pseudo-historic artefacts could, with Zuck, prove dangerous enough to self-destruct ... John Holman has discovered another. More please! PSEUDS DANGERCORNER The replacement of a rotten timber dentilled cornice in fibreglass seemed an excellent idea, considering it appeared to offer future security against further rot from leaking joints in the very shallow lead gutter it contained. However, the construction incorporated some very flimsy timber supports which would certainly reinforce the cornice, but would not support the weight of any workman stepping onto it to effect a roof repair. A danger notice was posted, since it was not possible to interfere with the progress of the replacement work at~ late stage; but the fault -lies with the initial instruction to the fibreglass manufacturers, who did not seem to be aware of the problem. SUBSCRIPTIONS L.John Holman 62 Brook St Gloucester All members are reminded that 1987/88 subscriptions are due on April 1st 1987, from when the new amount of £8.00 is payable. For those of you who pay by Banker's Order, can I suggest that before that date you instruct your bank to increase the payment accordingly. For those of you who have not yet made out a Banker's Order, a draft form is set out below. Can I also remind those members who have not yet paid their 1986/87 subscription that for them a payment of £14.00 is necessary. Peter Richards Hon. Treasurer

REGIONALNEWS North West Following the move by Sefton conservation officer and ACOnorth west regional representative Mike King to John Harrison's former post with Liverpool City, there have been two new appointments for ACO members in Sefton Borough. Graham Arnold, formerly conservation officer with West Lancashire District Council, has been appointed to the Sefton post, assisted by David Eddleston, formerly one of the Chester conservation team. Manchester City Council has lost the very able talents of David Rhodes, who recently featured in the Michael Wood 'Doomsday' epic in the Castlefields conservation area. David Rhodes is now conservation officer for Gldham Borough Council, a district where he is already well-known as a former member of the North West Civic Trust's Tame Valley team. Talks with residents and housing associations in the Canning area of Liverpool, which ACOmembers visited during the Liverpool conference in 1986, has indicated that even though the City Council is unable to fund repair works, as a result of the Priority Areas strategy the 'enveloping' scheme financed by the Commission has made a real impact on the social and economic problems of this inner city area; at the same time demonstrating that a high standard of restoration and repair can be achieved in spite of the well-publicised problems of the area. The danger is that having achieved so much, and raised the hopes and aspirations of residents, the Commission will decide to go on to fresh oastures before the city-wide financial problems and policies are resolved to the point where local initiatives can follow through. West Midlands Our last meeting was held in Walsall in November, and was followed by visits to the restored Guildhall and Willenhall Lock Museum. During the meeting, several people raised the point of the dismantling and re-erection elsewhere of timber-framed buildings - usually, but not always, agricultural. Feelings were running rather high because it was felt that one area, ie Shropshire, risked being denuded of its buildings to provide stockbroker housing in more affluent areas. Since this meeting, I have been approached by a would-be developer wishing to re-erect a barn from "somewhere in Wales" in Wolverhampton. Being unable to establish where in Wales, and so unable to warn the appropriate ACO member, I was unhelpful and have not seen him since; but I assume that he is trying some other area in search of a site. I believe, however, that this is an important national issue for ACO, as it carries the risk of conflict between ACO members in different regions. My personal belief is that building and site are so inter-related that any attempt to move a building is fraught with difficulties which increase with distance. Nevertheless, sometimes dismantling and reerection are the only alternative to total loss, and so ACOmembers should be conversant with 'transplant' techniques. However, a national lead is required to ensure that the donor and recipient areas are both willing parties to the transplant, especially when they are ACO members. I am arranging another meeting in the next month or so, I hope in Birmingham. Your views on the movement of buildings would be welcomed. Michael Fox North A meeting of the Northern Region was held at Hartlepool on 21st January. The first item on the agenda was a visit to HMSWarrior - it is impossible to describe the impressive scope of this restoration project, and anyone who has not seen it should take the opportunity to do so before the ship leaves for Portsmouth in June. Peter Rogers and John Wilson then gave a guided tour of the Church Street Project which is being promoted by Hartlepool Borough Castle based on a commercial improvement area and a conservation area, Page 17

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