C O N T E X T 1 5 0 : J U L Y 2 0 1 7 3 Booth alongside his Notes from the Chair inContext 73 (March 2002) was also inspired. The new Out of Context was created in 2000, to be followed some years later by the Vox Pop feature, as the journal continued to evolve. Issue 73, (March 2002) saw the introduction of colour inside, and the appointment of new publishers, Cathedral Communications, as Context continued to go from strength to strength. The establishment of the editorial board enabled the journal to take on a wider perspective as responsibility for planning themes and future issues became a collective one.That perspective could be both thematic, as in the special issue ‘Context 2000’, concentrating on 20th-century heritage to mark the turn of the millennium, or geographic, as demonstrated by issues on American conservation practice and on conservation in other European countries.The breadth of that vision reflected the increasing influence of the IHBC with its work in Romania, and its increasing stature as a professional institute. The six years I chaired the editorial board (1999–2005) were hugely rewarding, particularly because of working with colleagues including Peter de Figueiredo, Mike Taylor, Susan Brook and Nigel Crowe.The looming deadlines, alternate deluges and droughts of editorial material and last-minute scramble for illustrations were all, on the whole, exciting in a good way. But after six years it was right that the challenge should pass on to others, including Mike Brown, Fiona Newton and Mike Taylor, who have continued to develop the journal and ensure that it remains relevant as well as entertaining. Looking back, I remember the excitement of creating the first fullimage cover for ‘Context 2000’, with the dramatic arc of the London Eye and the rakishly angled title, which now seems unremarkable. Similarly, the excitement of the first full-colour issue in 2002 sticks in the memory. But deep inside there remains the disappointment that ‘Have I Got News forYou’ has never alighted onContext as its publication of the week. What has Thimble CollectorsWeekly got that we haven’t? Nigel Barker-Mills is a former chair of the editorial board of Context. A history in 100 places Historic England is asking for help in telling the story of the places that have shaped England’s story. Through ‘Irreplaceable: a history of England in 100 places’, it is appealing for nominations for places, big or small, that deserve a higher profile for ‘the groundbreaking moments in history they have witnessed’. The nominated place must be locatable on a map. It should be something specific such as a building, structure, archaeological site, battlefield or tree, and not a city, town, region or ocean. It need not be well known, but it should have had an impact on local, national or world history. The nominated place can be of any age and it does not need to be on the National Heritage List for England. It could be where an important historical event happened, where a social or cultural trend emerged, or where a scientific discovery was made. New life in the valleys Planning permission has been granted for a mixed-use development in the Stroud valleys designed by Assael Architecture. Stroud District Council hopes that the scheme will promote interest in other disused industrial sites in the 13-mile conservation area that runs along the valleys. The project includes the conversion of the Grade II listed Ham Mill, and the creation of 100 new homes alongside commercial and community space. Ham Mill produced cloth from 1608 to 1900. It was occupied by a carpet manufacturer until 2000, since when it and the surrounding industrial space have remained unoccupied. Design guidance The Design Companion for Planning and Placemaking, a primer ‘for planners, councillors, highway engineers and anyone involved in planning, creating or changing places’, has been published by RIBA Publications. It is intended in some ways to replace the 2000 publication By Design, which was the first government guidance on design in the planning system since 1953. By Design was withdrawn in 2014 on the ground that the role of design in the planning system was now universally understood. The government said that it did not intend to publish printed Ham Mill is to be converted to a mixed-use development.
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