Context 152 - November 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 9 The heritage at our feet Traditional paving is an overlooked, downtrodden and endangered part of the built environment. In this issue of Context , for which Robert Huxford (see page 40) is guest editor, we celebrate its contribution both to our experience of cities, towns and villages, and to the socio-economic development of the British Isles. Over the past 100 years, a great deal of traditional paving has been destroyed, much of the material finding its way into rivers to prevent scour around bridge piers, or being dumped in landfill sites and estuaries. Where it does exist, it enhances the quality of the street and is as much a heritage asset as historic buildings or veteran trees. Its loss through resurfacing, theft or ‘improvement’ excites people’s passion as they see the quality of their environment eroded. Like vernacular buildings, traditional paving – in stone, brick and even iron – can tell us much about local distinctiveness and Britain’s complex geology. But that heritage is being degraded by different stone types being mixed inappropriately, or arbitrarily sourced types of stone being introduced that were never used locally or are used in non-traditional ways. We need to identify the different types of material used in traditional paving, and the techniques used in laying it; and we need to record what we have. The more we look down, the more we realise the value of the heritage at our feet. F L O O R S C A P E