Context 153 - March 2018

C O N T E X T 1 5 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 8 7 Obituary Brian Morton MBE, engineer Brian Morton (1935–2017) was a highly respected, warmly admired and greatly experienced conservation- accredited engineer whose advice was sought on some of the most important heritage projects in Britain. He would also willingly assist conservation professionals on many smaller, seemingly intractable structural problems, where a straightforward and authoritatively delivered solution could often be found. Until very recently Brian had continued to be active as a consultant to the structural engineering partnership that he founded in 1963. He died in November after a short illness. Brian joined the Association of Conservation Officers in 1991. His professional background and expertise exemplified the wide range of skills and experience that was quickly to become a defining characteristic of the membership of the ACO and (after 1997) the IHBC. He was a long- standing and highly valued contributor to Context . His first article, published in 1992, explained his advice at a public inquiry on behalf of Stroud District Council to arrest the decay of Ferris Court, which signalled a significant victory for his sound and thorough conservation-engineering advice. This case was so instructive that Brian was easily persuaded to make regular contributions under the byline ‘Supporting Columns’, which appeared under his name until mid-2014. As a natural communicator, Brian was able to clearly and succinctly explain, for example, the implications for stabilisation as a consequence of severe fire damage, the impact of tree roots on a historic timber frame, or some of the issues that might arise prior to structural repairs to a church or bridge. His articles were immensely helpful to conservation professionals, enabling them to have a more informed dialogue with non-specialist, general-practice civil engineers. They provided a measure of reassurance to conservation officers by instilling a simple and calming principle when faced with structural instability: ‘don’t panic’. After Brian was appointed as consultant engineer to the comprehensive restoration of the Albert Memorial, a number of fortunate ACO members were invited to climb the huge scaffolding in the early stages of the project to inspect the state of the decay at close quarters and be privileged to hear Brian describe the approach to the proposed repairs. Among the many successful schemes with which he will always be associated was the rescue by SAVE Britain’s Heritage, against the odds, of Barlaston Hall, Staffordshire, after the National Coal Board had seemingly fatally undermined it by coal workings, and the repair and restoration, following serious fire damage, of Pell Well Hall, the last home of Sir John Soane. Following the work at Barlaston, the practice was appointed to act as consultant to the Crown Estate Commissioners on all the buildings around Regents Park, some of those at Kensington Palace Gardens, and at Windsor. Brian led the engineering aspects of many other prestigious projects, including the completion of the tower of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where he was a committed advocate of the structural advantages of traditional lime mortars and their ability to carry significant loads. He advised on over 600 churches and the repair of a significant number of cathedrals, including Canterbury (between 1994 and 2005), where he advised on the repair of the Bell Harry Tower. After retirement he acted as honorary engineer to Westminster Abbey. Born in 1935 and growing up in Middlesex, in his early years Brian was a competitive cyclist, winning a number of regional trophies. He began his career in 1952 as a junior assistant engineer with a small firm of consulting engineers already specialising in work on historic buildings. He later worked in the district surveyor’s office of London County Council before rejoining the private sector with JHA Crockett, consulting engineers, which involved yet more work on historic buildings. Given the opportunity of forming his own practice, he started with a small office in Mayfair. In the early 1970s he moved to Islington, working on many Georgian buildings, before resettling permanently in the less hectic surroundings of Suffolk. Brian’s exceptional and varied experienced as a consulting engineer was recognised by being awarded the fellowship of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and an MBE in the new year honours in 2005 for ‘services to heritage’. He was good company and a friend to many in the heritage sector. His warmth and quiet, dry sense of humour will be sorely missed. The Morton Partnership continues under his son Edward Morton, also a conservation-accredited engineer and IHBC member, at offices in Braintree, Essex, London, and Halesworth, Suffolk. Bob Kindred MBE When faced with seemingly terminal structural instability, Brian Morton’s advice was usually:‘Don’t panic’.