Context 154 - May 2018

52 C O N T E X T 1 5 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 8 Vox pop Who has been your greatest inspiration? Will Scott, the former Worcester City Council conservation manager, without whom I would not have known where to start. What has been your best idea? I commissioned a research project on Nottingham railway station when Network Rail was proposing the welcome but quite radical remodelling of it as a transport hub. The research revealed that it was a rare and early example of an English station based on American station design, notably Grand Central and Penn stations. On the strength of this it was reassessed and upgraded to Grade II*. The subsequent award-winning refurbishment and sensitive modification of it (by BDP architects) has helped to kickstart the regeneration of Nottingham’s South Side, where we have just opened an Urban Room with the RIBA and Nottingham City Council. What would you like to have been if you had not become a conservationist? A furniture designer. My grandfather was a cabinet maker and we still use some of the furniture he made. How do you reply when at a party someone asks what you do? It depends, it’s so varied. I hope I help people to look at where they live and work with fresh eyes and inspire the confidence to invest in those places. Our towns and cities are treasure chests: they have a great but often untapped potential to enrich us. What is the biggest frustration in your job? We can not really do much of any worth without a spirit of cooperation, so single-issue, computer-says- no approaches to negotiation. What would you like to be doing in five years’ time? I would like to be managing a tidal wave of interest in old buildings and places. What is your favourite building? There are too many to list, aside from my own house – a modest 1904 railway terrace. I am glad to see the model is enjoying a renaissance. Clive Fletcher Your favourite place? The Nottingham pubYe Olde Trip to Jerusalem, or anywhere near a river. Your favourite book? On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin, closely followed by Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe. The opening chapter about a night out in Nottingham is the funniest thing in English literature. What do you do in your spare time? Fish, walk, read, and eat and drink with friends. I used to row a bit, but age has caught up with me. What organisations are you a member of? Bromley House Library (a wonderful Georgian subscription library in Nottingham) and Taurus Boat Club. Which one issue would you particularly like the IHBC to campaign on? Placemaking: it is where so many interests converge. The more shoulders to the wheel the better. Clive Fletcher is the principal of Historic England’s historic places team in the east midlands. By Enchufla Con Clave - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64925160