Context 154 - May 2018

C O N T E X T 1 5 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 8 7 specific aspects of historic building repair or restoration. In the first, Jessica Kennedy describes the restoration of the Grade I listed Temperate House is the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Situated in a world heritage site and the largest 19th-century glasshouse in existence, this masterpiece of Victorian engineering is an example of the pioneering work of its designer, Decimus Burton (1800–81). The Temperate House was last restored in the late 1970s but had degraded to the point where it was failing to provide the correct temperate environment for the important specimens cultivated at Kew. The paper addresses the complexities of assessing such a unique structure in a sensitive setting, the conservation approach taken, and some of the surprises and challenges encountered along the way. Much of the decision-making process was driven by the need to conserve and adapt the structure to improved future resilience (with limited accessibility once the plants were reinstated). Cathodic protection was introduced to slow the corrosion of embedded iron and steelwork, while allowing the retention of the Burton’s pioneering use of cementitious mortar and masonry. Clive Dawson of Hockley and Dawson Consulting Engineers and Alexandra Attelsey of Historic Royal Palaces describe aspects of the conservation and repair works at the Tower of London (2005–07), including the replacement of the 1970s external timber south stair to theWhite Tower, and the Victorian middle drawbridge (subject also to adaptation in the 1970s). They also outline the cleaning and repair works to elements of the masonry of the inner curtain wall, towers and wall walk. The article explains the background thinking behind the works and how some of the practical difficulties emanating from earlier repairs were overcome. IHBC members who attended the 2016 Manchester School may recall Stephen Levrant’s entertaining explanation of works to the town hall. In his article for the Transactions Levrant describes another project in the city, that of the moving and conserving the cenotaph in St Peter’s Square. This memorial, listed Grade II*, was built in 1924 to the designs of Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944). The original war memorial comprised a cenotaph, two flanking obelisks and aWar Stone. The cenotaph, taking the form of a pylon supporting a catafalque, on which lies the figure of an Unknown Soldier, is similar in general conception to Lutyens’ more famous cenotaph inWhitehall. The original setting of the memorial was compromised by the introduction of Metrolink tram infrastructure in the 1990s and other changes to the surrounding cityscape. Levrant describes the evolution of the setting, the dismantling, relocation and re-erection of the monument ensemble, including the inevitable, intricate repairs, and the design and construction of the new public space in which the memorial now sits. The final ASCHB article, by Josephine Thwaites, head of projects at Historic Royal Palaces, explains the basis of the external repair and conservation of the Grade I listed Banqueting House,Whitehall, (2013–16), and in particular the repair to the masonry and underlying brickwork; works to the leadwork to the flat crown of the roof; the complexity of introducing aesthetically acceptable security glazing to the very large windows; asbestos removal; and the installation of a fire-suppression misting system of the type developed for oil rigs and now increasingly used in art galleries to protect collections. While on the subject of significant anniversaries, the most recent issue of TheVictorian (No 57, March 2018) marks the 60th since the formation of the Victorian Society. Chris Costello takes the opportunity to note that in the era when the society was founded, the expectation was that by 2018 virtually all historic buildings, other than a very few gems, would have been demolished (and we would be subsisting on pills and flying to Mars). Costello emphasises that the battle goes on: our great cities are under more pressure from development than ever but generally in a more subtle way than in 1958. He highlights, for example, that in his viewWestminster and the City of London tend to treat the loss of good conservation-area buildings as a trivial matter. He notes that some threats remain constant, citing the recent plight of Victorian seaside piers, and notes that the society still has some way to go in convincing public opinion that the Victorian interiors of churches are of greater merit. This issue edition of TheVictorian has an informative decade-by- decade timeline by distinguished figures in the society highlighting some key battleground in each era and how such major heritage concerns evolved. No doubt some of these will be elaborated on as this special anniversary year proceeds. One of the biggest current issues for the Victorian Society is the protection of Victorian mill buildings in the north of England. Martin Cherry provides an optimistic overview of the challenges and solutions surrounding the consequences of our long-term industrial decline. A polemic by sculpture historian PhilipWard-Jackson defends London’s Victorian public statuary from over- zealous political correctness, noting recent depredations in India (part of our imperial legacy), Ireland and the USA (the Civil War era); the compensation for historical wrongs; reappraisal of historical significance; and questionable architectural quality. The author says less about contemporary biographical obscurity, and indifference about past achievements and recognition. While constraints on public spending continue to affect the proper maintenance of the public realm and notable new historic streetscape enhancement projects have become a rarity, the January/February issue of Natural Stone Specialist does highlight several substantial recent hard landscaping schemes. Although the influence of low-cost imports of granites and sandstones from India and China is noted as having expanded the market, some of the largest of all hard-landscaping projects in the last few years have been carried out using stone quarried in Britain. One example cited is the courtyard paving at the Piece Hall in Halifax, where the stone is not local but from