CONTEXT 37 - March 1993

CONTEXT The Association of Conservation Officers No 37 March 1993

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CONTEXT No37 March 1993 ISSN: 0958-2746 Editor Published for the Association Bob Kindred (Ipswich Borough Council, Tel: 0473 262934, Fax: 0473 262974) of Conservation Officers by Hall-McCartney Ltd, PO Box 21, Unit 7, Campus 5, The Business Park, Letchworth 4 All Saints Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP! 4DG, Tel: 0473 259441 SG6 2JF, Tel: 0462 675848, Fax: 0462 679356 Assistant Editor Gus Astley (Bath City Council Tel: 0225 461111 ext 2549, Fax: 0225 448536) Annual Subscription (inclusive of post & packing-UK only): £30.00 Single Copy: £10.00 Manor House, Wells Road, Hallatrow Bristol BS18 5EJ, Tel: 0761 453047 The views expressed in Context are not necessarilythose held by the ACO or the publishers. Neither the publishers nor the ACO shall be under any liabilty whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. Context is published quarterly and is distributed to all members of the Association of Conservation Officers. © Association of Conservation Officers 1993 The products and servicesadvertised in this publication are nor necessarilyendorsed by the Association. THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION OFFICERS Officers Cbairman: Chris Smith (Stroud Valleys Project Officer, 10A John Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 lDZ, Tel: 0453 753358) 24 Middle Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 2HA, Tel: 0453 753949 Vice Chairman: Mary King (Liverpool City Council, Tel: 051-225 5678) 24 Beech Road, Aughron, Ormskirk, Lanes L39 6SJ, Tel: 0695 424297 Secretary: Graham Steaggles (East Hampshire District Council, Tel: 0730 266551, Fax: 0730 267366) 54 Pulens Lane, Sheet, Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 4DD, Tel: 0730 266653 Treasurer: Peter Richards (EssexCounty Council, Tel: 0245 492211 ext 51511) 139 Lifstan Way, Thorpe Bay, Essex SSl 2XG, Tel: 0702 468252 Membership Secretary: James Ross (EssexCounty Council, Tel: 0245 492211 ext 51672) Three Bears, Laindon Common Road, Little Burstead, Essex CMl2 9TL Education Officer: Mike King (TACP Design, CONTEXT 37 Tel: 051-708 7014) 24 Beech Road, Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancs.L39 6SJ, Tel: 0695 424297 Projects Officer: Dr Richard Morrice (English Heritage, Tel: 071-973 3132) lA Bloomsbury Place, Kemp Town, Brighton, SussexBN2 lDA, Tel: 0273 623260 Publicity Officer: Alan Taylor (Staffordshire County Council, Tel: 0785 277282) 15 Village Gardens, Walton on the Hill, Stafford STl 7 0LL Tel: 0785 664473 Council Minutes Secretary: Andrew Cooke (Enfield LBC, Tel: 081-967 9595) Branch Officers North: Keith Murray, Durham County Council, Tel: 091-383 3237 ext 2237 North West: Rob Burns, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, Tel: 051-691 8197 Yorkshire: Bob Scriven, 2 Lambert Avenue, Roundhay, Leeds LS8 lNH, Tel: 0532 668782 or Jane Jackson, City of York Tel: 0904 613161 West Midlands: Colin Richards, South Shropshire District Council, Tel: 0584 874941 or Dave Baxter, Hereford City Coucil, Tel: 0432 268121 East Midlands: Graham Beaumont, Nottinghamshire County Council, Tel: 0602 243060 South West: to be announced. South: Julia Smith, Buckinghamshire County Council, Tel: 0296 382823 East Anglia: John Preston, 90 Histon Road, Cambridge CB4 3JP. Tel: 0223 313486 (Cambridge City Council, Tel: 0223 358977 ext 2630) South East: John Davey, Guildford Borough Council, Tel: 0483 444660 London: Rosemarie MacQueen, City of Westminster, Tel: 071-798 2519 Scotland: Debbie Robertson, Edinburgh District Council, Tel: 031-225 2424 ext 6562 Wales: to be announced. Northern Ireland: to be announced. CONTENTS ~~~ 5 News 5 ACO Annual School 8 OVERTHE WALL Domestic upheaval. Carol Ryan 10 Staging an escape. John Earl 11 Academic parole. Malcolm Airs 12 Balancing act. Charles Mynors 13 Gamekeeper turned poacher. James Clifton 14 I leap over the wall. Peter Beacham 15 And back again. Eddie Booth 16 Public to private. Michael King 16 Teaching and learning. Vincent Shacklock 18 'Supporting columns'. Lime water and structural movement. Siobhan O'Grady 19 Sir Titus. Fate of redundant churches. David Morton 20 Historic shop fronts: trials and tribulations. Francis Biard 22 Shop front design guide competition. John Preston 23 Monuments of the Movies. The work of the Cinema Theatre Association. Richard Gray Enquire within. The potential of impulse radar. Julia Smith M'learned Friend. Designation of Conservation Areas. Charles Mynors Case Studies BachAbbey West Front. Gus Astley Inigo Jones gateways, Covent Garden. Mark Wilkinson Summer House, Reydon House. Steven Beckett Law & Practice 24 26 27 28 30 32 Problems with a flint wall. Eric Cockain 33 Events 34 ACO BusinessNews 38 ACO Branch News 40 Letters 42 Books 43 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE Front cover: Rialto, Coventry Street. Photo: Richard Blanshard. p8: Th~tching repair. Photo: John Townsend. p9: Kingston Lacy House. Photo: John Townsend. pi ]:Illustration by Deborah Kindred. pl7:Georgian housing in Liverpool. Photo: Wimpey Construction UK. p22: Presenting the ACO/Sweet & Maxwell award. Photo: Chris Godfrey. p23:Pages from the winning entry in the design guide competition. p24:The Rex, Berkhamsted. Photo: Cinema Theatre Association. p25:The Grosvenor, Rayner's Lane. Photo: Cinema Theatre Association. p26.·Invescigationsat Waddesdon Manor. Photo: Julia Smith. p28:Conservation of statues on the West Front of BachAbbey. Photos: Gus Astley. p30:Proposed elevation for replacement Inigo Jones gateways. Donald Insall & Associates. p31: The first gateway complete. Photos: Donald Insall & Associates. p32:Flint wall before demolition and after replacement. Photos: Eric Cockain. p37:Law Courts, Winnepeg, Canada. p40:Anglian members. Photos: Jackie Wilkinson. 3

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EDITORIAL THE MISSING MESSAGE Readers may be perplexed to find that coverage of one of the most important and controversial conservation issues of recent years, the English Heritage proposals: Managing England's Heritage - Setting Our Priorities for the 1990s, has been noticeably absent not only from the last issue of Context but also from this one. Unfortunately our October copy deadline coincided with those momentous announcements. By the time that Winter issue appeared, in early December, some of the initial shock waves had dissipated and assurances had been given that (on some of the proposals at least) further consultations would be carried out. As we close for press in midJ an uary for the Spring edition, many crucial questions remain unanswered, but your Executive Committee is hard at work preparing a submission to the House of Commons Select Committee inquiry which will scrutinise what English Heritage will do next. By the Summer we may be able to take stock and present a clearer view of what seems at present to be a volatile situation. These unexpected ACOLAWAND PRACTICE GROUP Protecting the Built Environment - The Law and Practice: Seminars for Conservation Officers, planners and legal departments. First event in April. A series of seminars is about to be launched by the ACO on the law and practice relating to the preservation of the built environment. The seminars aim to clarify the law in practical terms so that we can use the legislation more effectively. Carolyn Shelbourn, Lecturer in Environmental Law at Sheffield University will be the main speaker, followed by discussions on specific topics and problems with current and local issues and, hopefully, solutions. Topics will include the law relating to listed buildings, conservation areas and enforcement. The series starts in Westminster and will focus on the use of legislation in London. This will be followed by seminars in other ACO branches around the country (these will be arranged locally and individual members notified). The seminars are being arranged by Sarah Woodcock and James Ross at Essex County Council and the branch representatives. CONTEXT 37 upheavals have also highlighted the need for the ACO National Executive to improve its speed of response and to meet more frequently, as Alan Taylor explains in the Notes from Council elsewhere in this issue. SEEING OURSELVESAS OTHERSSEEUS? Although our membership continues to rise (and now exceeds 1,000), the future prospects for Conservation Officers within a conventional local authority framework seem much cloudier with the impending review of local government structure and the implementation of CCT. In this issue we examine what lessons we might learn from those who chose to move outside that system? With the benefit of hindsight what experiences do our former colleagues 'over the wall' think might benefit those of us who remain behind? What recommendations would invest our traditional County and District Council roles with a greater effectiveness in meeting the conservation challenges we all now face? COVER STORY The auditorium of the Rialto, Coventry Street, London in c1980. Listed Grade II, this 1913 cinema designed by Hippolyte Blanc has been derelict since the early 19 8 0s and desperately needs to be returned to film use or some other sympathetic function. It is of concern to the Cinema Theatre Association whos work is discussed in this issue. PERSONAE Mike Pearce - the ACO Life President - and until recently Head of the Planning Division at English Heritage, has recently joined the Buildings at Risk Trust, 1 Greenhill, Wirksworth, Derbyshire DE4 4EN (0629-826292). The Trust has been constituted to take on Buildings-at-Risk. Mike's role will be to assist with feasibility studies and appraisals for Buildings-at- Risk. MARGINALIA Maria Perks must be doing a great job in re-invigorating moribund Building Preservation Trusts as the current ACO Membership Directory claims her employer to be "Architectural Heritage Fun''. Keep up the good work! FORTHCOMING ISSUES - DEADLINES AND THEMES The next issue, Summer 1993, will address the issues of Fire, Theft and Vandalism. We would welcome contributions on practical experiences, policies, procedures and case studies dealing with the aftermath of such damage and disasters. COPY DEADLINE 21 APRIL for posting out on 4 June. The Autumn issue will deal with Conservation and Green Issues and is likely to include issues such as the conflict between insulation, energy conservation and old buildings; and the use of nontoxic materials etc. COPY DEADLINE 22 JULY for posting out on 3 September. The Winter issue will cover 'Historic Paints and Decorative Finishes', their identification, authentication, analysis, protection and re-creation. COPY DEADLINE 15 OCTOBER for posting out on 26 November. Other contributions, experiences, case studies are welcome at any time (space permitting). Please remember the injunction not to FAX copy unless in an emergency and that articles under 1,800 words are easier to accommodate. If you have a burning desire to see a particular theme covered in 1994, let us know. CONTEXT QUESTIONNAIRE The response to our readership questionnaire (included in the last issue) has been encouraging, but if you have not yet completed and returned it please do so soon! We will act upon constructive suggestions where we can and will publish the results soon in Context. MORE GUIDANCE NOTES Aylesbury Vale District Council has recently produced a well illustrated and attractively presented design guide which offers advice on how to extend houses while respecting the existing character and appearance of the building. This follows the publication of an excellent leaflet on the conversion of traditional farm buildings in 1991. Single copies are free, but subsequent copies are fl + 24p P&P. For further information contact: Ian Douglas, Design Officer, Planning Division, Aylesbury Vale DC, Fowler Road, Aylesbury HP21 BQX Tel: (0296) 395900 ext 4448. 5

S andtoft Hand-made Clay Plain Tiles share a common characteristic with the British weather. Variability. No two tiles are exactly alike because each one is crafted from locally quarried clay using traditional methods. As a result, the tiles and the good old British weather combine to create a roof with ~\ONA( 11 11 <:>' •. ?'/ a me ow, we "1"" ,, < ~ fvi lived-in look. ~ ., ... · ··~ The variability is, ,y ..,,.,,,,,,.. 'f' <>/ • · ~ h nl -,.,0NA\-\-"4. owever, o yon the surface. Modern technology ensures that all the tiles are made to the highest standards. Firing in the latest moving hood kilns, for example, means that the finished product is as durable as it is attractive. A comprehensive range of standard fittings -plus the ability to make any bespoke fittings to order - eases the task of laying. And shrinkwrapping onto pallets makes deliveries equally trouble-free. So whatever your next project may be - and whatever the weather may hold- specify Sandtoft Handmade Clay Plain Tiles. And watch them weather beautifully. The two colours, Natural Red Sandfaced and Autumn Brown, both complement historic buildings, and provide a sympathetic roof covering for new properties in conservation and environmentally sensitive areas. DBrlll!JDl!lDD ROOF TILES Sandtoft Roof Tiles Ltd. Sandtoft, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN8 5SY. Telephone (0427) 872696. Fax: (0427)873946

INFORMATION SOUGHT -WELSH CHAPELS SURVEY Non-conformist chapels form an important part of the historic building stock of Wales but fall outside normal planning controls because of ecclesiasti~al exemption. Furthermore, the Church m Wales still has no internal system such as Faculty Jurisdiction, al though it is making moves to rectify this. Wales also missed out on the Listed Building Resurvey of 1984-87. To address the problem of redundant religious buildings, the Pembrokeshire National Park has appointed the Alex Gordon Partnership to undertake a study of West Wales. Although confined to Dyfed and part of Ceredigion, they would be interested in the views of ACO members about the problems generally within the Principality. Pleasesend comments to Roger Wools at 13 Guildhall Square, Carmarthen, Dyfed SA31 IPR. SHOPFRONTS IN BATH Bath City Council 1s joining the campaign to increase awareness of the importance of shopfronts in our citi_es, and will be launching a comprehensive new set of guidelines for shopowners and architects on 23 March. The main document is a description of different styles and periods of shopfront design, with recommendations for materials and construction methods to be used in new shopfronts and the restoration of existi_ng ones. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and historical prints. . . There is also a separate publication issued as a folded poster-sized sheet, which outlines the principles involved in shopfront repair and installation, and sets out the procedures for gaining planning and listed building consents, and applying for grants. The new guidelines will be supported by a Shopfronts Record held at the Council's offices, initially in the form of annotated photographs, and later on a computer database. The new publications will be launched at a morning seminar at the Guildhall, Bath, on 23 March 1993. Anyone who would likefarther details of the seminar and these publications please write to Margaret Imeson, Team Secretary, Department of Environmental Services,Abbey Chambers, Bath BAI JNT, or Tel: (0225) 46111 I ext 2547. CONTEXT 37 NEWS RECENT PUBLICATIONS The RICS has just published under the auspices of its Building Surveyors Group a practical guide to structural surveys of traditional timber-framed buildings. The robustly bound book, by David Swindells and Malcolm Hutchins, is fully illustrated with line drawings; printed on water-resistant paper with strong covers and is intended for use as a thorough checklist/aide-memoir for use on site. Written primarily with domestic structures in mind, it is also useful for other timber-framed buildings such as barns and enables identification of less familiar construction techniques and problems. It is available from RICS at £14.95 and will be reviewed in the next issue of Context. 'M'Learned Friend' our regular columnist Charles Mynors does not confine his talents to conservation issues alone! Sweet & Maxwell has just published his definitive guide to Planning Control & The Display of Advertisements. Charles admits this is very much a lawyers' book, but it should assist local authority solicitors and development control staff in their fight to protect the environment from the worst excesses of the advertising industry. The fact that the book runs to 382 pages says a great deal about successive governments failing to come to grips with sensible and straightforward Advertisement Regulations. You may pale at the cost of £65.00. THE CONSERVATION PORTFOLIO In the March 1993 edition of the Portfolio are: Bleaklow Industries Ltd - Manufacturers matured slaked lime putty Commonwealth Institute - Historic Buildings: Conservation in the Commonwealth - - a one day conference Cypres (Brigstock) Ltd - Specialist suppliers and contractors for the repair and maintenance of historic buildings Sandtoft Tileriers Ltd - New handmade clay roofing tiles CHURCH SPIRE REPAIRS IN HEREFORD Work has started on one of the largest spire restoration projects on an English parish church in recent years. The stone-by-stone repair is being carried out on the locally renowned curved 14th century spire of All Saints in Hereford city centre. The work, scheduled for completion in May, is being undertaken by Furse Specialist Contracting under the direction of Hereford architects Rod Robinson Associates. The initial contracts, worth some £200,000, have been awarded by the Parochial Church Council, with substantial support by English Heritage under a 70% grant. The project was initiated by the discovery of a sheared bolt which had formed part of the fixing of the 1 tonne finial stone at the top of the 73 m steeple. Steeplejacks discovered the top section to be in a highly dangerous condition, with serious risk of falling masonry. Flying scaffolding was erected immediately to a height of 61 m to enable loose stonework to be removed and a full visual inspection to be made. A stone-by-stone survey revealed the need for a full rebuild of the uppermost 12 m of one of the UK's oldest and highest medieval spires. As a condition of the consent for the project, and prior to commencement of work in January 1993, a team of experts from the Archeological Unit of Hereford City Council undertook and recorded a further detailed stone-by-stone survey of the spire. THE DAMAGE The worst of the damage is in the top 12 m, where the hollow octagonalsection spire takes on its well-known curve. The finial stone itself was found to be split in three facets, and the top three courses were similarly split back to the existing holding-down rod. The damage has resulted from water seeping into iron cramps and iron securing bands, which subsequently expanded from rusting - up to two-and-a-half times the original size - splitting stonework and leading to severe spalling. In certain places, the stones were found to be held in place merely by small runs of reinforcing wire. The rib roll stonework decorating the edges of the octagon was found to ha~e suffered particularly badly, much of It being seriously weathered and insecure. Substantial running cracks were also found inside the structure of the spire. 7

8 ACO ANNUAL SCHOOL FROMSIRCHARLESBARRY TO THE HUMBLECOBWALL 18-22 April 1993, Weymouth, Dorset How often have you been faced with a blank expression when you ask an architect or builder to specify his lime mortar mix, advise chem not to rebuild cob in the middle of winter or suggest they might recreate the HEREFORD SPIRE REPAIR Continuedfrom page 1 THEREPAJR Furse plans to dismantle and rebuild the uppermost part by hand, reincorporating where practicable, existing stone - to the present style and profile. The considerable volume of new buff sandstone needed -over 400 stones weighing some l 30~ 140 tonnes - will be supplied by the Ridgeway quarry in Derbyshire after a lengthy search of quarries in Hereford, Gloucester and Wales failed to find stone to match the original sufficiently closely. As it is rebuilt, the stonework will be pointed with a traditional lime-based mortar specially formulated to combine accurate colour matching with high weather resistance. On completion, a new stainless-steel holding-down rod will be installed to secure the rebuilt spire. STAMPING OUT TILE THEFTS Thefts of clay peg tiles from historic buildings continues as the trade in reclaimed building materials is still a big, highly commercial business. A recent victim was the Norman church at Westfield, East Sussex, where the porch roof had been stripped by thieves. It is worth noting from this unfortunate episode that when Aldershaw Tiles of Sedlescombe, near Hastings, made the replacement peg tiles - which they generously donated free of charge - the underside of the tiles were inscribed with their name and a code number allowing any purchaser to identify them. This may be one small step in the fight against architectural theft. original decoration scheme? It is at times like that, that you wish you had just a little more practical knowledge of lime, building cob walls or whether it's even possible to discover the original paint scheme. The 1993 Annual School will comprise two full days of practical repair demonstrations and "hands-on" activities as well as a series of lectures and talks, always with an emphasis on cradicionarcraft skills of building conservation. The last day will give delegates a flavour of more general conservation. THE DAY SCHOOL The day will open with two general introductory lectures on both traditional and non-traditional techniques of building repair from Professor John Ashurst, of Bournemouth University, and from John Fidler of English Heritage. Peter Badcock, also from English Heritage, will then discuss the difficulties of appraising structural stability in historic buildings. Jeffrey Wallis, of the Restoration division of Dorothea, will explain the techniques of repairing wrought iron with modern materials and methods. Ian Constantinides will use his first-hand experience ro describe the qualities of traditional building finishes. Finally, the country's leading authority on brick and vernacular building, Dr Ronald Brunskill, will talk about the repair of English brickwork. As well as Day School lectures, every evening will be rounded off by after-dinner speakers: David Peterson is an artist and blacksmith; Senator David Norris, from the Republic of Ireland, will speak on Georgian Dublin; Kevin Stubbs will demonstrate how defects can be avoided by proper detailing and preventative measures; and Richard Grasby, Thatchingrepair. Fellow and past Chairman of the Society of Designer-Craftsmen and Member of the Dorset Crafts Guild, will talk about the role of the artist and craftsman in building conservation. HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES The whole of Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent at Lodge Farm Barn, on the Kingston Lacy Estate, courtesy of the National Trust. Everyone will have the choice of 6 'hands-on' activities led by craftsmen and experts in their field, and delegates will be encouraged to 'have a go' for themselves. Lime render, lime wash and plaster: Bob Bennett, of the Lime Centre in Winchester, will make up lime render and lime wash and demonstrate methods of colouring and application. Analysis of lime mortars and pointing of brickwork: John Ashurst will analyse existing mortars, show how they can be replicated and demonstrate methods of repointing in various finishes. Combed wheat thatching: Tony Cottrell, a memb.er of the Dorset Master Thatchers Association, will explain the rudiments of thatching in the traditional Dorset methods. Traditional paint finishes: Jane Waddington, art historian and paint consultant will demonstrate the skill of paint analysis, how to recognise historic paintwork, make up distemper and offer advice on achieving traditional finishes with modern materials. Stone repair: Tony Steel, from the Joint Centre for Heri rage Conservation at Weymouth, will cover various stone repair techniques, including cleaning, shelter coating and 'plastic' repair. Traditional sash window repair: Bryan Herbage, of Herbage and Rowland Ltd, will demonstrate the repair of traditional sash windows. The Brooking Collection: Linked with the window workshop is a rare chance to see some of Charles Brooking's fascinating collection of historic windows. CONTEXT 37

OFF-SITE WORKSHOPS AND VISITS For delegates,who do not want to look at repairs in practice, there is a choice of three tours on che Kingston Lacy Estate, led by che National Trust: Buildings under repair: Delegates will visit a number of medieval, and lacer, buildings under-repair and discuss the various techniques being employed. It is expected chat repair work under way in April will include cob walling, thatch and timber framing. Vernacularbuildings tour: This tour will cover more buildings under the care of the National Trust, including 16th and 17th century cottages, a I4th century first floor hall house, as well as working buildings such as a saw mill, greenhouses and a forge. Kingston lacy House: A tour of this fine NT house (before public admission) will concentrate on recent repairs by Marcin Caroe and revealing the work of Sir Charles Barry and Sir Roger Pratt. Kingston Lacy House. LOCAL CONSERVATION ISSUES The final morning will be spent examining three topics of more general conservation interest but with a distinct Dorset flavour. Conservation issuesin an historic seaside town: Richard Burgess, Chief Planning Officer of Weymouth and Porcland Borough Council, will discuss current issues in Weymouth, such as the problems of retaining character in the face of hotel conversions and the struggle co control 'carry' advertising. Local and regional identity in village development: Every district is familiar with the 'anywhere' housing estate, ignoring local vernacular in sryle and materials and ruining village character. David Evans, Community Planning and Design Manager at Purbeck District Council, will describe its achievements in retaining local and regional identiry. Poundbury, the Prince's proposals far a new settlement: David Oliver, Architect with West Dorset District Council and a prime mover in the Poundbury Proposals, will illustrate ideas for che creation of traditional urban form in the new development. The Annual School ends after lunch on Thursday. A CPD Certificate will be provided. The Annual School is being held at the Riviera Hotel, Bowleaze Cove, a 1932 Mouchell Hennibique building overlooking the sea. The cost of the five day School will be £240 for sole occupancy of twin-bedded room with en-suite facilities. The cost is reduced co £195 for a shared room with identical facilities. Attendance at the Day School only will cost £50 (including Conference Dinner and talk by Senator David Norris, £65). The number of delegates(other than to the Day School) is limited by the accommodation so early booking is advised. For further details and Booking Form telephone Alison Cummings (Administrator) on (0305) 773824. conservationof HISTORIC GARDENS and landscapes DiplomaCourseat the ArchitecturalAssociation School of Architecture DESIGN, RESTORATION&RESOURCECONSULTANTS HISTORICPARKS, GARDENS&LANDSCAPES For all sites of historic value or potential, we specialise in scholarly field and archive research, practical management planning and imaginative design and restoration. DAWSON TAYLOR LANDSCAPE Principal: Hilary A Taylor B.A.Hons., Ph.D. 4 Tattershall Drive, The Park, Nottingham NG7 1BX Tel: 0602 475277 Fax: 0602 475598 CONTEXT 37 two yur couree on Friday■ of the K■demic yur at this international ■chool new application■ now being con■klered for brochure pluee contact The Coordinator Garden• Conservation The Architectural Auociation 34 - 36 Bedford Square London WC1 B 3ES 071 636 0974 9

10 OVER THE WALL In the current climate of financial cutbacks, compulsory competitive tendering and local government reorganisation, hard working Conservation Officers must sometimes wonder what other forms of employment would have to offer them. Would the specialist skills gained as a Conservation Officer be of any use in another life and is the grass really greener on the other side of the wall? contributed. Unfortunately, the planning inspector we asked was not able to provide an article. We thought it would therefore be of interest to readers if we asked former Conservation Officers to give us the benefit of their views after their move from local authority work to other things. Eleven people were asked to contribute articles and nine provided the articles printed below. We are very grateful for the time taken by those who Contributors were asked to indicate the experience and trauma (or otherwise!) of moving and the differences between current work and chat in a local authority. They were also asked whether they would do things any differently if they were to go back to their former local authority jobs. It is interesting to note common views being expressed, particularly with respect to the problem of not having enough time or support to broaden skills and experience or just to 'draw breath'. Please note that the views expressed are given by the authors in their private capacities and are not those of their employers or clients. CarolRyan formerly worked for Shropshire County Council and now works for the Department of Conservation Sciences at Bournemouth University. DOMESTIC UPHEAVAL The decision to leave the solace and comfort of a local authority is not easy. It entails many sleepless nights, mind boggling debate within one's head, and a last minute scrabble to fill in an application form, with the comforting thought "well I won't get it so there is no need to worry". Imagine the astonishment when the fatal question "will you accept the post?" is posed. In order to save face, the only answer can be yes. You hope the domestic front will sort itself out. It does, but only just, and at some not inconsiderable expense, after months spent in an uncongenial flat far from one's beloved countryside. One reviews the reasons for taking this step, hoping the possibility of a wrong decision doesn't rear its ugly head. Irritations of the past are itemised D the houseowners who insisted on buying a multiperiod gem and converting it into an uninteresting pile of plasterboarded boxes devoid of historic features, despite one's best efforts (late into a glorious summer evening) to show them the error of this step; D the owner who imported an alien set of features from an equally hapless gem currently being gutted in the name of progress, and proceeded to muddle totally ~he arc~aeology of the building being restored; D the endless pile of listed building consents and applications affecting sites of archaeological interest to be delicately negotiated with the district councils; D the county versus district tightrope needing constant work at a personal level to ensure good relationships with fellow conservation staff; D the endless rewrites of committee reports which then appeared in another ~ise in their final form; LJ and the tricky committee meetings when one's list of grants could crumble on the whim of a single councillor. The problems were tempered by wonderful days spent with district colleagues in rolling countryside and historic towns, revelling in the delight of finding yet another undiscovered medieval hall and usually accompanied by a chat, over a sandwich and a pot of tea (or other beverage) in a convivial hostelry. Looking back, there were usually silver linings to the clouds although some clouds regrettably had none. 'Conservation and archaeology' sometimes attracts 'individualistic personages' which is not a point in its favour. So to the nub of the issue: is a life educating potential Conservation Officers very different from being one? Remember the steadily increasing in-tray, destined never to decrease? It is still with you in education, as are the decisions about what to do and what to leave as pending. If anything it is even more difficult to balance variable external commitments with constant lecturing commitments. I have the spectre of my students standing on a site ill equipped to deal with the problems in hand because I failed to provide them with a suitable education. What of the main reason for making this drastic move?- the desire to pass on hard learnt skills to a new generation, practise the skills in the form of a consultancy, and satisfy the longed for need to read relevant literature and to write? As a Conservation Officer I found myself repeating those aspects close to my heart - the use of lime and not cement, repair and not replacement and close attention to detail, the loss of which is so detrimental and likened by me to throwing a bucket of water over a glass of fresh orange juice to produce coloured water! The opportunity now exists to apprise new generations of potential conservers of these issues. They may not always be in the right place at the right time to pass on the message, bur what is the right way to get these messages over? Was I in the right place before; tackling these problems on a one-to-one basis or through the odd leaflet coaxed out of a very limited time allocation? I am certain that overall we are not succeeding in getting the messages over to more than a few! J use look around CONTEXT 37 7

you on your next trip outside the office. Who is winning - you or the local double glazing agent? Education is the key to conservation; if only owners attended a heritage conservation course in their youth as a necessary precursor to owning an old house. The remaining aspects of the new job, consultancy and research, are still developing. In the light of government directives, they will be hard won. They are in direct competition with national rules concerning teaching hours, and the demands of student counselling, course administration and developing new courses (the lifeblood of evolving educational establishments). There is every danger that consultancy and research will disappear in academia bur, as these are the reasons I am here, I intend to ensure their continued existence against all the odds. Would I do it all again? - frankly, no. The domestic upheavals, the loss of a familiar and cherished scene (which I have found impossible to leave incurring constant travelling) and the demands of poll tax officers would make me think twice despite excellent colleagues, both here and in the local district councils, who have provided many useful and informative discussions and new and rewarding friendships. All I needed was the time to draw breath, to have a CONTEXT 37 secondment and gather together the fruits of over 15 years in the conservation field for the benefit of others. After six months I would have been ready to face the foe once more. Would I do things differently if I was transported back to my desk in Shirehall? Conservation sections are some of the most difficult to manage. There are so many ways of managing the fiercely independent staff and other resources in one's care for the greater good of the county and simply not enough lifetimes to try them all out. I was always under pressure to renounce the front line role and assume one of desk based management. The desire to manipulate schemes, argue for the retention of features or swing opinion in favour of the correct repair technique was such a life force that I could not have done without it. To move within the confines of a district council, with all its political overtones, was not desperately appealing at the time, lacking as it did the huge remit of a county based post. We are a profession continually searching for a modus to operate. The local authority spectrum is one of a number of possibilities and it is difficult to say which 'swing' or 'roundabout' is the more preferable. My search, like that of many others, is still in progress! John Earl worked for the LCC and GLC and is now Director of the Theatres Trust. STAGING AN ESCAPE Having spent 30 years of my professional life serving - even helping to create - the LCC Historic Buildings Section and the GLC Historic Buildings Division, my decision to opt for redundancy in 1986 should have been acutely painful. It was not. As I saw it then, staying on promised far worse pain, since I feared that the unique merits of that multiple talented 'one-stop' conservation practice would be suffocated by a top heavy bureaucracy. Whatever may be said against the former London-wide authority (astonishingly, there are still hard-liners prepared to argue that things have got better for London since 1986) most GLC members for most of the time wanted the Division to get on with the job it was designed to do, with those actually doing the work advising the politicians directly on how it should be done. Now, overlaid by a Civil Service style hierarchy whose preoccupation seems to be more with importing fashionable business practices than with advancing the cause of conservation, it is remarkable that anything of the old spirit has survived. I am delighted that it has. I am also glad to be out of it. My escape tunnel was intended to lead me into one-man consultancy but, within a couple of months, I had begun a new career as Director (supposedly part time) of the Theatres Trust. The Trust is a statutory body charged with "promoting the better protection of theatres for the benefit of the nation". It has 15 trustees appointed by the Secretary of State for National Heritage. In one of its aspects the work is not radically different from statutory control work in a local authority office. General Development Orders require all planning authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to consult with the Trust before granting a planning permission affecting any land on which there is a theatre - a process which leads in many cases to onsite negotiations with applicants, managements and local government officers. The chief difference is that the Trust, unlike a local authority, has no power to enforce its will. Our resources are also extremely limited. Income from Government, notwithstanding our statutory status, is tiny (£51,000 in the current year) and distressingly uncertain. 11

We also have the rental income from two theatres chat we own, but this is not enough to ensure our survival as an effective body if official funding ever dries up. Money and staff resources are really two aspects of the same thing. The staff (in total, professional and secretarial) is equivalent to only four full timers to cover the whole range of our work throughout mainland Britain. What I miss most are the specialised services chat I enjoyed for most of my working life. The 'open door' organisation of my old office meant chat I had - as everyone else had - immediate daily access co the advice and support of historians, recorders, archaeologists, conservation architects and surveyors, experts on conservation law, in fact, a huge fund of experience and nearly every kind of skill I might need to deal with the problems landing on my desk. I miss having an excellent specialised library a few yards away (the Trust is just beginning to build its own) and a massive archive of photographs and record drawings on the premises. What I have thoroughly enjoyed, post 1986, has been absorbing a whole new kind of knowledge (I've always been interested in theatres, but there was so much I did not know) and working with new kinds of expert, not least amongst my trustees. I have always been struck by the fact that people in the building conservation world are generous with their knowledge and I have found theatre people much the same. They are always ready to explain the mysteries of their various crafts and they are appreciative of what one is able to do for them. The best part of the job, and a luxury I have never enjoyed before, has been the freedom of action (when you are as chin on the ground as we are, decisions simply have to be taken on the hoof) and the opportunity to shape the work of the Trust to meet changing needs. On the casework front, a successful negotiation or a satisfactory public inquiry result are as satisfying as they ever were. It has been a strange but exhilarating experience to start something so new, so late in my career. If I were to go back (no chance at 64!) I would probably be far less tolerant than I once was of cliche sneers directed at public servants. In face, I find them more distasteful now than I did when I was the occasional butt of such attacks. Having tried both sides I have seen the best and the worst in both glasshouses. OVER THE WALL ACADEMIC PAROLE MalcolmAirs worked for South Oxfordshire District Council and is now University Lecturer in Historic Conservation at Oxford University. I like to think chat I did not escape over the wall in April 1991 but rather that I was granted academic parole for good conduct and that I am still effectively serving a life sentence. The view from outside the gates looked much the same, it just had a different perspective. Perhaps the people seemed to smile a lirrle more on the outside and certainly the telephone was restored as an aid to communication rather than a demanding intrusion. Bue the challenges - and the opportunities - in conservation remained undiminished. I was simply able to rake a broader and more detached view, unfettered by the crushing demands of day-co-day casework. In a broad sense, all conservation is ultimately about education, educating yourself to understand the historic buildings and areas that you seek to protect and learning how best to persuade those who might destroy them to adopt a different course of action. This mission was implicit in everything chat I did as a local government Conservation Officer and it remains the goal of my new career as a university teacher. When I began in conservation in 1966 as an historian in the Historic Buildings Division of the Greater London Council, there was no formal mechanism for professional training in what was a very new discipline. The GLC admirably fulfilled that role, as many of my former colleagues now scattered throughout the country will testify. In 1974, at the time of local government reorganisation, I moved to a district authority, where training facilities were nonexistent and the stark realities of a one-man conservation section in an initially suspicious planning department brought home the need to fight all over again the battles which had been won in London a decade before. Provincial attitudes were more resiscan t to change than sophisticated metropolitan ones, but in retrospect it has been a wonderful experience to have participated in a burgeoning and healthy conservation movement which is now solidly rooted in the planning system. It is a measure of the strength of the movement chat I am now the first lecturer in Historic Conservation in the history of Oxford University. It is even more remarkable chat chat venerable institution has enthusiastically co-operated with Oxford Brookes University (formerly Oxford Polytechnic) to establish their first joint post-graduate degree and chat the subject of this novel enterprise should be historic conservation. The MSc or Diploma can be taken immediately after graduating with a first degree and aims to provide an all-round training to enable the student to enter a career in conservation with the necessary basic skills. This in only part of the overall conservation programme promoted by the University It is supplemented by a certificate course in architectural history and an annual programme of shortcourses, conferences, day schools, residential summer schools and a full programme of evening classes at which a variety of related topics are explored. If the aims of my brief to make my Department a centre of excellence in historic conservation are to be achieved, it is important chat I should remain in contact with the ever-changing problems that are conscancly arising in the world of practical conservation. So far, I have managed to do this with the generous assistance of many colleagues in English Heritage and through stimulating discussion with my students, many of whom are actively involved in the world of conservation. The pages of Context, too, help to keep me up-to-date with current issues and provide me with ideas for future conferences chat will be of practical relevance. But I am aware chat the longer I am removed from practice the more difficult this will be to sustain. I can, however, provide a forum for public debate on any conservation issue. The great advantage of my new role is chat I have the freedom to formulate my own programme on conservation education in the widest possible sense. I can do this within a climate which is remarkable for che selfless co-operation which I have received from those working in the public sector, private practice and the academic world. There is a sustaining sense of being part of a greater whole, all co-operating to achieve a common goal, I L__----------------------------------112 CONTEXT 37

and that, in itself, is a rewarding feeling. I dearly miss the deep satisfaction that comes from persuading an individual owner to treat his or her building with reverence and at the same time giving him or her what he or she really wanted. I regret no longer being able to influence directly the planning policy of a particular locality that I still cherish (in that wonderful phrase of Circular 8/87), but this emotion is tempered by the admiration that I have for the fresh initiatives being taken by my successor. Letting go of something with which you have been closely involved is one of the most painful things to do and I am grateful to him for doing it so tactfully. Strangely enough, the thing I miss most is the endlessly frustrating process of negotiating with difficult applicants, but the stimulus of debate and the burning commitment of my students is compensation enough and I have good reason to be thankful for the skills that I acquired through my lengthy apprenticeship in the public arena. CharlesMynors, already known to us as M'Learned Friend, worked for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is now a barrister. This particular contribution should perhaps be entitled not 'Over the Wall' but rather 'On the Fence'. After all, the beauty of being an advocate and adviser, rather than a Conservation Officer, is that one is not always on the same side - and can therefore approach conservation issues with a slightly more open mind. That at any rate is the theory. In practice, of course, I am regarded with deep suspicion by all right-thinking people; a typical comment being that of one Conservation Officer who approached me at an ACO conference: "how can you possibly appear for a developer who wants to knock down a Grade I listed building?" This at least makes a change from the more normal "how can you possibly defend someone who is guilty?". Each question of course makes the same mistake, of confusing the role of the advocate with chose of the witness and the inspector/judge. It would be as useful to ask "how can you possibly appear for a local authority who insists on me retaining a building of no interest, in poor condition, with no conceivable future use?". The truth is that sense and lunacy are obviously to be found in more or less equal measure on both sides of the wall. The job of the local planning authority, and English Heritage and Cadw, is to ensure that historic buildings are not needlessly lost, and that new development does not unnecessarily spoil historic areas. They therefore, rightly, suspect the motives of those who claim that an existing building cannot be viably reused, or that a proposed office block just might be a masterpiece. Further, public opinion (so we are reliably told) is now overwhelmingly in favour of preserving CONTEXT 37 BALANCING ACT the familiar and cherished local scene - and how often do you find local residents supporting new development? Local authorities are thus usually echoing the views of their Council Tax payers when they go into battle on behalf of the heritage. And there is always an argument in favour of preserving the status quo - a building, if preserved this time, can always be demolished or altered next time; once it has gone, though, it cannot be brought back. I thus entirely sympathise with the suspicious attitude, understand the concern of local residents, and - in principle - respect the argument in favour of preservation. But those who live and work in old buildings also have problems. They want to adapt them to meet new requirements, and they want to demolish them when the cost of refurbishment exceeds the value on completion of the work; chat is not unreasonable. And those who want to build new buildings in historic areas probably have even greater problems. Such areas have - in most cases - always been subject to gradual alteration and evolution; there is no particular reason why the clock should magically stop on the day a conservation area is designated. And there are those who consider that second-hand stock bricks and timber sashes are not the only possible materials for new buildings. So I sympathise too with a mistrust of unjustifiable insistence on preservation, and understand the resentment against overly restrictive policies stifling new development. The job of the planning system is to strike a balance between these two viewpoints; and it works best when a solution is reached which satisfies all parties concerned - either a compromise (although that sometimes leaves everyone unhappy), or an understanding and acceptance by one of the other's point of view. An appeal thus, in a sense, represents failure. On the other hand, in the absence of such consensus, it may be the only way for all the arguments to be tested. Which of course is where I come in. And I suppose my nine years as a Conservation Officer must give me some advantage in understanding the attitudes of local authorities - and local authority historic building sections in particular - whether I am appealing for them or against chem. I also find it a help to know how an authority's procedures work - many members of the Bar appear somewhat mystified by the finer points of a sub-committee's standing orders. Equally, my more recent training as a barrister makes me concerned to subject an authority's policies and procedures to more rigorous analysis. I have seen one council officer having a very hard time trying to defend a conservation area designation, for which there appeared to be only the most rudimentary committee authority, and no reasoned justification. Equally, it is often useful to analyse an authority's case rigorously: why is a particular view important? What is the evidence for the cost of refurbishment? Why does the proposed building not "fit in"? A council may have an excellent case, that is spoiled by not being sufficiently thoroughly prepared or thought through. And that approach could -subject obviously to limited time - also be usefully applied at the initial consideration of a proposal. Charles Mynors is a barrister practising in the chambersof Peter BoydellQC, Temple. 13

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