18 REFLECTIONS ON THE SPAB REPAIRCOURSE "Oh dear, oh dear!I shall be too late" - The White Rabbit from Alice s Adventures in Wonderland There is no time for solipsism when confronted with the old and ancient wealth in England's built heritage. The best of these buildings exist as a great encyclopaedia of the history of a place. On the SPAB spring repair course held in May, this historical importance, emphasised in the Society's philosophy of 'conservative repau and 'soft technologies', was made clear during the case study field trips. What precisely do we conserve as an example of a history? At Sr Pancras Chambers (formerly the Midland Grand Hotel), the sense of irony surrounding the efforts to save the building provokes a smile as one realises that the acts of vandalism by Sir George Gilbert Scott on the parish churches of this country were in large part the impetus behind William Morris founding the SPAB. So here is a building generally full of arty richness and containing unique artistry particularly in the vaulted ceiling above depicting the virtues. But is the building itself so good that it must all be saved? Aside from its wonderful decoration it lacks an architectural cohesiveness, a leitmotif, which pulls all the pieces together to form a whole. It lacks its original intended size by omission of a floor which could have made it a much more loved and impressive leviathan. The pleasant form and economy of Sir George's phone boxes are perhaps a more valuable and humble set of artefacts to be cherished. At Stowe, the work taking place on the garden pavilions and presently the Temple to Concord and Victory is probably some of the most important in the country. The temple, most likely the first large scale neo-classical building in Europe, is being considered following the principles set out in the Burra Charter of 1977. An assessment of condition, historical value, cultural significance and recommendations to be made is undertaken. For a society today the idea of 'cultural significance', ie is the "aesthetic, historic, scientific or social value for the past, present and future generations", becomes paramount set against the rise of the 'virtual' which threatens the 'built encyclopaedia' of space and light. Cultural significance, coupled with Norberg-Shultz's Genius Loci or 'spirit of place' and the 'living spirit' already present and layered in time through the built encyclopaedia, forms the perfect rock and aspect from which to stand vigil, like Micheangelo's David over Florence. For the Conservation Officer and architect alike, this philosophical foundation is as important and fundamental as the lime cycle in considering our old and ancient buildings. As a last treat the course ended with a visit to Restoration House in Rochester, Kent. It is always a pleasure to find a team of owner and architect who have the patience and vision to collect a very thorough history of a place and progressively search for more, slowly and without destructive intrusion, admiring the building's simplicity and highlights of craftsmanship and ornament. This history includes stays by King Charles II and the inspiration for Charles Dickens's Saris House and Miss Havisham's room in Great Expectations as well as harbouring rumours of illegal distilling, smuggling and secret tunnels. The approach being taken here is a testament to the benefits of looking at the pieces carefully to decide their origin and appropriateness in relationship to the whole. Origins of some panels in the Oak Room were identified by the types of nails used. In Miss Havisham's Room (the east facing first floor bedroom), an incomplete set of wall paintings by a previous owner is to be removed while great pains are being taken to conserve a room with a complete set of panels depicting King Arthur, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot and including earlier decorative work. If one were to suggest that, say, all the works of Edmund Spencer or Byron be removed forever from the collective Repairsto the Temple to Concordand Victoryat Stowe. memory, there would be uproar. But when the cultural surround is in danger and these things in the built encyclopaedia, which are ultimately so accessible to everyone in the form of space and light, texture and colour are threatened, who protects them? What real authority is there to ensure that these artefacts, be they privately or publicly owned, are safe? Thomas Hardy expresses the dilemma perfectly: "... Above all, the original church, hump-backed, wood-turreted, and quaintly hipped, had been taken down ... in place of it a tall new building of modern Gothic design, unfamiliar to English eyes had been erected on a new piece of ground by a certain obliterator of historic records who had run down from London and back in a day. The site whereon so long stood the ancient temple to the Christian divinities was not even recorded on the green and level grass-plot that had immemorial been the churchyard ... " Perhaps a way forward lies in ending the navel gazing and adopting this philosophical approach which considers the whole artefact beyond the piecemeal repair of the physical fabric. Consider the sonnet of the country cottage or heroic prose of the mill as the words and experiences to educate, inform and be enjoyed by the future. Scot Alan Masker, of Richard Ashby Architects, was sponsored by the A CO to attend the SPAB spring repair course. CONTEXT 44
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