BOOK REVIEWS MORE THAN JUST SUBURBAN SEMIS Edwardian House Style by Hilary Hockman. David & Charles. 1994. 192pp. 600 illus. 23 X 26 cm. Hardback. ISBN O 7153 0206 X. £20.00. The appropriate treatment of Edwardian domestic architecture is a rather neglected subject and so the publication of this book is timely. These houses and flats, often in the leafy 'middlesuburbs', remain popular and are appreciated for their pleasant proportions, attractive detailing, sound construction and craftsmanship. When newly built, their bright, but often cosy interiors were like a breath of fresh air after the oppressiveness of the Victorians. Although the reign of Edward VI only lasted or nine years up to 1910, the style maintained its popularity into the 1920s. Today the attractions of Edwardian architecture and design seem a happy compromise between much of the excessive LETTERS RESEARCH ON VALUATION ADVICE Dear Editor As pare of a post-graduate Diploma in Building Conservation, I am currently carrying out research into the provision of valuation advice for grant funded conservation schemes. I would be interested in hearing from anyone involved in the conservation field regarding the service provided by General Practice Surveyors and whether it is felt that they should be more involved in such work. Ian Johnson 35 Markland Hill Lane Bolton BLJ 5PS SHOPFRONT SECURITY Dear Editor Could I add a rider to Peter Hoey's useful article on roller shutters and insurance companies (Context 43 p32). Yes, even in Cheltenham we have these problems. And, yes, I have always found insurance companies helpful and flexible over shutters. Most important of all, they are happy to discuss individual cases to find mutual solutions to a difficult problem. It seems we as Conservation Officers are going to have to act as insurance brokers. The key is what question to put to the insurers. The desperate shopkeeper who asks "How can I rid myself of the broken windows and keep insurance cover?" will get the easy answer "Put a solid roller shutter over your whole shopfront" - which is true. CONTEXT 44 If we put to the insurers "In this historic street an internal, open-work grille is really the appropriate solution both for security and looks, that will have the full support of the Council; will this be OK with you?" the (equally true) answer will probably be "Yes". My discussions wi eh shopkeepers and the Police indicate consistently that, where valuable merchandise is at risk from a premeditated raid, the strong grille plainly visible behind the glass will cut right down on both broken windows and rhefi:. Where breakage is due ro vandalism, an open mesh external grille will nearly always do the trick. Few drunken youths carry steel rods or catapults with ballbeari ngs. These grilles can be simple and attractive, even if left up permanently, and don't have to cover the full height of the window. Even a basic metal mesh, fitted in the window frame, is better than a solid external shutter (and its housing) covering the whole shopfront. The jeweller with a shop between a pub and a lace-night kebab house must have one's sympathy but also one's encouragement both to paint his essential, solid shutter and disguise its housing as a fasciasign. What is really important and difficult is for the Conservation Officer, acting as broker, to get to the raid-shocked shopkeeper before he or she installs solid, external shutters, in desperation, without considering any of the other options, let alone the law. Jeremy Jefferies Conservation Officer Cheltenham Borough Council embellishment of the 19th century; the reductive modernity of the inter-war period and the dreary austerity or stylistic confusion of modern speculative housing. So called 'house-style' books are now 'ten-a-penny' (although not that cheap) but their greatest virtue is the enormous number of illustrations and so they are often useful on several different levels. When advising owners on appropriate repairs and reinstatements, a Conservation Officer can find ofren that they repay their cost many time over by generating enthusiasm in owners; offering several potential solutions to a problem of, say, the reinstatement of boundary walls and gates or a stained glass front door, and foster an appreciation of the nuances of the different styles. The exterior and its setting, hallways and reception rooms, stairs landings and bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, interior details and gardens are all dealt with separately. As well as good photographs (all in colour), there are extensive, frequently comparative, contemporary black and white line drawings from the architectural journals and manufacturers catalogues of the period. Fixtures, fittings and furnishings are described and the book contains the inevitable list of 'stockists' for replacement of missing original items. This is always a weakness - there is no point in stating that these are a starting point, as the first stockist will be as far as many owners will get. Far better to give the Victorian Society and their friendly and informed local authority Conservation Officer as a starting point! It is perhaps a pity that here and there unsympathetic replacement roofs have crept into the photographs, without comments in the captions. It might also have been helpful to have omitted the few distracting American examples and devoted a Ii ttle more space to the architectural influences behind the styles. This book will not tell you how to ... in the manner of say, Alan Johnson's 'Your Victorian House' but it will underline the qualities of Edwardian houses and their stylishness. That will enthuse owners and should discourage unsympathetic alteration. For chat, the book will certainly be welcome. Definitely one for the sire visit. Continued on page 36 EowARDIA HOUSESTYLE AN ARCHITECTURAL AND INTERIOR DESIGN SOURCE BOOK 33
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