Context 160 - July 2019

Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Michael Taylor, ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com Editorial Board Tom Copp Nigel Crowe Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Rebecca Madgin Andrew McLelland Fiona Newton Gordon Sorensen Jonathan Taylor Michael Taylor (chair) Cartoons by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2019 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury,Wiltshire, England SP3 6HA 01747 871717 context@cathcomm.co.uk www.buildingconservation.com Non-member subscriptions to Context Context is available to corporate bodies at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom £60.00 Elsewhere £90.00 Context on-line archive Past issues of Context can be viewed on the IHBC website. The archive provides a searchable database and reference for key articles. See www.ihbc.org.uk/page55/ context_archive. The views expressed in Context are not necessarily held by the IHBC or the publisher. Neither the publisher nor the IHBC shall be under any liability whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication.While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this issue of Context is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. Context themes and copy deadlines Context is published five times a year, in March, May, July, September and November. The next three themes and copy deadlines are: IHBC Annual School , September, issue 161 (12 July) New Towns , November, issue 162 (13 September) Republic of Ireland, March, issue 163 (13 January) Please contact Michael Taylor at ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com to discuss any editorial submissions or for information about the Context editorial board. 2 C O N T E X T 1 6 0 : J U L Y 2 0 1 9 Briefing Working from home Behind the front door of a modest terrace house at 186 Gwydir Street, Cambridge, lies an extraordinary series of highly decorated interiors painted by Victorian artisan decorator David Parr. A group of volunteers, supporters and donors have worked with David Parr House charity and Cowper Griffith Architects to complete a programme of conservation and restoration. A craftsman, artist and painter, Parr decorated his own home over 40 years in the style of the grand interiors he worked on. He learnt his many skills painting houses The drawing room of David Parr House (Photo: Howard Rice Print) The front of David Parr House, before and after restoration (Photo: David Parr House)