C O N T E X T 1 7 1 : M A R C H 2 0 2 2 7 Periodically C20 Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, has some interesting points to make about authenticity and intervention in the latest issue of C20, the magazine of the Twentieth Century Society (Issue 2022/2). The magazine features major works to two extremely different but important 20th-century buildings: the magnificent India Buildings in Liverpool and Balfron Tower in East London, both big, confident, dramatic bits of architecture. India Buildings, by Herbert J Rowse, epitomised commercial ambition and mercantile pride, while Balfron Tower is an inspirational example of public housing of the post-war period. Croft argues that in some respects the two buildings could not be more different. The first is classical in style, the second one of Britain’s best-known examples of brutalist architecture, but both were in need of restoration. The massive investment in their reuse was a cause for celebration, although in both cases the society raised objections to the developers’ proposals. What is interesting is the retrospective view, with the society asking some rigorous questions of itself, including whether their involvement had a positive impact, and whether the results were successful and worth celebrating. These are perhaps questions that many of us should ask ourselves on the completion of contentious projects with which we have been involved. Unfortunately we seem rarely to have the opportunity for such mature reflection. One issue of concern in these two cases was the amount of physical substance of the buildings to be retained (in the case of Balfron, not a lot), with implications for changes in how both buildings would be used. The society was successful in having both upgraded from Grade II to II* because of the concerns about the extent of the alterations then under discussion. In the case of India Buildings, upgrading helped the society gain a certain increase in leverage, but one major regret was that the splendid tunnel-vaulted shopping arcade is now no longer publicly accessible, notwithstanding wider benefits of HMRC deciding to locate there, bringing prosperity to the area. The Balfron project was more controversial. Croft considers it tragic that the sale of this most distinguished part of the estate (the tower itself) was felt necessary to fund the restoration of the lower blocks around it. Practically all the distinctive Grade II*- listed joinery was stripped out and replaced, undermining the environmental credentials of the project and effectively rebranding the building. The developer claimed on its website that it was a careful restoration but equally a ‘redevelopment of an Ernö Goldfinger masterpiece in east London’ – a big gap in concept between restoration and redevelopment.While Croft emphasises that the society is definitely not in favour of preservation in aspic, she predicts that posterity will see Balfron has a missed opportunity to achieve the authenticity that future generations will crave and see as fundamental to heritage projects. Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin The latest issue of the Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin (Vol LII, Nos 2–3, 2021) is a thematic one focusing on disaster mitigation and making it quite clear that under the climate emergency, the need for proper management of historic buildings will become more acute. The papers emphasise the urgency of developing more ways to protect and manage heritage assets in the face of threats of natural disaster that are becoming increasingly frequent. While three of the key articles focus on locations in Florida, what may be of interest to readers are any transferable lessons from the issues and methodologies where rising sea levels everywhere put more heritage assets and communities at risk. In her editor’s note, Diana Waite reminds us that no place is safe from natural disaster and the climate changes affect us all. Disaster mitigation plans urgently need to be put in place, with measures enacted to protect people and places
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