From chrysalis to butterfly: the IHBC at 25 A short history of good ideas Taking care of drawings Conservation in the Southern Ocean No 174 December 2022 Institute of Historic Building Conservation
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From chrysalis to butterfly: the IHBC at 25 A short history of good ideas Taking care of drawings Conservation in the Southern Ocean No 174 December 2022 Institute of Historic Building Conservation C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 1 www.ihbc.org.uk @IHBCtweet Registered as a charity in England and Wales number 1061593 and in Scotland number SC041945. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England number 3333780. Registered Office: Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA Officers President Mike Brown, president@ihbc.org.uk Chair David McDonald, chair@ihbc.org.uk Vice Chair Lone Le Vay, vchair@ihbc.org.uk Secretary Jo Evans, ihbcsecretary@ihbc.org.uk Treasurer Jill Kerry, treasurer@ihbc.org.uk National Office Director Seán O’Reilly, director@ihbc.org.uk Operations Director Fiona Newton, operations@ihbc.org.uk Consultations Coordinator consultations@ihbc.org.uk Administration Officer Lydia Porter, admin@ihbc.org.uk Professional Services Officer Michael Netter, services@ihbc.org.uk Membership Services Officer Carmen Moran, membershipservices@ihbc.org.uk Education,Training and Application Support Officer Anna Hart, training@ihbc.org.uk Committee Chairs Policy Roy Lewis, policy@ihbc.org.uk Membership & Ethics Andrew Shepherd, membership@ihbc.org.uk Education ChrisWood, education@ihbc.org.uk Communications & Outreach Dave Chetwyn, communications@ihbc.org.uk Branch Contacts North north@ihbc.org.uk NorthWest northwest@ihbc.org.uk Yorkshire yorkshire@ihbc.org.uk West Midlands westmids@ihbc.org.uk East Midlands eastmids@ihbc.org.uk South south@ihbc.org.uk SouthWest southwest@ihbc.org.uk East Anglia eastanglia@ihbc.org.uk South East southeast@ihbc.org.uk London london@ihbc.org.uk Scotland scotland@ihbc.org.uk Wales wales@ihbc.org.uk Northern Ireland northernireland@ihbc.org.uk Republic of Ireland republicofireland@ihbc.org.uk Rest of theWorld overseas@ihbc.org.uk Cover: The IHBC is celebrating its 25th anniversary. See page 11 (Photo: Rob Cowan) 2 Briefing 4 Out of Context 6 Periodically 9 The writer’s voice 11 Editorial 12 How it started; how it’s going David McDonald and Mike Brown 13 From chrysalis to butterfly Malcolm Airs 15 Launching the IHBC Mary King 16 A new kind of institute 18 Why join the IHBC? 20 The value of heritage David Blackman 22 Updating Conservation Professional Practice Principles Dave Chetwyn 23 HESPR: the impartial way Liz Mayle 24 Heritage on the edge: Aberdeen 2022 Douglas Campbell 28 A short history of good ideas Sandy Halliday 32 Conservation in the Southern Ocean David Burton 36 Where will the drawings go? Damien Blower 42 Notes from the chair 44 Director’s cut 46 Vox pop 47 New members 48 New member profile 49 Book reviews 52 Inter alia 53 Products and services 56 Specialist suppliers index
Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Michael Taylor, ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com Editorial Board Tom Copp Nigel Crowe Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews) Rebecca Madgin Andrew McClelland 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 2022 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 four times a year in March, June, September and December. The next three themes and copy deadlines are: East Anglian coast, March, issue 175 (13 January) World Heritage Sites, June, issue 176 (7 April) Glass, September, issue 177 (7 July) 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 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Climate change update John Preston writes: The government’s Energy Security Strategy, published in April, included: ‘Reviewing the practical planning barriers that households can face when installing energy efficiency measures such as improved glazing, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. This will be completed by the end of 2022 and ensure protection of local amenity and heritage, whilst making it easier to improve energy efficiency.’ This review manifested in four regional DCMS/BEIS/ DLUHC roundtables, focused on building owners. Complaints about lack of representation of the heritage sector led to a late additional roundtable for the Historic Environment Forum. The review is apparently part of a wider review including the NPPF, building regulations and energy performance certificates, among other things, but there was no sense of joining up. It was disconcerting that no sustainability or building control officers took part in the roundtables. The retrofit risks which led to the introduction of PAS 2035 are being ignored in favour of deregulation. The departments still clearly have not grasped the interactions between planning, conservation and building regulations, or the urgent need for freely available, impartial advice. In the roundtable I attended, there were complaints about ‘conservation officers who don’t have zero carbon on their agenda’. There are current widespread perceptions that any perceived value for money from the planning process is massively reduced by the lack of trained and aware planning and conservation (where they exist) staff, compounded by the fees charged Birmingham’s Municipal Bank in Centenary Square, which had lain dormant for 16 years, has been restored for the University of Birmingham. The Grade II-listed bank, designed by T Cecil Howitt and completed in 1933, has been remodelled into the Exchange, a civic hub and a city centre presence for the university. The work has been carried out by Make Architects, in collaboration with conservation specialists Donald Insall Associates and local architect Glancy Nicholls. (Photo: Tom Bird) Briefing
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 3 for pre-application discussions. To counteract these, we urgently need good case studies showing where and how regulatory involvement has added value, and for all conservation officers to have the skills and knowledge to provide it. If you can think of good case studies, please send them to jpreston@phonecoop.coop. How many Context readers take part in Open Eco Homes, Green Doors or similar schemes? I urge you to take any such opportunities, if only to challenge your own perceptions. I went on a Cambridge Open Eco Homes visit to a very thoughtprovoking ‘Deep green, 17th-century retrofit’ in Suffolk, about which I will write in a future issue. The Energy Security Strategy also promotes solar: ‘For rooftop solar, we will bring down bills and increase jobs by radically simplifying planning processes with a consultation on relevant permitted development rights and will consider the best way to make use of public-sector rooftops.’ Difficulties in getting permission for solar photovoltaics were raised by a number of owners in the roundtable I attended. Some think that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’ s listed building order, which gives consent for solar panels on most Grade II and II* listed buildings, will set a precedent. But a location behind the parapet of a London town house is very different to most historic roofs, which are highly visible and have characteristic irregularities of colour and texture. A hybrid application (external parts planning permission, the whole under faculty jurisdiction) is now under consideration for one of the most exceptional behind-theparapet roofs of all: King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Have a look at application number 22/03811/ FUL, at https://applications. greatercambridgeplanning.org/ online-applications/ John Preston is heritage chair of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance and vice chair of the IHBC policy committee. St Stephen’s stonework cleaned A major project to clean and repair the ceiling of St Stephen’s Hall in the Palace of Westminster has been completed. The work is part of a wider programme of works of repair and replacement of stonework, and mechanical and electrical systems. A latex coating was applied to the ceiling, which was dried before being peeled away, removing decades of pollution damage. The surveying and specification of works was undertaken by architects Donald Insall Associates and structural engineers Alan Baxter. The conservation work was carried out by DBR, overseen by Parliament’s in-house teams, including conservation architects and the Heritage Collections team. St Stephen’s Hall stands on the site of the former royal Chapel of St Stephen.When the king moved away to the Palace of Whitehall, this is where the House of Commons sat until it was destroyed by fire in 1834. It was rebuilt into the present hall by Sir Charles Barry. Marble statues of 12 parliamentarians face one another on either side of the hall, positioned between eight monumental oil paintings that depict events in British history. The Saving the Last Major Bellfoundry in Britain Project has invited a specialist museum and heritage fit-out contractor to develop the interpretation of Loughborough Bellfoundry’s refreshed museum. The museum is located in the still-operational Grade II* listed bellfoundry buildings in the heart of Loughborough, Leicestershire. The Loughborough Bellfoundry, built in 1859 and also known as John Taylor’s Bellfoundry, is the last major bellfoundry in the UK and Commonwealth. Part of the cleaned ceiling of St Stephen’s Hall (Photo: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor)
4 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 ‘THERE’S NO point in challenging Unesco’s decision now as that is water under the bridge. But we do need to point out that some 99.5 per cent of the global heritage assets which were the basis for the Unesco inscription are still here, and many in better condition than ever... ‘The River Mersey runs through a metropolitan area of exceptional heritage quality – a working port city region and its mercantile dwellings such as those in the Canning Street Conservation Area or Hamilton Square in Birkenhead. It is vital that these assets are protected, appreciated and enhanced for future generations, whilst supporting tourism and investment in the city, and we believe that a national heritage area policy designation would achieve just that… ‘Our proposed new national designation would reflect those which apply to national environmental assets like the national parks, areas of outstanding national beauty and national nature reserves in rural areas, which have long-term resourcing for management from government. It is very surprising that there is a no equivalent of these designations in our great cities.’ Gavin Davenport, chair of Merseyside Civic Society, calling for Liverpool’s former world heritage site and adjoining areas to be given a new ‘national heritage area’ status after the city’s world heritage site inscription was withdrawn by Unesco last year. ‘THIS, the only UK work of the exceptional and ground-breaking Philadelphia-based architects Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, was designed after intense research with passion, empathy, creativity, and delicacy. [We] and so many, many others love this wing which is the subject of current full planning and listed building applications… ‘Selldorf Architects’… proposed changes are to our minds insensitive and inappropriately change a finely conceived space into an airport lounge. Their plans involve making drastic and irreversible changes. They have applied to gut the ground and first (mezzanine) floor to provide an espresso bar and cafeteria, which will irreversibly alter the character of the building. ‘A beautifully designed sequence of spaces and the imaginative detailing, such as in the entrance floor with its huge columns and coffered ceiling, were inspired; it would be prudent to restore this space as originally constructed, with the colour scheme proposed by Venturi Scott Brown. Many great architects have emphasised the intense experience of moving from dark into light spaces, which was so very carefully considered. ‘We have noted that a revised scheme has been submitted, which on a cursory glance appears perhaps even more ill-judged.’ Eight former RIBA presidents expressing their concern over Selldorf Architects’ plans to adapt the Grade I listed National Gallery and Sainsbury Wing ‘WANDSWORTH’S pubs are now the best protected in the entire country and have a genuine defence against the relentless spread of mini-supermarkets and estate agents.We know how much our residents love their locals, and in many cases they really are the epicentre of community life. I’m proud and delighted we’ve found a way to protect them. ‘This could be a real turning point for our nation’s superb but vulnerable pub trade, and Wandsworth is more than ready to share its approach with other authorities.’ Jonathan Cook, deputy leader, explaining howWandsworth Council has removed permitted development rights from 120 of the borough’s bars and taverns.The council claims to be the first local authority in England to grant Article 4 directions on this scale. The staircase of the National Gallery’s Sainsbury wing (Photo: Philafrenzy, Wikimedia)
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 5 ‘WE ARE PROUD to be making a contribution to English Heritage that will benefit both local communities and tourists so they can enjoy England’s rich cultural history, including hidden gems in some of the less-visited rural areas and countryside.’ Amanda Cupples of Airbnb announcing its £1.25 million donation to English Heritage to support heritage tourism, and the conservation of historical attractions and houses.The donation follows the launch of Airbnb’s new historical homes category, which includes listings for historic places in which to stay. ‘AIRBNB’S donation seems to serve one purpose – it is a sort of cultural greenwashing for what has become an investment platform taking homes out of residential use and worsening our housing crisis. ‘Airbnb clearly has a strategic understanding of their own vulnerabilities and in my view are making corporate donations to offset the poor publicity they are now receiving countrywide due to short lets impacting on longstanding local communities in city, coast and countryside alike.’ Will McMahon, director of the charity Action on Empty Homes ‘IN 1983, the year Battersea Power Station was decommissioned, the radical architect Cedric Price drew up a provocative proposal for what to do with the gargantuan brick hulk. The London building’s silhouette of four slender white chimneys rising from the stepped art deco brick rooftop was the real icon on the skyline, he reasoned, so why not just save that and do away with the rest? He christened his surrealist proposition the Bat Hat and sketched out how it could all be held aloft on great steel supports, freeing the land below for housing… ‘His proposal was intended as a playful dig at the conservation movement. But visit the site today, and it seems like an eerily accurate prediction. Approach the area from most directions and all you see is the chimneys – if you’re lucky. The developers of the 42-acre site have achieved the miraculous feat of hiding one of the biggest buildings in London, almost completely surrounding the great brick cathedral of electricity with bloated blocks of luxury flats.’ OliverWainwright writing in the Guardian ‘I KEEP seeing “retrofit” used to mean the reuse or adaptive reuse of buildings, but these are different things. A retrofit project should include measures to improve a building’s environmental performance. Simply retaining a building isn’t that.’ George Morgan on Twitter @ GeorgeMorgan13 ‘LISTENING to the views of the local community, and having considered the viability of moving South Norwood Library to the Pump House, we are pleased to begin preparations to keep the library in its current brutalist home.’ Jason Perry, Mayor of Croydon, announcing that, as moving the library was no longer viable, the library building has been saved after years of public campaigns against its demolition. ‘IT SEEMS bizarre that it is suddenly necessary for reasonable people, who probably only joined the National Trust because they like carrot cake and a firm hanging buttress, to make sure they vote in the organisation’s AGM to prevent fun days out in historic locations becoming weaponised as yet another front in the far right’s culture war against everything nice. But we are where we are.’ The comedian Stewart Lee writing in the Guardian ‘WITH ITS Portland stone-clad exterior, semi-circular windows and barrel-vaulted canopy, the library references both rationalist and neoPalladian architecture. Indeed, it’s believed to have occasioned the first use of the term “postmodern” by Pevsner. ‘It would be a great shame to see a fine public facility that’s served its community for 50 years needlessly demolished.’ The Twentieth Century Society objecting to the proposed demolition of architect Frederick Gibberd’s 1960s library in Nuneaton. ‘THE FIRE at Clandon stripped most of the house completely bare, leaving only fragments of decoration. This makes restoration of the interior spaces extremely challenging. ‘It would be less a case of restoration than of complete modern replication and we have concluded this wouldn’t be the right approach.’ Sophie Chessum of the National Trust explaining that Clandon Park in Surrey, gutted by fire in 2015, will be conserved largely in its fire-damaged state, contrary to previous plans. The west wing of Clandon Park before the fire (Photo: John Wilder)
6 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Periodically Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin One of the most important and informative periodicals received by this reviewer is the Association of Preservation Technology Bulletin (Vol LIII, No 1, 2022). The content is at the cutting edge of current heritage management; it never ceases to be illuminating; and it is an essential primer for best practice.While it may not be easily accessible to some Context readers, it is always very well worth seeking out. One great concern in heritage management is the extent to which the presence of concealed historic fabric can be assessed. Owners and occupiers are often reluctant to damage important surface finishes in order to investigate the structures behind, particularly when this may be abortive and present problems of loss of surface fabric and seamless reinstatement. The article by Lucy Midelfort on active infrared thermography as a non-destructive investigative tool to locate evidence of historic fabric is an essential read. The paper demonstrates the use of commonly employed methods in the search for previous or concealed locations for decorative hardware, fasteners and historic structures. But the general principles and techniques involved could be used to great advantage elsewhere. The author shows that the method has helped uncover, not only evidence of past interior furnishings, but the historic treatment of spaces and the implications for their use. Her paper helpfully indicates the limitations of the technique and where these require further investigation to develop a rubric to determine when it will be most useful. Midelfort makes the point that the procedure has been useful on wall substrates but not on plaster. This is likely because many of the potential fill materials have properties closer to plaster than wood, and differentiation using thermography on a plaster substrate is more challenging. Thus more study is required on the efficacy of various heat-delivery methods and the ability to determine fill types without destructive evaluation. The author hopes that the study reported in the paper will prompt ideas about further test applications of the technique and a greater understanding of situations in which active infrared thermography can be used in historic settings. Lauren J DeCenzo and Caroline L Searls write about new alternatives for repairing terracotta exterior walls where the glazing has spalled. Traditional glazed terracotta used for building cladding typically consists of a high-fired bisque with an outer surface of a vitrified glaze. The glaze helps resist water penetration to the overall cladding but when it does deteriorate over time, small areas of the glaze, or the glaze and a thin layer of bisque, may laminate from the body of the terracotta blocks leading to water infiltration, further deterioration and corrosion of any embedded steel anchors. A recurring challenge is the lack of durability from in situ repair coatings. The authors explain the methodology and performance of coatings on both wet and dry substrates, and include a description of the selection or materials, based on industry trends and previous experience; sample conditioning; coating application; and storage. They explain the effects of curing on a continuously wet substrate of polyurethane coatings that had been applied. This will be a useful article, examining the problems and potential solutions where localised terracotta deterioration is encountered and repair is required. Developing an appreciation of appropriate maintenance to modern historic buildings can be a challenge, particularly when users and managers need to be persuaded of its value. The Washington DC Metro is both an important piece of 20th-century infrastructure and architecture of heritage value. Recent inappropriate work identified by the United States Commission on Fine Arts has been described as ‘the sudden painting of the monumental concrete vaults with layers of white paint, […] not an instance of routine maintenance
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 7 but rather an alteration to an essential characteristic at this important civic space’ and works that require a far greater degree of sympathetic treatment. There may be some lessons here for British public transport heritage assets, where failures to preserve the original design have resulted from poor communication among different parts of the same organisation, where suitable repair and reinstatement result in partial shutdown, daily inconveniences for thousands of users, and costly precious resources in maintenance, repair and rehabilitation for the authority. In such specific cases there should perhaps be a debate about whether the patina of age on modern heritage assets designed to remain pristine is aesthetically pleasing or charming, and whether or at what level intervention is appropriate to effect reinstatement. The debate on contested heritage has come to the fore recently, resulting in revision to national planning policy guidance. Readers will be aware that this issue is not a uniquely UK phenomenon, and is equally contentious in the USA, and the debate on problematic monuments is certainly not a new one. In the USA the development of the Black Lives Matter movement has resulted in discussions about monuments that are not necessarily intrinsically historic but are physical representations of political, cultural and power structures of the era. They are meant to send a message and they can become lightning rods for discussion of big issues. In October 2021 the Association of Preservation Technology convened a virtual conference in Washington DC to discuss the issue, examining several different approaches for communities evaluating how to deal with public art, statuary, and racial/ hate-based graffiti. The debate is not limited to black-related issues but to all ethnic groups, including (in North America) indigenous people who feel their history is not appropriately represented. The paper, authored by five of the participants, represents an interesting parallel perspective on the debate underway recently in the UK. In promoting the considerable intellectual, professional and practical value of several sets of annual transactions published by national heritage organisations in the previous issue of Context, space did not permit the inclusion of the review of two others, from Historic Buildings and Places and the Georgian Group. Journal of Historic Buildings and Places The Journal of Historic Buildings and Places is the first to appear under the guise of that eponymous organisation, replacing the Ancient Monuments Society and its series of Transactions (the last having been Volume 65). Under the stewardship of the editor, John Bold, the scholarship remains undiminished and there is much of diverse interest within its 166 pages. Gary Winter and Alan Brody write about England’s heritage from the air and the value of photographs from the Aerofilms Collection, providing a unique archive of Britain from 1919 onwards. The well-illustrated essay explores the types of images in the collection, which range from ancient monuments, historic landscapes and ruined abbeys to industrial heritage, funfairs and football matches. The earliest part of the collection, dating between 1919 and 1953, has been scanned and is available online at the Britain from Above website. A fascinating essay by Amy Bettinson discusses infill housing in post-war London, concentrating on Kensington and Chelsea. Nestled in London streets there is an untold story of post-war modernism in boroughs where lighter bomb damage left gaps in terraced housing. These might appear to be isolated incidents in the street-scene, but examples of this particular housing form of development can be found across the capital, often as high-density modernist blocks of flats inserted into the gaps in stuccoed, 19th-century terraces. These projects were controversial in their time (and remain so today), as architects considered how modernist buildings could fit into historic settings, seizing the opportunity to experiment in their design. The discussion around post-war housing is heavily focused on largescale schemes, and smaller-scale, high-density blocks of flats have generally been overlooked. These are not localised, isolated incidents in the townscape, but examples of a particular type of development found across the city but never previously properly documented as a group. The author considers that their relatively unobtrusive nature has left them extremely vulnerable, and few are listed. She suggests that a further study across the whole of London would be invaluable, as would examination of other cities where bombing was light and infill was scattered, so as to compare strategies. It is hoped that they are all documented properly soon, so that this chapter of English modernism is not left without protection or lost without trace. While there are professional, academic and scholarly sources of information that may be usefully applied in heritage management, those within popular culture should not be overlooked. In an essay entitled ‘London on JOURNAL OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND PLACES JOURNAL OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND PLACES hbap.org.uk 2022 VOLUME 01 COVER
8 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Stage’, Horatio Blood examines views of the capital depicted in popular prints, particularly the rich seam of imagery contained in the ‘penny plain, twopence coloured’ engravings of 19th-century toy theatres that reproduced in miniature the scenes presented in the real theatres of London. The well-illustrated essay casts an eye on some of those images and the publishing world from which it sprung. Also well worth seeking out is the essay by VictoriaWatson about the extremely sensitive issues around the restoration and expansion of the Museum of Modern Art (the NNG: New National Gallery) in Berlin, one of the iconic modern masterpieces of Mies van der Rohe. The building expresses unexampled clarity and virtuosity, and inevitably invites discussions about the appropriateness of changing the fabric and setting of the original building of 1968. The repairs undertaken by David Chipperfield Architects resulted in the building been closed to the public for five years until August 2021. Chipperfield was already familiar with Berlin museum culture through his rebuilding of the Neues Museum, completed in 2021. His approach was considered novel because he did not attempt to reproduce the past historic form of the war-damaged Neues Museum, preferring to work with what remains of the building materials in a new form. In the case of the Neues Museum, only part of the old building remained, necessitating the introduction of new features to complete it. This raises interesting issues of authenticity, intactness and interpretation of past, although only partial, architectural forms. Georgian Group Journal The Georgian Group produces the substantial annual Georgian Group Journal. The current issue (Vol XXX, 2022) runs to 222 pages. It has generally concentrated on detailed and well-illustrated analysis of specific 18th-century buildings, but the present edition commences with a paper by Alan Brodie, a senior investigator for the south-west region of Historic England, documenting Georgian sea bathing. Brodie poses the question: was this was a battle between health and mirth? He points out that the bathing in the sea that grew in popularity in the 18th century at sites around England’s coast had origins that were ostensibly medically inspired, in part by spas, and therefore doctors and non-medical people created a range of facilities to allow the sea and seawater to improve human health. However, bathing machines, bathhouses and bathing rooms increasingly became part of the seaside’s growing leisure and pleasure industry, incorporating entertainments alongside health facilities. The article examines the balance between health and pleasure, as is evident in written sources and in buildings. Frank Salmon revisits the work of James Gibbs, preciously discussed in the 2019 Journal, looking at the design of the Senate House at Cambridge and examining the question of the extent of his involvement or that of others, such as John James of the Office of Works. The discussion of the complex provenance is beautifully illustrated with contemporary elevation drawings and plans reproduced in colour. Pete Smith examines the surviving unique album of architectural drawings of Plumptre House in Nottingham. He observes that between 1650 and 1800 Nottingham was considered most one of the most desirable places in England to live. The fine design by Colin Campbell is well illustrated and the history of the site is explained although, sadly, this fine building was demolished in 1859. Other fine Georgian houses covered in this issue include Radburn Hall, Derbyshire; villas built between 1769 and 1845 on the Dart estuary in south-west England; the designs by John Nash for the Countess of Shannon, including good illustrations of the development of the Nash style (including Llanerchaeron inWales; Luscombe Castle at Dawlish in Devon and Sandridge Park, near Stoke Gabriel, Devon). By interrogating a range of documentary evidence, Rebecca Tropp’s ongoing research throws into question the long-held assumptions that Nash’s designs for the Countess of Shannon must have been commissioned during the period of her widowhood. Two articles deal with aspects of Georgian decoration. The first, by Fran Sands, examines Robert Adam’s work with 29 female patrons, based on eponymous drawings at the Sir John Soane Museum. The second, by Diane Barre, concentrates on the work of Elizabeth Hervey, a frequenter and guest in numerous country houses and a traveller in Europe. A wealthy and independent widow, Hervey bought a London house in 1792 and a country retreat in 1797. She furnished and decorated these in a fashionable but rather unusual way, designing decorative schemes which she painted herself. Barre’s account is based on Hervey’s published private journals. Finally, Fenella Gentleman explores the development of Tredegar Square in Mile End Old Town. Although Pevsner described this as the most sophisticated piece of late Georgian planning in the east end, little else has previously been written about this important architectural set piece.
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 9 FromA History of Architecture in All Countries by James Fergusson (1893) It has already been shown that the pointed arch with radiating voussoirs was used by the Assyrians as early as the time of Sargon in the 8th century BC, and by the Ethiopians as early as that of Tirhakah. The Etrurians and Pelasgi used the form probably 12 centuries before the Christian era, but constructed it with horizontal courses. To come nearer, however, to our own time, the Saracens certainly adopted it at Cairo in the first century of the Hegira, and employed it generally if not universally, and never apparently used a round arch after the erection of the mosque of Ebn Tulûn, AD 879. The Romanesque traditions, however, prevented the Christians from adopting it in Europe till forced to do it from constructive necessities; and the mode of its introduction into the early churches in Provence renders them singularly important in enabling us to arrive at a correct solution of this much mooted question. It is hardly worth while discussing whether the form was borrowed from the East, where it had been used so long before it was known— or at least before we are aware of its being known—in Europe. It may be that the Pelasgic Greeks left examples of it in Provence, or that persons trading to the Levant from Marseilles became familiar with its uses; or it may be, though very unlikely, that it was really re-invented for the purposes to which it was applied. SPAB Magazine An editorial by Matthew Slocombe in the recent SPAB Magazine (Autumn 2022) welcomed the government’s approach to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, published in May, but great changes have happened to the political landscape since, and ‘levelling up’ now seems to be a more remote prospect. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen whether the bill’s clauses aimed at tightening loopholes relating to the enforcement of urgent works and listing will see the light of day. It is notable that the SPAB now appears to be extending its reach somewhat beyond around 1720, for example, with an article about dilapidated Victorian drinking fountains and the repair of small 19th-century Scottish villas. One must assume that this is to reflect or promote the adoption of the society’s repair philosophy. Historic England Research Historic England Research magazines are available online. Issue 19 was a climate change special of 56 pages. Issue 20, a further special issue, running to about 90 pages, dealt with well-being and heritage. It may be of particular interest to readers in the light of the previous issue of Context (173, September 2022), which dealt with diversity and inclusion. Also worth interrogating is Historic England’s online research reports. These can be searched by keyword, and geographically – a map shows those place-based project reports published after 2006. This resource may prove useful when looking up individual buildings and sites, or thematic studies and typologies such as, for example, the history, evolution and protection of police stations or interwar public houses, although these require filtering from a welter of detailed archaeological reports. There is much material to prompt both casual professional interest and to support more specific research and evaluation. This would certainly contribute towards readers’ CPD. Bob Kindred MBE RESEARCH Discovery, Innovation and Science in the Historic Environment ISSUE 19 . CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIAL 2021 RESEARCH Discovery, Innovation and Science in the Historic Environment ISSUE 20 . WELLBEING AND HERITAGE SPECIAL 2022
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 11 T H E I H B C A T 2 5 Opposite: A 1926 design for a house on Warwick’s Bench Road, Guildford, Surrey, by Nicholas and Dixon-Spain (1879–1955) for a private owner (Copyright: The Blower Foundation) See page 22 Editorial A matter of survival The best-known statement about professions is probably that made by the character in one of George Bernard Shaw’s plays: ‘All professions are conspiracies against the laity.’ The barb is remembered because many people suspect that professions seek to empower their members by making everyone else dependent on them, and sharing their skills and knowledge only at an exorbitant price. Every professional institute claims to be working in the public interest, but whoever heard of an institute sanctioning one of its members for working within the law but against the public interest? As the IHBC celebrates its 25th anniversary, some of its confidence comes from being an unusual sort of organisation. The institute recognises that, partly because historic building conservation is a collaborative process involving peoplewith awide range of skills, many of its members have more than one professional affiliation. They may expect to change the focus of their work significantly throughout their careers, developing new knowledge and skills. It seems likely that other built environment professional institutes of the future will be more like the IHBC: multidisciplinary, flexible and light on their feet. For a professional institute, defining the public interest is both a professional and a political matter. Nationally, we have just been through a period when the government told us that the only value worth pursuing was economic growth, and that everything else that we valued would be secured if the nation was successful according to that single measure. But the world is more complicated than that. Where historic buildings are concerned, difficult decisions have to be taken and compromises made. Good decisions depend on the skilled and knowledgeable professionals guiding decision-makers to understand what is of value, and what options for managing change are both sensible and viable. Becoming a respected professional institute that punches above its weight has been a considerable achievement of the IHBC’s first 25 years. In the next quarter century one of the institute’s biggest challenges will be to work with the public andwith politicians to identify the public interest, and to build public and political commitment to achieving it. The IHBC’s work with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conservation, Places and People will be a significant part of this. One of the most important messages to the world outside the profession will be that conservation and development can be complementary, not opposed to one another: the value of historic places is, among much else, an economic value. And the most important message of all: action on climate change is urgent, and building conservation can and must be part of it. We must hope that in 25 years’ time, today’s younger readers of Context will be writing about how the IHBC has played a leading part in making the most of the potential of historic buildings and places to minimise the use of non-renewable resources. Who would have thought 25 years ago that the test of the institute’s success would relate to the survival of the planet?
12 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 DAVID McDONALD and MIKE BROWN How it started; how it’s going In this 25th anniversary year of the IHBC, Context looks back at where today’s multidisciplinary institute came from, how it has evolved and where it might go. Perhaps unusually for a conservation body, while we celebrate our past, we have always focused on the future and the increasingly important role the historic built environment can play in framing it. To mark this silver anniversary in the IHBC’s own history, this issue of Context highlights some examples of what the institute is doing today and takes a few tentative glimpses into its future. The institute’s first chair, Mary King, and first president, Malcolm Airs, look back at the emergence of the IHBC in the 1990s and how things have changed. We hear views from the inside, about what draws new members to the IHBC, and from the outside, looking at the institute through the lens of other professional bodies. Perhaps we should be using the popular social media meme: ‘how it started; how it’s going’. It is clearly going pretty well as we discover the determined fighting spirit of the IHBC annual school organisers when emerging from the pandemic, and snapshots from Sandy Halliday and David Burton of the remarkable content of the Aberdeen annual school. The IHBC has grown and come of age as a genuinely multidisciplinary institute. It developed from the Association of Conservation Officers, which is why the original membership in 1997 was almost entirely made up of conservation officers, with some other local-authorityrelated members. The members came from different professional backgrounds, certainly, but still had a single professional focus. Today’s IHBC continues to welcome local authority members but it now has a significant majority working in the private sector, bringing a much wider spectrum of backgrounds, disciplines and interests. Whatever their professional backgrounds, IHBC members are united by a shared professional interest in historic buildings and areas and their conservation.They find their home as conservation professionals in an environment that is welcoming to all, but still maintains the highest standards of competence for its accredited members. Two important documents from the early days of the institute remain essential to today’s IHBC: • The IHBC Code of Conduct ensures that members act proficiently, honestly and with integrity, and provide informed independent professional advice. • The Areas of Competence continue to serve the institute well as the core definition of members’ skill sets, being used throughout all IHBC operations from membership to Context content, and from events to forward planning. Among the news, events and projects marking the IHBC’s 25th anniversary through the #IHBC25 celebration programme (see ihbc. org.uk/ihbcat25) is a modernisation review of the descriptors which frame these Areas of Competence. The Areas of Competence, along with the Conservation Professional Practice Principles (which, as Dave Chetwyn writes on page 22, are also being reviewed as part of #IHBC25), form the backbone of IHBC’s professional standards. The IHBC has become a mature and increasingly diverse organisation, better able to reflect and shape our times. Membership of the IHBC is now widely respected within government and the heritage sector as the expected mark of the conservation professional.The institute’s work in establishing the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conservation, Places and People, which David Blackman describes on page 20, marked its inroad into high-profile political advocacy. The APPG’s first report The Value of Heritage is being circulated with this issue of Context. The IHBC has moved a long way from those early days, but to the members, who value it so much, it remains much more than a professional institute. It is our voice and standing in a changing world. How it has changed! When the IHBC was launched in St Pancras Chambers on 9 October 1997, the internet was still a novelty and on dial-up, Google had yet to start, and it would be another 10 years before the first iPhone was released. Few saw climate change as a threat and, closer to home, the case for the economic benefits of heritage was only just beginning to be heard. In our 25-year history the IHBC has mapped and endeavored to master the tsunami of change that is modern life, all the while staying true to our professional principles and charitable purpose. We were, are and will forever be challenged in this way but, knowing this, we can best prepare (through investigating our renewal as a chartered body, for example) for whatever slings and arrows confront us. Our greatest strength is our membership and the many volunteers who keep the IHBC so vital. David McDonald, Chair of the IHBC, chairs the IHBC Board. Mike Brown is IHBC President and Chair of Council.
C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 13 THE IHBC AT 25 MALCOM AIRS From chrysalis to butterfly The IHBC has found new ways of achieving its aims of establishing professional standards, improving education, providing a forum and promoting conservation. I first encountered the Association of Conservation Officers in its very early incarnation when Mike Pearce, the driving force behind its foundation and its first chairman, convened a meeting of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire conservation officers to encourage us to join. I had moved from the well-resourced historic buildings division of the Greater London Council in 1974 to become the lone advocate for conservation in the planning department of the newly constituted South Oxfordshire District Council. The Oxfordshire County Council, which had been the previous planning authority, had not thought it necessary to employ any specialised conservation expertise so the reorganisation of local government provided a blank canvas for us lonely conservation officers in the five new district councils. We had already come together for informal meetings to share our common concerns, but the idea of a national forum which would give us a broader perspective was immediately attractive and it did not require much persuasion from Mike for us all to join the ACO. Shortly afterwards, in February 1983, the first 100 members of the association received their copy of Context No 1 in its original typewritten and stapled form. In welcoming us, Mike bravely set out his definition of a conservation officer. The tools of their trade, he wrote, ‘apart from patience, diplomacy and humour [are] experience of problems successfully overcome, a thorough knowledge of UK planning law, appreciation of costs and values, and the availability of grants [and] above all… an understanding of the problems of ordinary people or landowners, or public bodies and local authorities alike’. It is a succinct description which remains valid in the very different circumstances of today. The original intention of the ACO was not ‘to create a professional Institute or learned Society… but rather to allow conservation officers to meet their colleagues on a local, or regional, and voluntary basis; and by doing so they may enlarge their individual and collective experience.’ All with ‘the minimum necessary formality’. Such were the modest beginnings. Edited from his kitchen at home by John Fidler, with assistance from the chairman and Peter Richards, our first treasurer, and with a wonderfully humorous cartoon by Jenny Birkett as a heading, Context was a brilliant initiative to communicate with members. Jenny soon took over as editor and, despite marrying the chairman, continued in that role for the next seven years before handing over to Bob Kindred, who oversaw its transformation into a sophisticated commercial publication. The regular features on law and practice from M’Learned Friend and Sir Titus, and the technical advice offered by Supporting Columns, all helped to expand our knowledge, while the book reviews and the case studies ensured that we were well informed about current issues in the field. Bob was the last volunteer to sit in the editor’s chair before the appointment of Rob Cowan at the beginning of the new century. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of them for providing us with such an effective and readable journal that remains eagerly anticipated with each new issue. I am particularly pleased that Rob has continued the tradition of charting the tribulations of those involved with conservation by deftly drawn cartoons first introduced by Jenny and now often in full colour. As Mike Pearce wrote in the very first issue, a sense of humour is crucial in promoting the cause. Both wearing well: Malcolm Airs and the 1996 ACO school sweatshirt
14 C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 From the beginning, personal contact was maintained through the regional groups and they, too, remain as an effective vehicle for sharing our joint experience. However, it is the annual school which brings us together as a truly national body, and the very first one took place the month after the launch of Context. It was held over three days at University College, Oxford, with a programme organised by Roger France. It was notable for the presentation by Peter Rumble, the chief executive designate of the new Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, which was to be established under the more friendly title of English Heritage on April Fools’ Day the following year. The association went from strength to strength over the next decade. After heated debate, it expanded its initial membership from local authority conservation officers to embrace all those involved in the profession. By 1986 it had been invited to give evidence to the House of Commons Environment Committee and it has remained a prominent consultee ever since. In September 1991, in celebrating its first 10 years, Chris Smith as chairman set out his vision for the future. This included the need to seek charitable status, and the establishment of a permanent office and secretariat. The following year, the idea of becoming a professional institute was first floated, and in due course a working party was established to explore the complicated statutory requirements of such a radical move. It was perhaps fitting that the annual school for 1996 was again in Oxford, this time at Keble College, where an overwhelming majority at the AGM voted in favour of seeking institute status. The theme of the school was ‘Building Bridges’ and as the ACO News lyrically noted, ‘there, in Oxford, we built the best bridge of all – the one that links us all in enduring and fulfilling professional union. After that April… the comfortable chrysalis of the association was destined to burst forth into the radiant butterfly of the institute’. Following the official launch on 9 October 1997 in the empty shell of the St Pancras Hotel in London and in Saltaire in Yorkshire – both venues which are testimony to the importance of conservation in the modern world – Mary King, as chairman, set out three priorities for the new institute: 1. To establish professional standards for all conservation practitioners, and to improve education and training. 2. To continue the work of the ACO in providing a forum for the exchange of information and experience. 3. To promote and raise the profile of conservation. No one can be in any doubt that over the following 25 years, our secretariat and our voluntary officers have ensured that all these aims have been fully achieved. It is a measure of their commitment to the cause that over that period under the inspired leadership of Sean O’Reilly our small band of permanent staff have remained in post from the very beginning to take the institute forward to its present position as the acknowledged professional organisation for conservation practice in both the public and the private sectors. We owe an enormous debt to Fiona Newton as operations director and Lydia Porter as company secretary, together with Rob Cowan as editor of Context, Jonathan Taylor as editor of our Yearbook, Gordon Sorensen and Cathedral Communications as publisher of both, and xendo as designer of both, all for more than 20 years. A list of all the initiatives that they have overseen in order to expand our appeal would be lengthy and does not need to be set out here. But among all our volunteers who act as trustees, members of Council and on our various committees, special mention must be made of the contribution of Bob Kindred. Not only did he establish Context in its present form, but he continues to provide the research which underpins the website Toolbox and has made it such a valuable means of monitoring national trends and legal decisions which affect us all. The ACO was once dismissed as simply ‘a bunch of friends’. It was, of course, much more than that and it has now grown to be the body that supports all of us with a professional interest in promoting the historic environment.We might now have a board of trustees to ensure that we meet our corporate objectives, and we have taken full advantage of advances in technology to communicate with our members through our sophisticated website and our regular Newsblogs. Our charitable purpose is underpinned by our requirement for regular CPD updates. Above all we have helped to shape national legislation through the timely contributions of our consultations panel. It is perhaps a reflection of the changing nature of conservation that the majority of our members are now employed in the private sector rather than in public service. Our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition scheme is an appropriate response to that shift. Most important of all, we have achieved all of this while still managing to remain a friendly and accessible organisation. I am immensely proud to be entitled to put the letters IHBC after my name, even though I am supposed to preface them with the qualification (ret). I look forward with confidence to the next 25 years. MalcolmAirs was chairman of the IHBC from 1998 to 2001, and its first president from 2001 to 2003.
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