CONTEXT 178 : DECEMBER 2023 47 Notes from the chair The only sin is getting caught I happened to catch a recent series on BBC R4 entitled ‘Building Soul: the cult of modernist architecture’, presented by the designer Thomas Heatherwick. As one might guess from the title, he takes a hefty swing at modernism and how it has had a detrimental effect on the built environment. Interesting as that was, my attention was drawn to an interview in the second programme of the series with Simon Jenkins. The author and journalist was reminiscing about the plans of the Greater London Council in the early 1970s to redevelop Covent Garden, and how he was involved in the successful campaign to prevent it happening. At round about the same time, it was proposed that a large section of Bloomsbury should be demolished to make way for the British Library. Fortunately, another successful campaign prevented that happening, and the library was eventually built on its present site on redundant railway land next to Euston Road. These, and other campaigns and strengthening legislation, have led to a widespread belief that ‘the conservation battle has been won’; that the system is working well and there is not really anything for committed conservationists to worry about. However, a number of recent cases have given me cause for concern. The first is the wellpublicised case of the Crooked House in Staffordshire. Readers will have no doubt been following the story as it unfolded through the wide coverage in the media. Let us hope that it was not a case of premature demolition to avoid statutory protection. I hope that the local planning authority will learn from the rebuilding of the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale after a robust response to its demolition by Westminster City Council. Another equally alarming but less well-publicised case relates to a Category B listed Jacobeanbaronial-style post office of around 1900 in Kirkaldy, Fife. It was demolished by the local authority a week after a fire, allegedly without the benefit of a structural survey to assess its condition or the submission of an application for listed building consent. The fact that the demolition was carried out by contractors on behalf of the local authority only adds to the seriousness of the offence. The third case is from Wales and concerns the Grade II* Piercefield House in Monmouthshire (see ‘Piercefield has a story to tell’, Victoria Perry, Context 175, March 2023). Not only was it designed by Sir John Soane, but it also inspired William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge because of its views of the Wye Valley. The connections to slavery by early owners of the property form a compelling part of its history. It has not been occupied since 1929, and was first listed in 1970. Today it exists as little more than a shell, and as time elapses the potential to save it becomes more remote. SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been campaigning to save the building since 2013, and continues to try to engage with the owners to find a way of restoring it. Piercefield House is owned by an offshore company, which seriously restricts the local planning authority’s powers to take action. Each of these cases, from three of the home nations, demonstrates a unique set of circumstances, with correspondingly different potential means of redress. There may be common elements about which we might be concerned, including deliberate avoidance of the rules. The Crooked House avoided statutory listing. The demolition of the Post Office building, which could have been down to ignorance of the relevant legislation and guidance, left a site clear for a new building. Piercefield House, neglected by its owners over a long period of time, may deteriorate so much that demolition is the only option. Are these isolated cases, or is there a bigger picture to be concerned about? In England, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill does contain a number of clauses to strengthen listed building control. However, I have a nagging thought that these cases may be symptomatic of a wider problem in public life: the idea that it is acceptable to defy the law and established practice, and that the only sin is getting caught. David McDonald, chair@ihbc.org.uk The roofless ruin of Piercefield House and its park (Photo: Victoria Perry)
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