8 CONTEXT 180 : JUNE 2024 From The Anatomy of the Village by Thomas Sharp (1946) The situation of a village (as well, of course, as its function) was an important determining influence on plan-form in the past – as it must be in the future. A situation on a knoll might mean that, on the limited amount of high ground which was available, the buildings had to crowd together. At a crossing of roads, the plan of the village would be determined by the angles at which the roads meet; and the existence of a small common or green, of a pond or a pound or other feature, at or near the crossing, would again modify the plan. And so on, and so on. And since there is an infinite variety in sites and a wide variety of functions, since original siting factors have often become unimportant in subsequent additions and original functions have changed, and since nearly all villages have grown naturally and for the most part slowly, there is to-day no set pattern to which village plans conform. In the ten thousand villages and hamlets of England there are ten thousand variations. Shape, size and character vary greatly. No village is quite like any other. And this, of course, is the glory of it, that every village is an individual place. date. Although the designer of the roof is unknown, its form suggests a connection to a leading architect or carpenter of the day. An article by Chris Kolonko examines the construction of second world war pillboxes. Some typical examples are now listed, but very little is known about how they were constructed. The author notes that every pillbox (listed or otherwise) can supply a great deal of information: the expected avenue of approach; the number of soldiers who would have defended a given area; and the weapon systems used from within. But the methods used to build a pillbox can easily be overlooked. Even after 80 years, little is still known about surviving pillboxes, other than their general locations and broad types. A great deal of research is still required to fully understand and appreciate not only the structures but also the effort that went into building them. This five-page illustrated article may help in assessments for inclusion in schedules of non-designated heritage assets. Best practice on conditions Finally, I would like to raise a matter unrelated to periodicals. Despite all the effort invested in processing proposals affecting listed buildings, ample evidence suggests that the same cannot be said regarding conditions attached to many subsequent approvals. Some practitioners clearly need to re-read Circular 11/95 when many conditions are not necessarily ‘relevant, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects’. Readers are also reminded that the current best practice National Standard Set of Listed Building Consent Conditions dating from 2016 is accessible via the IHBC’s online Toolbox. A further element of best practice worth highlighting is the inclusion in the top right-hand corner of the notice of the initials of the author of the conditions. Regrettably, this is by no means common, but in the light of the circular it enables a recipient to query any infelicities, whether written by the case officer or the heritage advisor. It also useful where staff in the local authority have changed. Bob Kindred MBE
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