CONTEXT 181 : SEPTEMBER 2024 43 Notes from the chair Right up my street As regular readers will be aware, I like to start my column with reference to the theme of the issue of Context. This issue has made me reflect on my career in planning and conservation, and the extent to which urban housing, and particularly terraced housing, has been at its heart. My first role in town planning was as a development control officer for the London Borough of Camden. A major part of a career grade planner’s job back in the day was dealing with the conversion of London terraced houses to flats, including many listed properties and many in conservation areas. The issues that arose will be familiar to anyone who has worked in urban areas. As well as planning and amenity issues, they would range from extensions at side, rear and roof level to internal alterations, and means of escape in case of fire. Roll on another 15 years or so, when I was working at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the exact opposite was happening. Wealthy people were buying previously converted properties and turning them back to single-family dwellings. In theory this might have been easier to deal with, in terms of conserving listed Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian houses, but the demand to extend was still there. Another issue to contend with was that a surprising number of properties were still in multiple occupation, even in otherwise prosperous areas such as Holland Park. Ironically, the degree of preservation of some of these properties was far greater than those which had been ‘done over’ more than once since the middle of the 20th century. One of my English Heritage colleagues would use the apt phrase, ‘conservation by neglect’. In streets that are now occupied by pop stars and oligarchs, the pressure to ‘improve’ and modernise to current standards was intense. I commend Colin Thom’s account of gentrification in London (page 20) for its clever analysis of how the character of the capital’s housing and neighbourhoods have changed over the years. I am reminded of some of the books from the latter half of the 20th century which have influenced my understanding and conservation of urban housing. In terms of conserving urban housing, an early publication and still on my bookshelf is The Care and Conservation of Georgian Houses: a maintenance manual, published in 1978 by the Architectural Press and the Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee. Much of its advice is helpful to us today though, as might be expected for the period, energy saving was not really part of its agenda. However, there is a page on double glazing that states that it is not recommended for use in the New Town, and ‘it should always be kept in mind that a well-maintained sash window with shutters can be just as efficient as double glazing, without the additional expense.’ The conservation of buildings and energy did seem a lot simpler in these days. I should mention that, following our AGM in April, it has been a great pleasure to be working with our new board of trustees. I will say more about this in the next issue of Context. As I write, we are making considerable progress in preparing our memorandum to the Privy Council Office on the proposed Petition for Charter, which has been discussed at a recent meeting of IHBC Council. I should also record my thanks to IHBC south branch and national office for organising a stimulating annual school in Reading. I certainly learned a lot from the day school and enjoyed visiting Reading, a much under-appreciated town. I am grateful to our west midlands branch for agreeing to host next year’s annual school, which will take place in Shrewsbury. David McDonald, chair@ihbc.org.uk An essential volume on the London conservation officer’s bookshelf was Dan Cruickshank and Peter Wyld’s London: the art of Georgian building. It was valuable in examining the styles, construction, materials and architectural details of terraced houses that had not been covered in previous, more academic studies such as Summerson’s Georgian London. Looking beyond London, The English Terraced House by Stephan Muthesius widened the period of study to the Victorian period and the domestic revival.
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