Editor Rob Cowan Editorial Coordinator Michael Taylor, ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com Editorial Board Nigel Crowe, Peter de Figueiredo (book reviews), Deborah Mays, Duncan McCallum, Fiona Newton, Sheila Stones, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Taylor (chair) Cartoons and illustrations by Rob Cowan Context is distributed to all members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. © Institute of Historic Building Conservation 2026 ISSN 0958-2746 Publisher Cathedral Communications (part of Euromedia Associates Limited), 10 Ashfield Road, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 1LJ. Tel: 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 £65.00 Elsewhere £100.00 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: The listing process, June, issue 188 (10 April) Threatened materials and crafts, September, issue 189 (10 July) Cultural appropriation, December, issue 190 (9 October) Please contact Michael Taylor at ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com to discuss any editorial submissions or for information about the Context editorial board. 2 CONTEXT 187 : MARCH 2026 Briefing Cover: The Circus, Bath, with the Wiltshire Downs beyond it. Adrian Neilson (page 30) notes that, with the trees in the circus probably coming to the end of their natural life, the debate on whether they should be replaced is looming. (Photo: Casper Farrell Photography) Niscemi landslide A major landslide at the town of Niscemi (population 25,000), in the Sicilian province of Caltanissetta, has highlighted the risk to vulnerable historic places in Italy and elsewhere in an age of climate change. The landslide followed heavy rainfall linked to Storm Harry in January. A four-kilometre stretch of land collapsed, destroying or damaging buildings and infrastructure, including the historic Belvedere Terrace. The panoramic terrace, built in 1803 overlooking the Maroglio river valley, had been rebuilt in 1921 following a previous landslide, and has now been lost. At least 1,600 residents of Niscemi have been evacuated. Santa Maria d’Itria, the town’s mother church on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III (seen here), rebuilt after a 1693 earthquake, was undamaged. New life for K6 phone box Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) has bought itself a Grade II listed K6 telephone box on Queen’s Parade Place in Bath. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, the cast-iron structure has been largely out of use since mobile phones became common. The phone box is at the southern steps leading to Gravel Walk, a regency promenade route made famous by Jane Austen’s inclusion of it in a scene in her novel Persuasion. The box was acquired for just £1. BPT plans to repaint, rewax and The church of Santa Maria d’Itria, built between 1742 and 1863, was undamaged in the Niscemi landslide. (Photo: Fabio Reale, Wikimedia)
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