18 figure of the ACO Northern Region chairman driving her! The highlight of the final day's trip to Newcastle will for many people have been the amazing moving stone wall fire escape in the Grade I Cl 8 church, very sensitively converted to house Town Teacher Ltd. I was impressed and stunned to hear the level of financial support which Town Teacher gets for its work; the sort of situation which can set those of us in the south who are involved in environmental education and heritage interpretation looking enviously at the regional funding and other sources which our northern colleagues have used so well! "t , •• -- ; ; I I tl' ~ _,. 1 ; I g• •11-·~•• ~ I/ ' The Half Moon, New £/vet, Durham. Thinking quality Thinking of education, one of the conference speakers, Andrew Brown, quoted the former RIBA president Eric Lyons as saying "the British will go to any expense to get something on the cheap". That surely sums up the problem we all face in getting people to 'think quality' from the outset. The Durham conference will have helped us all in trying to communicate the required conservation message. Thanks again to Keith, Ian, and the rest of the organising team for all their hard work and for getting such an excellent range of speakers. One slight regret is that the programme was so packed that there was little scope for really exploring Durham; I for one hope to be back to sample the hospitality of the Victoria again before long! John Preston is Design & Conservation officer for Cambridge City Council. CONFERENCES HISTORIC TOWNS SYMPOSIUM In September, Cambridge is host to the Council of Europe's Sixth European Symposium on Historic Towns. The conference is organised in collaboration with Europa Nostra, the En5lish Historic Towns Forum and the Local Government International Bureau in the UK. The symposium theme - a highly topical one - is the growth of tourism and the protection of historic towns. Speakers will define areas of conflict and opportunity using case studies and drawing upon practical experience of historic towns in Europe: cities like Heidelberg, Florence, Bruges, Toledo and Avignon. The last symposium was in Seville, Spain, in 1985, and dealt with the reconciliation of conservation and modern planning policies. Earlier symposia have been held in other European towns. The Conference opens on the afternoon of 20th September with an address from a government representative. It is planned that this should be Mrs Virginia Bottomley MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment. Speakers that afternoon will include Patrick Nuttgens, formerly Professor of Architecture, University of York, dealing with the impact of tourism on historic towns and their regions; and NEW LIFE FOR OLD BUILDINGS: NEW PARTNERFORACO The assoc1at1on of Conservation officers is collaborating with the Royal Town Planning Institute Northern Branch in its award scheme this year, which aims to recognise achievements in town and country planning in the Northern Region. For each award a different theme is chosen: this year it is "New life for old buildings": the reuse of redundant buildings and structures. The area covered includes Cumbria, Cleveland, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. The BBC Television Townscape series (see page 17) is also collaborating, which should guarantee further photo-opportunities for publicitycrazed conservation officers eager to practise the media skills learned at this year's Conference workshops. Simon Jenkins talking about English Heritage. Simultaneous interpretation of conference proceedings and workshops will be provided by a Council of Europe team in English, French, German and Italian. Workshops on the second day of the conference, 21st September, will include speakers from European countries as well as organisations such as the English Tourist Board, American Express and British Airways. Themes covered will be management of tourism and the historic environment, tourist services, and the future growth and characteristics of tourism. There will also be a National Trust presentation by its Director-General, Angus Stirling. The conference ends on 22nd September with a round table of speakers from earlier sessions. There is a full programme of supplementary tours and social events. One of the highlights will be an evening visit on the opening day, 20th September, to Ely Cathedral followed by a reception in The Maltings, Ely, hosted by East Cambridgeshire District Council. The advance programme and registration form are available from Conference Contact, 42 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, CB 1 2BL. HISTORIC HOUSES ASSOCIATION 1989 WHOLEDAYMEETING The Historic Houses Association will again be inviting ACO Members to its annual Whole Day Meeting and associated trade exhibition at the Kensington Exhibition Centre, London W8 on Tuesday 21st November 1989. This year's guest speaker at noon will be Mrs Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, Director of the V&A Museum; the presenter of the HHA/lbstock Conservation Lecture at 3pm will be Professor David Lock DipTP MRTPI who has chosen as his subject "Villages for the future: communities in the countryside as we approach the millennium". Members will be receiving a letter of invitation direct from the HHA together with a ticket admitting two. CONTEXT23
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=