CONTEXT The Association of Conservation Officers No 44 December 1994 PPG15 analysed by Charles Mynors The dilemma of 'listing' modern buildings
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CONTEXT Editor: Bob Kindred (Ipswich Borough Council, Tel: 01473 262934, Fax: 01473 262974) 4 Henley Road, Ipswich IP! 3FS, Tel: 01473 259441 Deputy Editor: Liz Marten (North Herts District Council, Tel: 01462 686500 ext 241 I) 10 Kristiansand Way, Letchworth, Herts SG6 JUE Production Editor: Jonathan David, Tel: 01582 763415, Fax: 01582 467480 Context is published quarterly and is distributed to all members of the Association of Conservation Officers. © Association of Conservation Officers 1994 ISSN: 0958-2746 Published for the Association of Conservation Officers by Hall-McCartney Ltd, PO Box 21, Unit 7 Campus 5, The Business Park, Letchworth, Hem SG6 2JF, Tel: 01462 675848, Fax: 01462 679356 Nonmember subscriptions ro Context Context is available at an annual subscription rate, including postage, of: United Kingdom Elsewhere £30.00 US$93.00 Subscription orders, together with remittances payable ro HallMcCartney Ltd, should be sent ro the address shown above. CONTENTS No44 News HISTORJC METALS December 1994 4 Iron age remains: street furniture and architectural ironwork in Guernsey and Jersey. Graham Tite 8 Rediscovering corrugated iron. Paul Dadson 11 McFarlane's cast-iron shopfronts in Darlingron. Keith Murray 13 In praise of the pipes. Bob Kindred 15 The dilemma of'listing' modern buildings. Yvonne Lee 16 Reflections on the SPAB repair course. Scot Alan Masker 18 ACO Annual School 1995: The re-use of redundant buildings 19 Planning and the hisroric environment. The final version of PPG15. Charles Mynors 20 Eleventh hour conservation. A change of heart in Hong Kong. Mervyn Miller 23 When is a binder not a binder? Tony Poole and Ian Hume 24 Law & Practice Ha-Ha update. Sally Stradling 25 Success following a failed building preservation notice. Rosalind Willatts 26 'Supporting columns': cost-effective conservation. Brian Morton 27 Sir Titus: implications of PPG15 for listed building control. David Morton 28 M'Learned Friend: recent court decisions. Charles Mynors 30 ACO Business News 32 Letters Wood block paving. Jim Read 32 Green treatment of timber. James Simpson 32 Research on valuation advice. Ian Johnson 33 Shop front security.Jeremy Jefferies 33 Book reviews 33 PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS ISSUE Front cover: Claydon House. Phoro: Bob Kindred p6: Peter Richards. Phoro Bob Kindred ppB-10: Ironwork in the Channel Islands. Photos: Guernsey, Graham Tice; Jersey, Simon A Smith ppl 1-12: Early uses of corrugated iron. Photos: Paul Dadson pp13-14: McFarlane's cast-iron shopfronts and street furniture. Photos: Keith Murray, engravings from McFarlane's catalogues p15: Engravings from McFarlane's catalogues pp18: Repairs at Stowe. Photo: Scot Alan Masker p25: Ha-Ha at North Aston Hall. Photo: Sally Stradling; map: Crown Copyright reserved p26: Market Harborough Magistrates Court. Photos: Rosalind Willatts p27 Conservatory, Old Catton. Photo: Brian Morton p33: Edwardian housestyle by Hilary Hockman The views expressed in Context are not necessarily those held by the ACO or the publishers. Neither the publishers nor the ACO shall be under any liabiliry whatsoever in respect of contributed articles. The products and services advertised in this publication are not necessarily endorsed by the Association. THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION OFFICERS OFFICERS Chairman: Chris Smith (English Heritage, Tel: 0171-973 3183) Vice-Chairman: Mary King (Liverpool Ciry Council, Tel: 0I51-225 5678) Secretary: Dr Richard Morrice (English Heritage, Tel: 0171-973 3132) PO Box 301, Brighton, Sussex BN2 lBQ Treasurer: Mike Munt (Essex County Council, Tel: 01245 492211 ext 51667) Border House, Anglesea Road, Wivenhoe, Essex CO7 9JR BRANCH OFFICERS North: Keith Murray, Tel: 0191383 323 7 ext 223 7 North West: Graham Arnold, Tel: 0151-934 3574, Fax: 0151-934 3587 Yorkshire: Bob Scriven, Tel: 0113266 8782 CONTEXT 44 West Midlands: Richard Cullimore, Tel: 01926 450000 ext 3107 or Peter Davies, Tel: 01782 742402 East Midlands: Graham Beaumont, Tel: 0115-927 7131 South West: Paul Dadson, Tel: 01823 255425 Membership Secretary: Gus Astley (Bath City Council, Tel: 01225 461111 ext 2549, Fax: 01225 448536) Manor House, Wells Road, Hallatrow, Bristol BS18 5EJ. Tel: 01761 453047 Consultations Co-ordinator: Graham Steaggles (East Hampshire District Council, Tel: 01730 266551, Fax: 01730 267366) 54 Pulens Lane, Sheet, Petersfi.eld,Hanes GU31 4DD, Tel: 01730 266653 Publicity Officer: Alan Taylor (Staffordshire County Council, Tel: 01785 277282) 15 Village Gardens, Walton on the Hill, Stafford STl7 0LL, Tel: 01785 664473 . South: Julia Smith, Tel: 01296 382823 East Anglia: John Preston, Tel: 01223 358977 ext 2630 South East: Rob Fraser, Tel: 01273 712619 London: Rosemarie McQueen, Tel: 0171-798 2519 Scotland: Debbie Robertson, Tel: 0131-529 3913 Wales:Neil Sumner, Tel: 01222 820028; Claire Deacon, Tel: 01437 764591 ext 5129 Northern Ireland: Lawrence Minogue, Tel: 01232 23500 ext 279 3
4 NEWS EDITORIAL This is the first Winter issue devoted to a particular building material in conservation and we hope to devote each corresponding issue in future to a similar theme. There has also been some very useful feedback from past contributors bringing several cases or issues up to date, but we maintain diversiry by including a thought provoking article by Yvonne Lee on an alternative way of managing changes to architecturally important modern buildings other than by listing them, and Sally Stradling entreats you all to get more involved at all levels of the ACO. Please do and soon! Gus Astley has now taken over as the Membership Secretary from James Ross and Liz Marten is now Deputy Editor in place of Gus. Unfortunately a person to fill the post of Treasurer had still not been confirmed as we went to press. Please also read Alan Taylor's Notes from Council about the changing events within ACO. We need more of you to contibute to the workings of ACO at Branch and National levels - let us know you are out there. As Context continues to evolve, so does the structure of the Association. There have been several changes to the key Officers of the ACO as set out in the last Newsletter to keep the Association going until the AGM next March. Members should note in particular that Finally, we also pay tribute in this issue to the contribution made to the Association by one of its founding members, longest standing Committee stalwart, Treasurer, and all round great bloke - Peter Richards - who retired as Head of the Conservation Section of Essex County Council in October. We all wish him a very happy and well earned retirement. FORTHCOMING ISSUES - DEADLINESAND THEMES Copy deadline for the Spring I 995 issue will be 11 January I 995. We will be returning to the theme of historic churches and chapels (first covered in Context 28). We hope to be looking at the first year of the Historic Chapels Trust, looking at the problem of cemeteries; reviewing the workings of the new Ecclesiastical Exemption and looking at successful conversions of churches to new uses. Other contributions, experiences, technical notes and case studies are welcome at any time (space permitting), but if you have a burning desire to see a particular topic covered let us know. The following issue is COVER PHOTO The cover photo shows the staircase at Claydon House, Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire. As this issue is devoted to metals and also includes a short review of the revised Pevsner' s Guide to that county it seems appropriate to quote from it. "The steps themselves are in veneered mahogany (by Luke Lightfoot), with parquetry even on their undersides and flowing into the hall in serpentine curves. The balustrade is of the lightest, daintiest wrought-iron scrolls with ears of corn and a garland of husks running through". likely to be concerned with the pressures of tourism on heritage: is the relationship good or evil) Please supply your copy if possible in word processed form on 3.5 inch floppy disk (indicate what software it is written in). If you have any doubts about what is required, the Editor or Deputy Editor will advise. Articles under 2,000 words are preferred. The Editor wishes to impress on contributors that if they wish to submit short items promoting publications etc they must write a precis and submit it. The Editor will not do if for you. Please adhere to the deadlines - they are final! QUALITY OF THE SOUTHWEST ENVIRONMENT Following the publication of a RegionalStrategyfor the South West in February 1993, the South West Regional Planning Conference has published The Landscape, Coast and Historic Environment of the South West which identifies what special intrinsic quality, diversity and important environmental characteristics of the area are in a national context. The report emphasises that, while the regional landscapes are nationally distinct and fixed in the nation's psyche and these are important for tourism, there are other lesser-known ones which should also be safeguarded. The historic environment comprises I 9% of England's land mass bur 25% of its heritage designations; 20% of historic parks and gardens; 24% of its listed buildings; and 39% of Scheduled Monuments. Physical remains of past human activity have and will continue to be a significant influence in defining the distinctive character of the region. The report pays particular attention to the importance of historic landscapes, sites and monuments as the importance of historic buildings and settlements is generally well understood. The coastline of the South West has astonishing variety and subtlety, and comprises 55% of England's designated landscapes, 80% of the total coastline of Heritage Coasts and 60% of chat in an AONB. It is the combination of these and their overall quality which makes them of such national importance. It is believed chat the report is the first to deal comprehensively with all three issues at a regional scale. The report sets out 61 guidelines which will assist the local planning authorities and other bodies in preparing plans and policies and in the development of new environmental initiatives. The report can be obtained from The Secretariat, South West Regional Planning Conference, County Hall, Taunton, Somerset TAJ 4DYat a cost of £15.00. BAGGRAVE HALL:AN UPDATE In Context 32 (December 1991) I wrote about the problems of enforcement at Baggrave Hall - listed Grade II*. (The previous owner under whom all the damage had been done fled the country.) From December 1990 for over two years I wrote regularly to the new owner urging char repair works be done and a full restoration be put in hand. An architect spent several months on site drawing up detailed plans and records of the building and a fullti me agent was appointed to oversee the restoration. Listed building consent was obtained. The restoration of the Hall was tied to a Section 106 Agreement in connection with some discreet development within the park (the restoration to cake place before the new development was begun). Now, four years after the present owner acquired the building and following the financial difficulties of the previous owner, restoration is nearing completion and the house will be ready for occupation before Christmas this year. Of particular note is the replacement in solid oak of some eight steps of the 1590s newel staircase, where the steps are fashioned as if in stone, and a new limestone floor has been laid (the previous one had disappeared). The Gothick gazebo (Grade II) - a charming garden building of no economic use - has been roofed and fully restored. The scabies of 1859 have been repaired and converted back into use as stables, the stable yard has been stripped of its asphalt and re-cobbled. Although the building had been empty and derelict over three winters under its present owner, the wait has been worthwhile as it enabled derailed plans to be drawn up and no works were undertaken hastily. The lessons to be learnt from this happy ending are: keep in close contact with owners and agent; if Section I 06 agreements (for enabling development chat might otherwise not be granted) are tied co a listed building, ensure char the work to the listed building is done first. Rosalind M Willatts is Conservation Officer at Harborough District Council. The views expressedare her own and not thoseof Harborough District Council. CONTEXT 44
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6 NEWS WHY IS ENGLISH HERITAGE HOLDING BACK? Having promoted the Buildingsa r-Risk programme to gather information on the state of the nation's historic buildings, I would have thought that the benefits to them of promoting some common computing standards would have been obvious. Not least, they would be responding to the criticisms from the Environment Committee. This does not appear to be the case. Anyone who has tried to utilise the BAR programme will be aware of its severe limitations (not to mention its lack of ease of use and problems). This has meant that it is seldom used on a day-to-day basis so that data are increasingly out of date. English Heritage seems to be standing aside while the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has set up a Standards Committee and has now published a minimum national standard for Sites and Monuments Records. The key difficulty for any local authority wanting to develop a more useful listed buildings database (apart from backwards compatibility with BAR) is what standard to use. I am currently talking ro Data way Ltd which has developed bespoke modular listed building computer programs for some local planning authorities (such as Basingstoke and Deane) and is rewriting the BAR programme in the software Foxpro in such a way rhar the screen design is in colour and there is an opportunity to incorporate photographs and maps. I will report this in a future issue. This is really a plea for English Heritage and the ACO to act together to agree minimum standards quickly - so as to ensure that it does remain possible to get an overall national picture of the condition of historic buildings. Meanwhile - I would be interested to hear from any ACO members who have developed their own ad-hoe systems which go beyond BAR. Dave Sutton, 39 Ashley Hill, Bristol BS6 5JA. Tel: 0111 960 112 I ext 336 DYNAMITING THE DUKE? In October the national newspapers were full of stories concerning the application to be considered by Highland Regional Council to demolish the listed Duke of Sutherland's statue above Golspie. The monument, built of sandstone and standing 100 fr high on a 1,300 foot mountain, dominates rhe hillside above the Dornoch Firth and is a constant local reminder of the brutal displacement of local families by sheep. Although the applicant proposed that it be removed and re-erected in London (?), the proposition prompted numerous suggestions of the destruction of other statues to people who did nor deserve to be honoured. Neil Ascherson, always a perceptive observer in these matters, made some trenchant observations about the principle and about a potential replacement for the statue in the Independent on Sunday and part of his article seemed worth reproducing here. "l should blow him up, not just as a statement about the Clearances but as a gesture about 'Heritage'. The statue is a Grade B Listed Monument. As every local bureaucrat knows, Listed Monuments count as Heritage and therefore as Tourist Potential. The Heritage rules say: Never mind what we think of the Duke himself. His statue is our statue. We have to cherish it. Anyway, it is a Resource. "This is what ought to be challenged. Heritage is nor just about country houses and statues which governments declare sacred and untouchable. It is also memory and the passion carried down from the past. Normal people who inherit something decide whether they will want to cherish it, sell it, or wipe their boots on it. A nation - in this case Scotland - is entitled to consult its own emotions about a piece of Heritage." THECONSERVATIONPORTFOLIO 1n the December 1994 edition of the Portfolio are: Cathedral Communications - Care and Conservation of Historic Garden Landscapes Keymer LtdMakers of Hand Made Clay Tiles POLEMIC - WHY YOU SHOULD GET MORE INVOLVED IN ACO Alan Taylor's informative Notes from Council ( Context 43, p36) succinctly encapsulated the current 'state of flux' which the ACO finds itself in, as well as reporting on its achievements. To my mind, the 'flux' is centred on the growth in the size of the ACO membership and the lack of a funded, full-rime organisational framework to support and administer it. This comment is in no way intended as a criticism of the existing Committee or Branch Representatives for that matter - who all continue to strive on our behalf under adverse circumstances. The situation has now been exacerbated by the imminent resignation of the Chairman (ro join English Heritage) and the prolonged difficulty in filling the vacancy of the post of ACO Treasurer. It has been evident for some years now that a small number of dedicated and committed individuals have given their energy and time on a voluntary basis to keep the ACO going and indeed expand it. Context is highly regarded as a key publication for Conservation Officers and allied professionals and also attracts overseas subscribers. ACO Schools, Conferences and Seminars are well established and provide much needed forums for debate and dissemination of information relating to current historic building conservation issues. ACO achievements are considerable and the time is now surely right to attain the formal recognition and status that this organisation deserves as a leading conservation body in this country. I wholeheartedly support the initiatives being undertaken by Council to investigate Institute status, the profile of the ACO membership and to seek improvements in the ACO administration. I for one, believe that, if the ACO is to be a potent force for historic building conservation, we must be prepared to pay for it. Membership payments at the level of, for example, the RTPI should provide sufficient funding for salaried ACO staff and organisational resources. The ACO has reached a critical stage in its development. The steps necessary to become a financially sound, accredited organisation representing the professional interests of its members need to be taken. Branch Representatives and Council deserve every support in achieving this. It is all too easy to be complacent and wait for 'other people' to take the initiative. Important decisions require a wide basis of grass-roots support in order to accurately reflect membership opinions. Branch Representatives need our views and support on the initiatives mentioned above. If insufficient information has been circulated about Institute status, for example, then it is up ro us individually to seek it via our Branch representative, and appraise ourselves of the issues and take an active interest in order to effect change. Let's act! Sally Stradling (ACO Southern Branch) PETER RICHARDS RETIRES FROM ESSEXCOUNTY COUNCIL - AND ALL THAT JAZZ In October Peter Richards retired from his post as head of the Historic Buildings and Conservation Section with Essex County Council - a job he had carried out since reorganisation in 1973. During that time Peter developed an enviable reputation for both himself and his Section, known and admired throughout the world of building conservation. PeterRichardsdiscussesCharlieParker with Deputy Editor Liz Marten. CONTEXT 44 -.
NEWS Peter' s in f1 uence was widespread. wonder just how many ACO members either worked direccly or indireccly with him, and were affected by his knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject? As well as chose who worked as part of his team at some point in their careers, there are all the officers from the Essex districts and other adjoining counties, and from English Heritage who worked on the list resurvey or came co Essex as Inspectors. I calculate this as comprising about a quarter of the ACO membership! His dedication to the aims of the ACO and support since its conception deserve particular recognition. At the Crafts Council meeting in 1981, when the ACO was founded, he cook on the unenviable task of Treasurer. I remember this well. After his election there were requests for volunteers for the role of Membership Secretary. As one we all looked at the floor and a deathly hush fell on the room - I then recall Pecer's voice saying 'Tm sure John Davey could do the job"! When I joined Peter's Section in 1976, the place was buzzing. Cecil Hewitt and Dave Stenning would be storming around the office raving about a latest timberframed 'find' and Jack Graham would be organising his latest trip co yet another exotic location. In my first month Peter cook me on a memorable visit to Harwich to meet a formidable lady who was proposing to restore one of the many derelict listed buildings in rhe old town. She went on to implement her own 'revolving fund'! It was in her sitting room chat I first heard those immortal words ... "I'll have a Bells please". My memory of the remainder of the visit is rather hazy. Like everyone else I shal I always appreciate my opportunity to have been part of the 'Essex Experience'. Peter encouraged me to develop my interest in conservation and, like so many others who worked with him, enabled us to study at the Architectural Association and progress our careers. Like fledglings we have left the nest and gone off in all directions co spread the word and discover timber-framed buildings throughout the UK (or as Peter would call it, "Greater Essex"). Peter will be greacly missed in the Coun ry offices and elsewhere, CONTEXT 44 but certainly his involvement with building conservation will continue. We all look forward co seeing him at the annual ACO bash (if nor before). Peter, I know that all your friends in the ACO will join me in wishing Wendy and yourself our very best wishes for a brilliant retirement - just think of the time you'll have for all that jazz! John Davey, Guildford Borough Council Chris Smith writes: As Chairman of the Association, I have often bored you all rigid repeating the fact that the strength of the Association is no more than the strengths of individual, active members. That remains the case. Elsewhere in Context, you will see char forthcoming changes may test the Association's current strength. In very few cases, however, can it be said that the ACO rested so clearly on the strength of one individual, for so long, and with such a feeling of security, as we did on Peter Richards. le is fircing chat I should say a few words on his retirement. John Davey writes of how graceful he and many others were co work with Peter at Essex. I must say chat the pleasure was equally great for those of us on ACO Council. As Treasurer, he combined probity with undemanding common sense. As an advisor on the acrivi ties and policy of the Association, he never lee us veer far from our original objectives - which he had a part 1 n formulating. Large organisations attempt to achieve continuity by appointing professional staff. With this new found freedom, they rotate senior posts of responsibiliry frequencly. It would be impertinent of me co comment on how well chat works. In an Association of this size, continuiry is only assured by the durability and long service of individuals, and Peter had no peer. Presumably, the local jazz club and his family are going ro benefit from these qualities from now on. I know the Historic Buildings and Areas Advisory Committee of English Heritage will - as long as he remains a member. I trust chat will be for a long time. At least that way, I will be sure of seeing him from time to time and checking chat I have not strayed into some tired old heresy he first heard and disposed of years ago! 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8 Graham Tite has been in the Channel Islands and liked what he saw IRON AGE REMAINS STREETFURNITUREAND ARCHITECTURAL IRON-WORKIN GUERNSEYAND JERSEY Left: 24 Midvale Road, St Helier. Right: Urn on stepsof the VictoriaClub, St Helier. Left: Gatesat 24 Midvale Road,St Helier. Right: Cast-ironpostsat Masonic Club, St Helier. Left: Church of St Joseph and St Mary, La Couperdine. Right: Cast-ironventilation column, Rossmore,Valleeles Vaux. With a small group of followers to accompany me, I was able this Summer to lead a number of architectural walks around the capitals of the Channel Islands. The tours formed part of my seasonal work as a lecturer on a cruise ship. From Malta to the Shetlands our ship called at numerous ports, and it was Naples without doubt which took first prize amid them all for its wealth of monumental great buildings and urban setting. Stupendous cast iron railings surround the garden which the San Carlo Opera House shares with the Royal Palace. The rest of this metropolis abounds in all the qualities which can excite readers of Context. By comparison, the buildings of St Peter Port, Guernsey, are modest. The population is less than 20,000 and elevations rarely reach even four storeys. Bue size is not everything, and the town makes up in quality and in consistency what it lacks in monumentality. The abrupt rise from the water-side of the Harbour to the 200 ft crests of the slopes on which the town is built adds drama to the general scene. Individual streets rise up picturesquely, and the older parts of the town are permeated with narrow and steep alleys. By the year 1275 it had first been called a "ville", and from 1483 the Pope confirmed a treaty between France and England to give the Islands immunity from wars. This provided an opportunity to continue economic development unmolested by the great powers nearby. Sc Peter Port afforded a safe anchorage on the side of Guernsey farthest from Atlantic storms, and close to the water's edge and around its eponymous parish church the town still retains the layout of a mediaeval port. Privateering would subsequently bring much of the wealth which accounts for the many fine buildings added here in later centuries. Widely practised also by the French (by whom it was defined as "the conduct of war at sea by the means most economical to the State"), it consisted of allowing private ships to cake CONTEXT 44
Balconyat Delmair, Vauvent, St PeterPort. foreign vessels as prizes. By 1697 some 30 Guernsey privateers are said to have been in operation, but it was the later period 1778 to 1815 that saw the largest fortunes made. Wars against America, against France and against Napoleon's Empire all gave plenty of opportunities. Thus, one Guernsey merchant, John Le Mesurier, brought in £212,000 in prizes with eight ships in one year alone. New wealth was rapidly converted into fine buildings, and French emigres arriving at the same time added further artistic novelties of their own. The most famous was the writer Victor Hugo, another enthusiast for the beauties of CONTEXT 44 Pissoir,La Bordage,St PeterPort. Guernsey and its capital. It is for these reasons that St Peter Port presents us with an image of goodquality Late Georgian, Regency and Victorian building on sites either within the mediaeval town centre or in suburbs developed immediately outside. As elsewhere in mainland Britain, these periods are generally good ones for the quality of architectural ironwork. Five years of occupation by the German forces (1940-45) seems not to have witnessed much removal of this ironwork to go as wartime scrap metal - so there are fewer 'gaps' than one might find in, say, Cheltenham, Leamington, Tunbridge Wells etc. Geography and politics seem to have continued to favour St Peter Port, where remarkably few concessions have been made to post-war economic pressures for redevelopment. The intrusion of brash shopfronts at the hands of multiple stores and other commercial interests is thrown into ever higher relief here, therefore, than in similar mainland British towns. Here, as so often elsewhere, good surviving examples of old cast iron lampposts at present carry much newer electric light fittings. The reinstatement of at least two or three of these with properly made lanterns in key locations in 9
10 the town centre would be a vast improvement. Recent generations are not the only ones to have swept away historic ironwork. The extension (1903) of the Royal Court, Rue du Manoir, saw a massive granite balustrade replace the earlier wrought iron railings which were in scale with the neoclassical original facade of the courthouse completed in 1803. Efforts today to conserve this heritage can be placed under the following headings: Recording: Pierre Le Floch, a member of The National Trust of Guernsey, compiled a catalogue of Street Furniture and Road Surfaces, 400 pages, 1990-91. Curatorship: "Pressure to remove some ironwork relates mainly to railings and gates because of the desire for private car parking areas and the like" and this matter is of concern to Mrs Faith Rose, Principal Urban Planning Officer. Repair and replacement: On a quite small island, Mrs Rose and her staff are reliant on a single local manufacturer, John Kreckeler, to provide the necessary replacement material. A number of significant items have been placed by this supplier in key listed sites. Research: At present, the principal singlevolume work upon which most reliance is placed is (Sir) C E B Brett's 1975 publication for The National Trust of Guernsey; in its 96 pages the town's buildings are listed and described with notes and a bibliography on the architects. It is acknowledged that much further research needs to be done, and that simple questions such as from whom the ironwork was obtained (on the Islands, or from mainland suppliers and brought here as ships' ballast?) could perhaps be answered more fully. Writing now about St Helier, in the companion volume compiled for The National Trust for Jersey, C E B Brett states that "the town is not especially rich in ornament". Far larger than its Guernsey counterpart, the capital of Jersey has received more attention from developers and its central areas mainly lack the allure of Regency or other old groups of buildings in St Peter Port. Nevertheless, Simon A Smith, in his accompanying photo survey to this Context article, draws the experienced eye of a J erseyman to an abundance of interesting detail in historic ironwork. Both towns have excellent retail markets -each with remarkable architecture, an abundance of iron, and with an air of prosperity that remains undiminished even today. St Peter Port's stands near to the mediaeval centre of the town whilst St Helier's was carefully inserted in 1882 by the architect T W Saville Street, St Helier. Helliwell into a site amid houses and shops of Georgian and Victorian date. One of its entrances gives on to Halkett Place and the other to Beresford Street, subsidiary entrances open on to Market Street and Hilgrove Lane. It is Helliwell's work which I choose to write about. Its site dictates the main architectural feature, a central octagonal area, top-lit and compared to "the dome of a palm-house". Furthermore ... "the various stalls are tucked away below, like competing booking-offices below the roof of a railway terminus." All of this gives the Jersey market hall great architectural glamour, and it is not surprising that it continues to attract plenty of Islanders and tourists alike. Then comes the ironwork ... the external gates and railings are by George Le Feuvre, a local iron-founder, and depict the heads of sheep, deer, bulls, lovebirds etc with pendants of bunches of grapes and vine leaves in the gaps berween the fleurs-de-lys-topped uprights. Firstfloor window and balconyat 2 Eaton Place, Les Gravees,St Peter Port. The meeting point of the market's cruciform plan is ornamented with a fountain cum rockery where the iron castings were imported from J Dyson of Elland, Yorkshire. Here, the festive mood is maintained by the cupids who play among the droplets of water which sprinkle down from the fountain's centrepiece. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank the Island Development Committees of Guernsey and of Jersey and their officers, Mrs Hamilton and Mrs Faith Rose and Mr Graham Smith. The photographs of Jersey are kindly supplied by Simon A Smith. Graham Tite, whose articles have appeared in recent issues of Context, is a freelance historian on art, architecture and conservation. He also lectures to National Trust associationsetc on board ship and as part of study tours. He provides a ResearchService into all aspects of historic buildings. Tel: 01130 816363, Fax: 01730814917. CONTEXT 44
Paul Dadson enthuses about a common but unglamorous building material REDISCOVERING CORRUGATED IRON My interest in this material came about when I was searching for a dissertation subject for the AA Conservation Course. I have to admit that, when a friend first suggested corrugated iron to me as a subject, I thought she was 'off her rocker', but as I had not got a better idea at the time I decided to do some research - and the rest is history! There is only space here to scratch the surface. But I hope that what follows may begin to challenge some who have dismissive thoughts about the material as I once had. ORIGINS The first iron sheets made in Britain were rolled at the end of the 18th century for the recently introduced tinplate industry. Sheets were rolled from iron bars in rolling mills know as "Two High Mills" similar in conception to the old fashioned kitchen mangles. The traditional sheetusing trades of the Midlands were nail making, the toy trade and tinplate production. The progress of the industrial revolution brought an increasing demand for much larger industrial and public buildings, railway stations being an obvious example. The traditional roofing materials of tiles and slates were not suitable for the large spans of the new buildings and the traditional sheet roofing materials of copper and lead were expensive and inappropriate for utility buildings. In the Encyclopaediaof Cottage,Farm and Villa Architecture (1833), Loudon refers to iron sheet being used in Moscow in 1814. Sheet iron coverings were universally made use of on all new buildings in Petersburg and Moscow by 1832. The corrugation of sheet iron increases the strength of the material significantly. It is claimed in Loudon's encyclopaedia that "Walker of Rotherhithe" was the inventor of corrugated iron. However the first patent connected with corrugated iron was granted to Henry R Palmer of Richard Walker 1832 advertisement in Robson s London Directory. CONTEXT 44 the London Docks, a London civil engineer, in 1829. Palmer did not claim as his invention the mode of forming sheets - "the means of producing such forms being well known". But he claimed originality for its application to roofs and walls. It seems that the material was first used for large-span roofs in the London Docks. The corrugation of sheet iron was an ingenious invention in itself but almost at once it was found that by curving the sheet it could be connected with other sheets to form an arch to provide a self supporting roof. The galvanising of corrugated iron sheets began around the late 1830s following the adaptation of an already known process created by Sorel in Paris in 1836. Nevertheless it soon became clear that galvanising only forms a temporary protection against weather attack or indeed by steam and gas from locomotives. PORTABLE BUILDINGS The saying goes that "necessity is the mother of invention". Corrugated iron filled an essential need for roofing large span structures. But the material is also ideally suited to prefabrication in terms of workable sized sheets, relative lightness, strength and compactness, that it is easy to imagine that it was invented specifically for that purpose. Indeed no other material has been so inherently suitable. In the mid- l 9th century there were a few pioneering manufacturers of portable buildings. One of these firms, Richard Walker & Sons, had a lead over its -------'""C'.'C" RICHARD wli.itiJ,t, • Qtar~t11ttr &:::i;umi,r; ,, Jrlanufacturer af the PATEl\:T CoRRUGATED IRON :aoors, :noons~ s:a::tr.r-ri:n.;i;1,".a.&Tffxows, SAFE'XY ::r.tOOMS, :l"An.lt ~1iCLOf5illlES, VERAN.DAS 1 PORT AlBLE JB~JLDJINGS 'FOR EX!POR'[' ATION, Fort Pla(:e, Grauge,Road, B~onds-ey, ,. , , LONOO!<, , , ,,,J..-v 6;' GAJWBN, now, ,CAMBERWEfL. competitors for several years. But by the 1840s several leading firms were producing catalogues of their own work and advertising in the journals of the day. Such was the novelty of these buildings that they attracted considerable public attention. The range of products grew progressively though the 19th century as the manufacturers exploited the market potential. A few of the firms developed a definite style in their buildings and some were also able to specialise in producing particular types of buildings, for example churches and chapels. The export potential for portable buildings was soon recognised by the manufacturers and they were quick to exploit this potential when the opportunity arose, for example with the Californian Gold Rush in the mid19 th century and the Gold Strike 1n Australia during the same period. Among the many hundreds of buildings that were exported were a few architectural gems, for example, the Iron Palace for King Eyambo manufactured by Lacock of Liverpool in 1843. When Lacock built his Iron Palace in his yard before its exportation to Africa he opened it to a public exhibition and charged an entry fee which went to charity. Prince Albert was so impressed by the technical ingenuity of Edward T Bellhouse's work in Manchester that in 1851 he commissioned Bellhouse to construct a Ballroom at Balmoral Castle. Bellhouse developed an impressive capability to handle large buildings especially for export to South America. This firm is most renowned for producing in 1854 the Custom House and General Store for Payta Peru. This building attracted huge public attention when erected in Manchester prior to export as reported and described in the Civil Engineer and Architects journal which stated that it was inspected by 25,000 people in ten days. Charles D Young and Company of Edinburgh had a reputation founded upon production of fine prefabricated cast-iron buildings. They also produced a range of simple corrugated iron structures for export. Young illustrated these utilitarian 11
12 Customs House, Payta, Peru. From The Civil Engineer and Architects Journal, 1854. Temporary church at The Vicarage,Kensington, by Samuel Hemming. From The Builder, 27 October 1855. iron palacefor King Eyambo, Africa. From The Builder, 1843. structures in his catalogue of the mid 1850s. The British Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851 was a popular venue for manufacturers of prefabricated buildings to display their products. Young's exhibit was the Kensington Gore Museum. In 1855 Hemming erected the first temporary church in iron in London in the grounds of the vicarage at Kensington. The report in The Builder was politely critical: "the whole of the building is externally of corrugated galvanised iron. It would not be difficult on a future occasion to give a more ecclesiastical character to such a structure externally". RISE AND FALL By the 1880s the corrugated iron industry had expanded considerably and corrugated iron buildings including some unusual examples had become a common sight in this country. Inevitably, the public response was much more subdued and reports in the press became few and far between. In the decade 1880 to 1890 the industry was probably at its peak in terms of output. The range of buildings produced during these years is prodigious. By the turn of the century the demand for corrugated iron portable buildings was diminishing both at home and abroad. But at home this was accounted for in the slowing of the process of urbanisation, while abroad the demand was primarily for corrugated iron sheets. The portable buildings industry had become conservative and even regressive. The building forms were more simple and eventually became even brutally utilitarian and devoid of decoration. The demise in the popularity of corrugated iron can in part be attributed to the problems of climatic control, especially in hot countries. This is something which had dogged the prefabricated buildings from the earliest years. It is also very likely that the poor quality of some corrugated iron sheets associated wi eh the metal and the galvanising process - leading to its more rapid corrosion - was another key reason for the disenchantment with the material in the late 19th century. LEGACY The poor image of corrugated iron buildings in the United Kingdom has much to do with its decline in evidence in this country. It was a 'Cinderella' material in the 19th century and still remains so today. The British climate is not conducive to its longevity. Nevertheless, there are many examples of corrugated iron prefabricated buildings which are still in good condition 100 years or so after they were first erected. The key to its preservation is maintenance. There are more corrugated iron chapels and mission halls surviving in Britain than any other of the prefabricated building types. The Dutch barn with its curved corrugated iron roof shape has survived well in the rural landscape. It has proved to be a most practical versatile building and is easily adapted to the modern farming requirements providing good cover for machinery, animals or hay. Its curved roof form and usually dark colouring somehow seem to blend harmoniously with the fall of the landscape. There are some particularly significant examples of corrugated iron buildings in the Royal Dockyards. The Boat Store built in 1858 at Sheerness and the covered slips at Chatham (1847-1855) are particularly important examples. The First World War saw a resurgence in the use of corrugated iron buildings. These were generally utilitarian structures with no architectural pretence. One building type which epitomises the military use of the material is the Nissen Hut invented by Lt Col P N Nissen. The use of corrugated iron for roofing of railway stations was common place in the 19th century, but there are also many individual railway buildings clad in corrugated iron. CONCLUSIONS The improvised use of corrugated iron as a temporary expedient has discredited its aesthetic value and its undeniable importance in 19th century building history. There is surely a good case for the conservation of the better examples. The disturbing thing is that the good examples of corrugated iron buildings are still being lost along with the inconsequential and there seems to be a lack of appreciation and discernment of what is worthy of conservation and what is not. FOOTNOTE An anecdotal and practical conservation issue - in the course of preparing a specification recently for repairs to the mediaeval market cross in Cheddar, I found that, amazingly, the roof covering was corrugated iron, and not lead as had previously been assumed! This roof covering had been fixed there around 1880. It is in sound condition and it is proposed to retain it and treat it with bituminous paint and not replace it with the (albeit more historically accurate) lead covenng. Paul Dadson is the Principal Conservation Officer in the Architectural & Historic Heritage Group at Somerset County Council. CONTEXT 44
Keith Murray on a distinctive part of the output of an important cast iron producer McFARLANE CAST-IRON SHOPFRONTS IN DARLINGTON Clock Tower available with or without lamps or drinking fountains. CONTEXT 44 From the middle of the 19th century, one of the major producers of cast iron ornaments and appendages to buildings was Walter Mcfarlane & Co at the Saracen Foundry, Glasgow. Mr Mcfarlane began as a craftsman in gold and silver work, progressing first to hammered iron and finally to cast iron. The works covered a site of 10 acres and had its own internal railway system connected directly to the Glasgow Queen Street to Helensburgh line on the North British Railway. The company produced a catalogue of its huge array of castings which could be used in numerous combinations by customers to construct their own designs. Sometimes these were appendages to existing buildings, but they were more often built as part of original designs, for example awnings and columns for railway stations or sometimes for various types of commercial buildings. Two contrasting examples of commercial applications occur in Darlington. The first is 37 Tubwell Row, oddly named Doric House and built in 1860. The three-storey facade is a riot of cast-iron decoration, the ground floor columns being framed by ornamental spandrels and supported on cast-iron columns with the shopfront recessed behind. The two upper floors consist of a massive two-storey oriel projection on cast-iron brackets. There are two rows of six-light windows framed in cast-iron columns with panels of cast-iron ornament between them and between the floors. The second floor windows are round headed with a guilloche patterned frieze above. To the right of this grandiose affair is a smaller oriel which has a triangular plan and is carried over the ground floor entrance door on a canted cast-iron openwork hood. Surmounting this fine example of exuberant Victorian design is a row of four circular dormers set in a slated mansard roof with decorative iron cresting, although unfortunately some of this is now missing. Above: Doric House, 31 Tubwell Row, Darlington. Below: 24 Balckweffgate, Darlington. The other smaller example is at 24 Blackwellgate. This is an early 19th century three-storey one-bay house which has a later addition of a triangular castiron oriel to the upper floors. The large windows form rounded arches with human heads projecting from ornamental spandrels on the first floor. Between the floors are cast-iron recessed panels with medallions. Both these buildings are included 13
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