ties and which range from synagogues and ritual bathhouses through to burial grounds. On the international level, we are undertaking professional training for the staff of sister organisations in Europe and the emergent Eastern European countries in conjunction with the Council of Europe Cultural Heritage Division and the European Foundation for Heritage Skills. RCHME staff have been active in designing and delivering courses in Inventory and Documentation Techniques in both France and the UK and another course next year in Belgium is at present under discussion. Additionally, direct advice on the field methodologies for the compilation and enhancement of a state inventory of historic buildings is being provided for the Republic of Georgia. Historic buildings represent a resource every bit as finite as any other part of our cultural heritage. They are an unparalleled source of information as to architectural practice and the art and science of building in past times, and through that represent something both of society and the everyday life of individuals at particular points in history. In the main, this is not because they present us with exemplars of particular forms or types of building - these are all too rare. Rather it is precisely because the alteration and adaptation of a building is as valuable an indicator of use or fashion than its unchanged and classic original form. The investment of staff time and scarce resources in the training of others in approaches to analysing the historic Equalrightsat last Thoughts on the IHBC from private practice by Jack Warshaw To an expat. from across the Pond, finding new roots in the cultural heritage of the UK, but working in relative isolation as a Conservation Officer in a London borough in the early 1980s, joining the fledgling ACO was like coming home. Here was a community of soul-mates with whom one could exchange ideas, techniques, tactics, or whatever, absorb knowledge and extend one's network rapidly. Along with the practitioners I met during my conservation training, the ACO seemed to offer more to me, and others in my position than other, more established professional bodies. Unlike most architects and planners, a great many Conservation Officers work alone or in small groups within organisations where most colleagues can be too interested in their own specialisms to take much interest in yours. As a group we seem to have a greater need to communicate with peers, perhaps because so often we are working against Context 56 December 1997 the tide, at the eleventh hour, with few resources and low status. It would be interesting to survey how often conservationists talk to each other at a distance compared with architects or planners. Having had quite a heavy baptism of fire in rescuing seemingly hopeless cases, I learned, too, that success often derived from increasing understanding of the issues and problems amongst one's colleagues and at the same time with the applicant's team, especially where the latter was lucky enough to have a sensitive architect. The dialogue-among-equals approach brought amazing successes and I came to the view that, where the right people could be brought together, it was usually possible to be open and forthright and generate solutions which achieved both commercial and conservation objectives. In such cases the 'us and them' mentality gave way to one of a project team, all striving for a good result. environment represents our strong commitment to the principle that understanding this information does not only have relevance to academic studies but is fundamental to the management and protection of the built and buried heritage. Robert Hook is with Outreach and Training, Architectural and Archaeological Survey, RCHME Some developer-clients even joined in the spirit. So it was that I found myself at one fateful ACO AGM, while still a local government officer, opposing a motion that only local government officers could be full members, and ending up on the losing side by one vote. Soon afterwards, having started my own practice, I had become, officially, a Second Class Member, although those who know me will be aware that it had no effect on my speaking my mind. At conferences in those early days after taking the plunge, mates would ask what it felt like to be in private practice. I would reply that it was like theatre; you were only as good as your last job, had to do a song and dance and were always waiting for the phone to ring. But, I added, innocently, we were all still on the same team, weren't we? To my dismay, I found that some of my ex-colleagues, at any rate, now 33
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