THE INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION http://www.ihbc.org.uk IHBCOfficers President: Malcolm Airs. e-ma ii: president@ihbc.org. uk Chairman: Eddie Booth, (The Conservation Studio), Hill House, Rotten Row, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 lTN. Tel: 01273 475290. e-mail: chair@ihbc.org.uk Vice Chair: Sarah Higgins, The Cottage, Church Street, Ledbury HR8 lDH. Tel: 01531 635949. e-mail: vcbusiness@ihbc.org.uk Vice Chair: Ronnie Robertson (North Yorkshire County Council. Tel: 01609 532528). Sion Cottage, Sion Hill. Kirby Wiske, Thirsk, N Yorks YO7 4EU. Tel: 01845 587494. e-mail: vcmembership@ihbc.org.uk Vice Chair: Mark Strawbridge (Nottinghamshire County Council. Tel: 0115 977 2168). 16 Promenade, Nottingham NG3 lHB. Tel: 0115 950 0973. e-mail: vcpolicy@ihbc.org.uk Secretary: Dr Richard Mon-ice (English· Heritage. Tel: 01483 304869). 3 Stafford Road. Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4QZ. e-mail: secretary@ihbc.org.uk 1}easurer: Robert Parkinson (West Oxfordshire District Council. Tel: 01993 77024 7), The Old Priory, Priory Lane, Bicester, Oxon OX6 7BG. e-mail: treasurer@ihbc.org.uk Membership Secretary: Gus Astley (Bath & North East Somerset Council), Manor House, Wells Road. Hallatrow. Bristol BS39 6EJ. Tcl/Answerphone: 01761 453047. Fax: 01761 451153.e-mail:membership@ihbc.org.uk Branches Co-ordinator: Julia Smith (Milton Keynes Council. Tel: 01908 252501). 49 Chaucer Drive. Aylesbury HP21 7LH. Tel: 01296 435187. e-mail: branches@ihbc.org.uk Consultations Co-ordinator: Graham Steaggles (English Heritage. 'f'el: 01483 252040), 54 Pulens Lane, Sheet. Petersfield, Hants GU31 4DD. Tel: 01730 266653. e-mail: gra ham .steaggles@english. heritage .org. u k Education Co-ordinator: John Preston (Cambridge City Council, Tel: 01223 457166). 90 Histon Road, Cambridge CB4 3JP. Tel: 01223 562534. e-mail: eclucation@ihbc.org.uk Technical Panel Co-ordinator: Jenny Chesher (English Heritage. Tel: 0117 975 0686), Jasmine Cottage, Broad Street, Charlton Adam. Somerton. Somerset TAll ?AT. Tel: 01458 224065. e-mail: teclrnical@ihbc.org.uk Pub/icily Officer: vacant IT Manager: Peter Badcock. e-mail: it@ihbc.org.uk Branch Officers North: Tan Goodman. Tel: 01670 519391 North West: Sheila Stones, Tel: 0161 242 1424 Yorkshire: Stephen Bateman, Tel: 01274 754551 Wesl Midlands: Kathy Baird. Tel: 01939 238433 East Midlands: Fiona Newton. Tel: 01507 601111 South: James Webb. Tel: 01962 846831 South West: David Stirling. Tel: 01249 706502 East Anglia: Michael Knights, Tel: 01603 611346 South East: Peter Cobley. Tel: 01622 221547 London: Jon Finney, Tel: 01895 250536 Scotland: Jim MacDonald, Tel: 01236 616242 Wales: Trefor Thorpe, Tel: 01267 231568 Northern Ireland: Laurence Manogue. Tel: 028 9146 9707 Republic of heland: Bernard Dee, Tel: +353 1 473 7721 Registel'ed FIS a Charity Number 1061593. Company Limited by Gtia1·antcc. Registered in England Number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road. Tunbridge Wells. Kent TN2 4QZ CONTEXT 71 : SEPTEMBER 2001 Context News Conference report: John Fowler: decorating and restoring in a changing world. Catherine Croft IHBC in Romania. Tangible evidence of international co-operation. John Preston London 2001 Annual School Report. Setting standards for conservation. John Preston, with contributions from Jon Finney, Catherine Croft and Peter Longman Practical conservation skills training. Nigel Crowe and Philip Grover 4 7 9 13 19 Gazebo. Young people and their heritage. Gilly Drummond 21 Editorial Conservationist with a mission. Freya Burden 23 Recent developments in the law. Conservation in the courts. Charles Mynors 26 Supporting Columns. Trial by fire answers a loaded question. Edward Morton 27 Back to the future with Mucha and Dan Dare. John Preston 29 What about our High Street? Suzanne Spicer 31 Cathodic protection of iron and steel. Iain McCaig, Kevin Davies and David Farrell 34 IHBC News 39 Book reviews 41 Conservation'sbuildingblocks The IHBC London 2001 Annual School focused on setting agendas for training and standards. This issue of Context follows its lead, and looks at some current efforts to build awareness and skills for conservation. As Andrew Saint said at the Day School in exploring what is special about London's architectural history: "understanding of urban history is skin deep". Oliver Pearcey of English Heritage looked at the resources needed for conservation (money, skills, time and commitment) at a time when conservation services "are still being progressively de-skilled and downgraded". His suggestion that English Heritage could provide training packages to help local authority staff develop their knowledge of both professional and specialist craft skills was welcome. There was an interesting comparison to be made with Historic Scotland's integrated approach, described by lngval Maxwell. Craft, technological and professional vocational qualifications at levels three, four and five, undergraduate and postgraduate conservation training, professional body accreditation and CPD seem to have been brought together. But Maxwell is still left wondering: "who educates the educators, who trains the trainers, and who supplies the suppliers?" There are lessons too from the IHBC's impressive work in Romania, where the Institute has been asked to help create a new National Craft Skills Training Centre at Bontida. The challenge is to turn round the effects of 50 years in which there has been no training in traditional construction. The Day School seems to have got things moving. English Heritage and the IHBC are collaborating on a survey of local authority conservation provision, and English Heritage has announced its commitment to requiring the lead professional on grant-aided projects to be conservation accredited. In their article, Nigel Crowe and Philip Grover highlight concerns about declining skills levels, and the difficulties in procuring appropriately qualified and experienced craftsmen to work on historic buildings. Gilly Drummond in our Gazebo slot suggests where to start: with children, who can be helped to understand a place through its social and cultural history. Suzanne Spicer, in her case study from Staffordshire, describes how regeneration and the historic environment can be used in teaching of citizenship in primary schools. In no time at all those children's attitudes will have been set. They will have become the adults who will shape, in an hundred different ways and often without realising it, the historic environment. What we do now to build awareness and skills will determine whether their impact will be positive - or if those of them who attend future IHBC Schools will be mourning missed opportunities. 3
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