# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 9 STRENGTHS OF THE ORIGINAL EDITION BUT EVOLVING FURTHER WITH COMPELLING INTERIM CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE WIDENING AND IMPORTANT DEBATE ON SUSTAINABILITY #HAPTER AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN PRACTICE #HAPTERS AND 3UCCESSIVE EDITIONS ALL DRAW ON THE AUTHOR S LECTURES TO THE CONSERVATION COURSE AT THE #OLLEGE OF %STATE -ANAGEMENT IN 2EADING 4HEY ARE FURTHER INFORMED BY MANY YEARS PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE ',# (ISTORIC "UILDINGS $IVISION AND SUBSEQUENTLY AS DIRECTOR OF THE 4HEATRES 4RUST %ARL INITIALLY ASKS NINE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WHICH HE THEN EFFECTIVELY ANSWERS 7HAT ARE WE SETTING OUT TO DO WHEN WE EMBARK ON THE CARE OF A MONUMENT HISTORIC BUILDING OR COMPLETE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT 7HY SHOULD THESE TREATED BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER BUILDINGS AND HOW DIFFERENTLY 7HAT PRECISELY ARE OUR MOTIVES IN PRESERVING AND CONSERVING RATHER THAN MAINTAINING AND HOW SHOULD THESE MOTIVES INFLUENCE ACTIONS )S EVERY PART OF AN OLD FABRIC SO SACRED THAT IT MUST AT ALL COSTS BE PROPPED AND SECURED WHATEVER ITS STATE )S IT PERMISSIBLE TO REPLACE OUTWORN OR DISFIGURED ELEMENTS AND IF SO SHOULD THE REPLACEMENT BE EXACT COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL WORK OR SHOULD THEY BE DISCERNABLE FROM IT !ND IN THIS CONTEXT WHAT DOES ORIGINAL MEAN (OW SHOULD THE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES OF AN UNAVOIDABLE CHANGE OF USE BE ACCOMMODATED !ND IN CONSIDERING QUESTIONS OF THIS KIND SHOULD WE EXPECT THE ANSWERS TO VARY WITH AGE NATURE AND EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE BUILDING 4HE AUTHOR SAGELY OBSERVES THAT @PRACTITIONERS WHO ATTEMPT TO UNDERTAKE SUCH WORK WITHOUT GIVING THOUGHT TO SUCH ISSUES WILL FIND THEMSELVES IN A RUDDERLESS SHIP )F THE REVIEWER IS PERMITTED A NOTE OF DISAPPOINTMENT IT IS THAT THE BOOK FAILS TO OFFER ANY COMPARISONS WITH CONTINENTAL INFLUENCES SUCH AS THOSE OF 6IOLLET LE $UC NOR ANY NON 7ESTERN APPROACHES SUCH AS THOSE ADOPTED IN THE &AR %AST 7HILE THE "URRA #HARTER DEVELOPED BY )#/-/3 !USTRALIA FOR A %UROCENTRIC HERITAGE IS REPRODUCED AS AN APPENDIX MUCH MIGHT BE GAINED BY A REVIEW OF FOR EXAMPLE 5.%3#/ S .ARRA #ONVENTION AND CONSERVATION IN #HINA AND *APAN 4HIS IS A MINOR CAVIL ABOUT WHAT IS ALREADY A CLASSIC TEXT &OR )("# MEMBERS AND ASPIRANTS IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING "OB +INDRED -"% )MPERIAL CONFIDENCE 2IVINGTON S "UILDING #ONSTRUCTION $ONHEAD 0UBLISHING *ANUARY HARDBACK PP THREE VOLUMES )3". a 7HEN THE REVIEWS EDITOR ASKED ME TO REVIEW THIS THREE VOLUME SET ) SAID IT MIGHT TAKE A WHILE (IS IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WAS THAT ) PROBABLY NEED NOT READ ALL OF IT )N THE EVENT IT HAS TAKEN QUITE A LONG TIME AND ) HAVE READ ALMOST ALL 4HIS HAS NOT BEEN SO MUCH OUT OF DEDICATION TO DUTY AS BECAUSE ) SIMPLY FOUND IT FASCINATING 2IVINGTON S "UILDING #ONSTRUCTION WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN AND RAPIDLY BECAME ESTABLISHED AS A STANDARD TEXT 4HIS $ONHEAD PUBLICATION IS A FACSIMILE OF THE FIRST THREE VOLUMES OF THE EDITION THE FOURTH VOLUME HAVING BEEN OMITTED AS IT DEALS WITH STRUCTURAL CALCULATIONS IN A NOW OBSOLETE WAY )T IS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT THAT AN EDITION OF THIS DATE HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THE BUILDING INDUSTRY OF THIS ERA EMBODIED A REMARKABLY HIGH DEGREE OF CRAFT SKILLS AND RANGE OF MATERIALS CONSIDERED BY SOME SUPERIOR TO ALMOST ANY OTHER PERIOD 4HE TRADITIONAL BUILDING TRADES HAD DEVELOPED THROUGH LONG EVOLUTION TO A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF COLLECTIVE SKILL !LTHOUGH SUBSTANTIAL MECHANISATION HAD BEEN INTRODUCED DURING THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION THIS OFTEN DESPITE THE PROTESTATIONS OF 2USKIN AND -ORRIS SEEMS TO HAVE EXISTED ALONGSIDE THE CRAFTSMAN S WORK OFFERING WHEN CAREFULLY APPLIED AN ENHANCEMENT RATHER THAN A SUBSTITUTE FOR THESE BASIC SKILLS 4HIS RANGE WAS MASSIVELY CURTAILED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE &IRST 7ORLD7AR PARTLY THROUGH LACK OF SKILLED MEN BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE RESULTING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP ALLOWED MUCH LESS TO BE SPENT ON INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS $ESPITE THEIR WONDERFUL IMPERIAL CONFIDENCE THE AUTHORS ARE UNWITTINGLY SHOWING US A PORTRAIT OF A RELATIVELY SHORT SPACE OF TIME VALUABLE FOR ITS TREMENDOUS RICHNESS RATHER THAN FOR ANY GREAT DURATION 6OLUMES AND ARE EXCELLENT BUILDING TEXTBOOKS OF THEIR ERA CONTAINING A WEALTH OF CONCISE AND CLEAR INFORMATION SET OUT ON A TRADE BY TRADE BASIS 6OLUME COVERS EXTERNAL WALLING IN BRICK AND MASONRY CARPENTRY ROOF COVERINGS AND STEEL AND IRON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS WHILE VOLUME CONTAINS CHAPTERS ON FOUNDATIONS AND EXCAVATIONS JOINERY AND STAIRS PLASTERING DECORATING AND GLAZING AND SEVERAL CHAPTERS ON THE SERVICING OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING PLUMBING AND SANITARY EQUIPMENT HEATING AND VENTILATION AND GAS AND ELECTRIC LIGHTING #LEAR AND INFORMATIVE LINE DRAWINGS ARE PROVIDED THROUGHOUT 4OGETHER THESE CAN PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS CONSIDERED BEST PRACTICE IN BUILDING DURING %DWARDIAN TIMES 4HEY HAVE A PARTICULAR VIRTUE AS TEXTBOOKS AS THEY DO NOT SIMPLY SET OUT WHAT SHOULD BE DONE BUT CLEARLY EXPLAIN WHY A PARTICULAR SOLUTION MIGHT BE PREFERRED OVER OTHERS )N THIS RESPECT EVEN WHERE UNDERSTANDING HAS DEVELOPED IN THE INTERVENING CENTURY THEY ARE SUPERIOR TO MANY MODERN TEXTBOOKS 4HE THIRD VOLUME IS GIVEN OVER ENTIRELY TO MATERIALS 4HIS IS AGAIN IN MANY WAYS SUPERIOR TO MODERN EQUIVALENTS AS IT DEALS NOT JUST WITH THE SELECTION OF STANDARDISED MASS PRODUCED COMPONENTS BUT WITH THE BASIC PROCESSES OF THEIR MANUFACTURE FROM RAW MATERIALS 4HIS ALLOWS ONE TO GAIN A FULL APPRECIATION OF THE VARIOUS NUANCES OF TYPE AND QUALITY IN EVERYTHING FROM BRICKS TO IRONWORK AT A TIME BEFORE SUCH NATURAL VARIETY HAD BEEN ERADICATED WHILE STILL SHOWING HOW THE INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES EVOLVED FROM MORE CRAFT BASED METHODS OF PRODUCTION ! SET OF BOOKS SUCH AS THIS WILL BE OF IMMEDIATE VALUE TO ANYBODY DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN UNDERSTANDING AND CONSERVING BUILDINGS OF THE LATE 6ICTORIAN AND %DWARDIAN ERAS )TS ACTUAL INTEREST IS LIKELY TO BE MUCH WIDER DUE TO ITS POSITION AT A REMARKABLE TIME OF TRANSITION )T OFFERS A DETAILED VIEW OF ITS PERIOD SHOWING BOTH HOW BUILDING MATERIALS AND METHODS EVOLVED FROM THOSE OF PRE INDUSTRIAL TIMES AND ALSO HOW MODERN METHODS IN TURN HAVE EVOLVED FROM THESE )T IS MANY OF THESE EXPLANATIONS OFTEN INADVERTENT BY THE AUTHORS WHICH MAKES THE WORK SO FASCINATING )N THIS PROCESS HOWEVER OFTEN MANIFESTED HERE AS A DESIRE FOR STRENGTH AND DURABILITY OVER ALL OTHER QUALITIES ONE CAN ALSO SEE THE ORIGINS OF THE METHODS WHICH HAVE PROVED SO TERRIBLY DETRIMENTAL WHEN APPLIED TO OLDER BUILDINGS AND AGAINST WHICH 2USKIN AND -ORRIS SO STRONGLY RAILED 4HIS MUST OF NECESSITY LIMIT ITS APPLICATION IN DEALING WITH 'EORGIAN BUILDINGS AND PROBABLY MAKES IT OF MARGINAL USE FOR ANYTHING EARLIER OR FOR THE PRE INDUSTRIAL VERNACULAR IN GENERAL )T IS WORTH REMEMBERING THOUGH THAT MANY OLDER BUILDINGS WILL HAVE BEEN MODIFIED AND REPAIRED DURING THE PERIOD REPRESENTED HERE AND A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTENTIONS OF SUCH WORK MAY OFTEN BE FAR MORE VALUABLE
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