INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION YEARBOOK
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3 CONTENTS THE INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a charity in England and Wales number 1061593 and in Scotland number SC041945 Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England number 3333780 REGISTERED AND BUSINESS OFFICE Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA Tel 01747 873133 Email admin@ihbc.org.uk The institute cannot accept responsibility for the acts or omissions of any member, associate, affiliate or HESPR company and accordingly the institute shall not be liable for any loss or damage or other matter arising from the employment or engagement of any member. IHBC YEARBOOK We gratefully acknowledge the support of firms whose advertisements appear throughout this publication. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this yearbook is current and correct, neither the IHBC nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. All rights reserved. The title of the IHBC Yearbook is and shall remain the absolute property of the institute. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the institute. This 2022 edition has been prepared for the Communications & Outreach Committee by the IHBC National Office with the help of Cathedral Communications Limited. For additional copies of the IHBC Yearbook please contact the Business Office. EDITOR Jonathan Taylor COVER ILLUSTRATIONS Front cover: Yarmouth Castle, a Tudor fortress on the Isle of Wight in the care of English Heritage (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) Back cover: Images kindly supplied by Aberdeen City Heritage Trust, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and IHBC branches. The IHBC Yearbook is published and produced by Cathedral Communications Limited, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HA Tel 01747 871717 Email ihbc@cathcomm.co.uk www.buildingconservation.com Copyright 2022 Cathedral Communications Limited ISBN 978 1 912747 11 5 Foreword Eilish McGuiness 5 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP What is the IHBC? 6 Structure of the IHBC 7 Elected and appointed officers 8 Branch areas 9 Membership of the IHBC 10 REVIEW AND ANALYSIS Welcome Mike Brown 15 Chair’s review David McDonald 16 Director’s update Seán O’Reilly 17 On the edge James Grundy 21 Climate change and the historic environment: crunch time? John Preston 22 Lessons from Beirut Zaki Aslan 27 Napoleonic forts Jonathan Taylor and Jessica Tooze 35 Intelligent maintenance Alan Forster, Frédéric Bosché and Enrique Valero 41 DIRECTORY HESPR companies 46 IHBC promotions and publications 48 Directory of members 48 USEFUL INFORMATION IHBC at COP26 Michael Netter 89 IHBC-recognised courses 91 National organisations 92 Local authority contacts 94 Products and services 98 Specialist suppliers index 104 DIRECTORY OF MEMBERS To protect the personal data of IHBC members, and in accordance with UK GDPR, the Directory of Members (pages 49–86) has been removed from this online version of the IHBC Yearbook. Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
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5 FOREWORD IT IS a privilege to introduce the IHBC Yearbook and highlight its pressing focus on ‘Heritage on the Edge’. In the past two years the Yearbook rightly covered our collective response to the crisis wrought by the pandemic, including the positive partnership working across the sector. At the Heritage Fund we delivered our £50 million Heritage Emergency Fund across the UK, and then partnered with governments in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to distribute funding on their behalf. We drew on our sector’s collective expertise, including IHBC, to work with governments to invest and protect heritage and support communities. As doors re-opened, visitors, volunteers and communities were hungry to reengage and return to historic places, cultural landscapes, parks, gardens and local high streets. Covid illustrated how important our local, historic places are, but also illustrated the fragility of that heritage. In a challenging economic and social environment, and with the underlying pressures of climate change, that fragility remains – heritage is indeed on the edge. It is exactly the right time for IHBC to tackle the challenges headon; embracing innovation so that the sector keeps pace, and harnessing the opportunities to promote the benefits of heritage. In the midst of the challenges there are seeds of hope, and we can shape, restore and revitalise our historic places, to move heritage from ‘the edge’ to its place at the centre of our environment and communities. At the Heritage Fund we continue to champion innovation and collaboration, but also want to define our vision which will shape our significant heritage investment over the longer term. We plan to do that in partnership, building on what we learned during the crisis, and providing resilience and capacitybuilding support to organisations to plan for the future. We are keen to share knowledge from our funding, research and data, so that there is a wider benefit to our heritage. I know that the IHBC themes in the Yearbook and at the summer school will provide rich material to share and help understand the challenges and how we might respond. The urgent challenge of climate change and adaptation is one where we must have a shared response, to better deploy knowledge and expertise from the public, private and voluntary sectors. We know that some solutions require us to look back to our shared past to secure our future – such as using traditional forms of construction or maintenance practices. The Heritage Fund supported Fountains Abbey partnership in Skell Valley, North Yorkshire, created meadows and a pond system to reduce the flood risk to the 800-year-old monastic ruins and also created new visitor experiences. Our investment in projects for historic building reuse, with their embodied energy, funding peatland conservation and restoration, which protect valuable carbon sinks, ensures we are reducing the impacts of climate change. Importantly, our focus on people ensures greater awareness of the need to protect our fragile heritage places. We want to find the sustainable solutions for heritage at risk, working in collaboration with a range of partners from public bodies, trusts, community groups, and through the Heritage Enterprise approach, commercial bodies. We want our investment to support recovery, resilience, and inclusive economic growth, while making a positive difference to the environment and communities. We should not underestimate the scale of the challenges or the pace of change required. We will need to build creative, multi-disciplinary partnerships and new skills to deliver for the UK’s heritage. That is why the IHBC focus this year is so important, and I wish members well in considering these important themes. Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive National Lottery Heritage Fund
6 YEARBOOK 2022 WHAT IS THE IHBC? THE INSTITUTE of Historic Building Conservation is the principal body in the United Kingdom representing professionals and specialists involved in the conservation and preservation of the historic environment. Our members include conservation architects, architectural historians, conservation officers in central and local government, planners, surveyors and other specialist consultants, as well as academics and educators, curators, conservators and craftspeople. CHARITABLE PURPOSE As a registered charity, the IHBC’s purpose is to promote for the benefit of the public: the conservation and enhancement of the historic environment the highest standards of professional skills in this field the education and training of professionals and specialists responsible for such work. CORPORATE OBJECTIVES The IHBC’s operations are planned in accordance with the three objects listed in its current corporate plan (see website for details): helping people by promoting the conservation and management of historic places as a unique and evolving resource for people, both today and in the future helping conservation by supporting specialists, specialisms and specialist interests across all conservation-related activities, because effective conservation demands skilled care helping conservation specialists by supporting, encouraging and challenging IHBC members and prospective members, because conservation specialists work most effectively with coordination, advice, inspiration and scrutiny provided by an informed professional body. MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Cutting edge news and debate: Weekly NewsBlogs, IHBC Conservation Wiki resource at DesigningBuildings.co.uk, IHBC’s journal Context, IHBC Yearbook, The Building Conservation Directory and other conservation publications from Cathedral Communications Professional development: Reduced rates and priority access (as applicable) to regular CPD courses and sector events, IHBC annual schools and branch events, job notices (IHBC Jobs etc), career advice and support, national and regional networking opportunities Technical support: Access to technical advice and guidance through national, regional and web-based advice and advisory panels Business support: Access to business support and listings including (for full members) membership of IHBC’s Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition (HESPR) scheme (see page 46), guidance on project development, participation and CPD opportunities in panels and groups, access to advocacy, and tax relief on subscriptions Participation and volunteering: Opportunities for shaping national and regional legislation and guidance through regular consultations, and involvement in all aspects of the work of the IHBC through regional branch activity and, at a national level, through our Council.
7 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE OF THE IHBC COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH COMMITTEE DAVE CHETWYN Chair communications@ihbc.org.uk EDUCATION, TRAINING, STANDARDS COMMITTEE CHRIS WOOD Chair education@ihbc.org.uk MEMBERSHIP & ETHICS COMMITTEE ANDREW SHEPHERD Chair membership@ihbc.org.uk POLICY COMMITTEE ROY LEWIS Chair policy@ihbc.org.uk COUNCIL MIKE BROWN President president@ihbc.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES See page 8 MEMBERS TRUSTEES COUNCIL COMMITTEES AND BRANCHES PANELS, WORKING GROUPS, SUB-COMMITTEES etc ← ← ← REPORTING UPWARDS CONTROLS DOWNWARDS → → → EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS NATIONAL OFFICE VOLUNTEERS NATIONAL OFFICE SEAN O’REILLY Director director@ihbc.org.uk FIONA NEWTON Operations Director consultations@ihbc.org.uk LYDIA PORTER Admin & Company Secretary admin@ihbc.org.uk CARMEN MORAN Membership Services Officer membershipservices@ihbc.org.uk MICHAEL NETTER Professional Services Officer services@ihbc.org.uk RAMONA USHER Professional Development Officer professional@ihbc.org.uk JUDE WHEELER Support Officer support@ihbc.org.uk PANELS etc CONSULTATIONS PANEL FIONA NEWTON Convenor consultations@ihbc.org.uk GREEN PANEL CRISPIN EDWARDS Chair green@ihbc.org.uk LEGAL PANEL LONE LE VAY Chair law@ihbc.org.uk TECHNICAL PANEL JOHN EDWARDS Chair technical@ihbc.org.uk EDITORIAL BOARD MICHAEL TAYLOR Chair ihbceditorialboard@gmail.com
8 YEARBOOK 2022 ELECTED and APPOINTED OFFICERS The post-holders shown are correct at the time of printing but are subject to change. For the latest information please see ihbc.org.uk/page65/index.html MIKE BROWN, PRESIDENT is a chartered building surveyor with over 30 years experience of historic building repair and refurbishment. He is Director of Conservation & Design Ltd and currently heads the conservation service at East Herts District Council. A past IHBC Chair, he sits on a number of heritage bodies and is particularly active on the Historic Environment Protection Reform Group with Historic England. president@ihbc.org.uk DAVID McDONALD, CHAIR is an independent historic environment consultant specialising in providing heritage training for other built environment professionals. He formerly led the Conservation and Design Team at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He is the IHBC’s representative at The Heritage Alliance and a trustee of the Council on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC). chair@ihbc.org.uk LONE LE VAY, VICE CHAIR is a retired chartered architect who worked primarily in the public sector providing specialist conservation, design and urban design advice. She most recently managed the Design and Historic Environment team at Chichester District Council and is and is a Fellow of the RSA. vchair@ihbc.org.uk JO EVANS, SECRETARY is a director at RPS Consulting and has held a number of conservation posts in local authorities in Surrey and Hampshire. She was chair of the IHBC from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that she was the membership secretary and the chair of the Membership & Ethics Committee, following on from holding posts on branch and other national committees. ihbcsecretary@ihbc.org.uk JILL KERRY, TREASURER is a semi-retired chartered architect who has worked in the conservation sector for 25 years. She started her professional life in the public sector before moving to the private sector. She was the Northern Ireland branch representative until 2017. treasurer@ihbc.org.uk ANDREW SHEPHERD, MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY is the principal of Andrew Shepherd, Architect. A chartered architect and surveyor, his projects have included Grade I listed buildings and scheduled monuments. He has extensive teaching experience in the UK and abroad. His previous roles include president and education officer of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and convenor of the Conservation Course Directors’ Forum. membership@ihbc.org.uk ROY LEWIS, POLICY SECRETARY is a director of Grover Lewis Associates Ltd, a specialist town planning and built heritage consultancy. He has held planning and conservation posts in local government and he ran an undergraduate conservation programme at the University of Derby. For the IHBC he represented the East Midlands branch from 2006 to 2017, and he has represented the IHBC on the Urban Design Alliance. policy@ihbc.org.uk DAVE CHETWYN, COMMUNICATIONS and OUTREACH SECRETARY is managing director of Urban Vision Enterprise CIC and a partner of D₂H Land Planning Development. He is also chair of the National Planning Forum, a High Streets Task Force Expert, a Design Council Expert and an associate of the Consultation Institute. Previous roles include chair of the Historic Towns Forum, head of Planning Aid England and IHBC chair. communications@ihbc.org.uk CHRIS WOOD, EDUCATION SECRETARY was Head of the Building Conservation & Research Team at English Heritage. During his 26 years with EH and Historic England he led dozens of research projects prompted by casework priorities or other urgent issues and has written extensively on the findings. Now retired, he has worked in private practice architecture and was a conservation officer for over a decade. education@ihbc.org.uk
9 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP 0 50 100 km Crown copyright 2001 BRANCH AREAS • SCOTLAND (ALL ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS) • NORTHERN IRELAND (ALL COUNTIES) • NORTH (CLEVELAND, CUMBRIA, DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND AND TYNE AND WEAR) • NORTH WEST (CHESHIRE, GREATER MANCHESTER, ISLE OF MAN, LANCASHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE) • YORKSHIRE (ALL YORKSHIRE COUNTIES AND N AND NE LINCOLNSHIRE) • WALES (ALL ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS) • WEST MIDLANDS (HEREFORDSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE, WARWICKSHIRE AND WEST MIDLANDS) • EAST MIDLANDS (DERBYSHIRE, LEICESTERSHIRE, LINCOLNSHIRE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE) • SOUTH WEST (CORNWALL, DEVON, DORSET, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SCILLY ISLANDS, SOMERSET AND WILTSHIRE) • LONDON (GREATER LONDON) • SOUTH (BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, CHANNEL ISLANDS, HAMPSHIRE, ISLE OF WIGHT AND OXFORDSHIRE) • EAST ANGLIA (BEDFORDSHIRE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ESSEX, HERTFORDSHIRE, NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK) • SOUTH EAST (EAST SUSSEX, KENT, SURREY AND WEST SUSSEX)
10 YEARBOOK 2022 MEMBERSHIP OF THE IHBC THE INSTITUTE offers membership opportunities and linked benefits to all those who care for the built and historic environment. Our members are drawn from many disciplines, including architects, town planners, building surveyors, estate and asset managers, structural engineers, landscape architects, curators, buildings and project managers, archaeologists, architectural historians, local authority conservation officers, officers from national conservation organisations, academics and private practitioners. Membership of the institute is aimed at being inclusive rather than exclusive, though all assessed categories of membership require the observance of our code of conduct (see page 12) in line with our charitable objects. There are three categories of assessed membership: Full membership (accredited) represents conservation accreditation open to all active in the conservation of the built and historic environment. Full members have demonstrated to the IHBC their skills, knowledge and experience as interdisciplinary conservation specialists able to offer services and advice in line with national and international standards and models in conservation and its management. As such, full members are required to demonstrate skills and experience in line with and across the institute’s four areas of competence (see page 12), while significant skills in one or more areas may be seen to outweigh weaknesses in one of the other areas. Anybody who satisfies these requirements and has at least five years’ relevant experience would normally be considered eligible to apply for full membership. For those who have gained a qualification from a conservation course that has full recognition from the institute (see page 91), the period of relevant experience required is reduced from five years to two years. Associate membership (accredited) represents conservation accreditation awarded to practitioners who have demonstrated to the IHBC their capability in specialist skills, knowledge and experience in conservation in a single area of practice or ‘competence’ as recognised by the IHBC, typically one that corresponds to their primary skills or discipline. Affiliate membership (assessed but not accredited) is available for those who have demonstrated an holistic ‘awareness’ of all aspects of conservation practice as described by the IHBC. They may later seek accreditation from the IHBC. The historic environment is constantly changing and evolving. To manage that process without losing what makes it special requires heritage professionals from many disciplines, and the IHBC is the professional body that brings them all together.
11 STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP RETIRED MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS For those who are less directly involved in conservation, including those with early career and late career interests, there are two further categories of membership that give access to the same core membership benefits, networks and activities all our members enjoy. Retired members are those accredited members (full or associate) who have formally retired from practice and pay reduced fees. Supporter membership is open to anyone, typically those in the very early stages of a career linked to conservation and those keen to support the IHBC’s charitable objects. FEE SUPPORT Membership is available at concessionary rates for those in need or on low wages. Members of any category who make a case for fee support may secure further reductions. All forms of concessionary membership last only for the subscription year in which they are agreed. Full details are on the website. Retired This form of membership allows a reduced subscription rate for existing members who are retired from practice but wish to remain in contact with the institute. Those wishing to apply for this form of membership should write to the membership services officer confirming that they are no longer practising conservation. Libraries This is a form of subscribing membership where an organisation, rather than an individual, may access our services and benefits. Those wishing to apply for this form of membership should contact the membership secretary who will advise them of the subscription rate applicable. All members have the right to receive notices, literature and Context. The Membership & Ethics committee, subject to the approval of council, will decide on eligibility for and category of assessed membership. All membership information is kept on a computer database and names and addresses can be used for mailing of appropriate information to members subject to stated preferences on the membership application form and careful control by officers. To apply for membership please see ihbc.org.uk/join/index.html. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS 2022 Subscriptions are due annually on 1 April and can be paid by direct debit, credit/debit card or by cheque (made payable to the Institute of Historic Building Conservation). NB: IHBC fees are tax deductible as a professional expense, and through tax relief can reduce the cost by 20 per cent (basic rate tax payer) to 40 per cent or more. Members, affiliates and associates £127 per annum Concessionary rate £64 per annum (available to those with an annual income below £18,500, subject to proof of income and renewed annually) Retired members £64 per annum Fee support If you are having difficulty meeting the cost of our membership fees you can apply for fee support (ihbc.org.uk/join/feesupport/index.html). Successful applicants typically have their fees reduced by 50 to 100 per cent of the full rate. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The IHBC specifies ongoing training and development as a fundamental duty for an active professional. Consequently, CPD is compulsory for full members and strongly recommended for affiliates, individuals intending to become full members and associates. See ihbc.org.uk/learning/ cpd for details and registration forms. How much is required? Full members must complete 50 hours of CPD over any two-year period and must supply CPD registration forms when requested by the institute. What qualifies? CPD must be planned on the basis of a personal development assessment related to the areas of competence (see page 12) and can include site visits, independent research, volunteering or other activities which broaden a member’s professional horizons. Where can I find CPD events? Sign up to receive the IHBC’s free CPD circular, or see events.ihbc.org.uk to find short courses and events, including many provided by IHBC regional branches. IHBC membership (all categories) stands at 2,569. Excluding those members who have retired (157), 55 per cent are employed in the private sector and 29 per cent in the public sector, with 525 in local authorities and 200 in national government bodies. IHBC MEMBERS BY EMPLOYMENT SECTOR NOTE These figures exclude retired members Third sector 7% National government 8% Local government 20% Not employed 3% Students 4% Miscellaneous 1% Education sector 2% Private sector 55%
12 YEARBOOK 2022 AREAS OF COMPETENCE AND COMPETENCES FOR IHBC MEMBERS The IHBC’s ‘areas of competence’, and their underpinning ‘competences’ provide an outline of the skills, knowledge and experience needed to fulfil the requirements of accredited membership of the institute. Prospective members are advised to refer to the institute’s current guidance for applicants, Membership Standards, Criteria and Guidelines (2008) which is posted on our website’s membership pages – see ihbc. org.uk/join/apply/index.html The following provides a brief summary of the principal headings: AREA OF COMPETENCE Professional 1. Philosophy: Appreciation of the social, cultural, political, aesthetic, economic and environmental values that underpin current conservation policy and practice 2. Practice: Awareness of the wider context of conservation, including knowledge of and ability to interact effectively with all bodies and individuals who have a significant role to play in the field AREA OF COMPETENCE Practical: Evaluation 3. History: Knowledge of the development of the historic environment including the remains of previous periods and cultures, historic buildings and settlements, works of engineering, parks, gardens and other elements of the historic landscape 4. Research/Recording/Analysis: Ability to carry out or commission research, analysis and recording of the historic environment, and to maintain records accordingly AREA OF COMPETENCE Practical: Management 5. Legislation/Policy: Knowledge of the legislative and policy framework for the conservation of the historic environment, its formulation locally and nationally, and awareness of other relevant legislation and policies 6. Finance/Economics: Understanding of the process for the procuring of buildings and facilitating development, including finance, valuation, cost planning and contracts, with specific reference to historic buildings and areas AREA OF COMPETENCE Practical: Intervention 7. Design/Presentation: Ability to analyse and evaluate quality of design, existing and proposed, of buildings and areas, and to present the results of such analysis in a way understandable to both professional and lay audiences 8. Technology: Knowledge of building construction of all periods, the characteristics of structures, the nature and properties of building materials and appropriate methods of repair and alteration of historic fabric. CODE OF CONDUCT The object of the code of conduct is to promote those standards of conduct and self-discipline required of a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation in the interests of the public and the protection of the built heritage. The main object of the institute is the promotion, for the benefit of the public, of the conservation of, and education and training in, the conservation and preservation of buildings, structures, areas, gardens and landscapes which are of architectural and historical interest and/or value in the United Kingdom. This heritage, which is part of society’s common heritage and which should be available to everyone, is, however, a limited and irreplaceable resource. It is therefore the duty of all members to act for and to promote its protection. Subscription to the IHBC’s code of conduct for individuals involved in the conservation and preservation of the built heritage assumes acceptance of these responsibilities. Those who subscribe to it and carry out its provisions will thereby be identified as persons professing specific standards of competence, responsibility and ethical behaviour in the pursuit of historic environment conservation work. This code indicates the general standard of conduct to which members of the institute are expected to adhere, failing which its governing body may judge them guilty of conduct unbecoming to a member of the institute and may reprimand, suspend or expel them. For further information see ihbc.org.uk/resources/A4-Code-ofConduct.pdf. AREAS OF COMPETENCE COMPETENCES PROFESSIONAL 1. Philosophy 2. Practice PRACTICAL EVALUATION 3. History 4. Research, recording and analysis MANAGEMENT 5. Legislation and policy 6. Finance and economics INTERVENTION 7. Design and presentation 8. Technology
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS Environmental monitoring at Osborne House (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS 15 WELCOME MIKE BROWN, IHBC PRESIDENT WELCOME TO the IHBC Yearbook, now in its 22nd wonderful year. Within its pages you will find a comprehensive guide to the world of heritage conservation, including a directory of members, associates, affiliates and supporters, our HESPR members, articles on topical conservation issues including ‘Heritage on the Edge’ - our theme for the Aberdeen Annual School, useful national and local addresses and details of many valuable conservation products and services. I would be remiss not to offer my congratulations to the IHBC itself in its Silver Jubilee year. Do raise a glass to all who have served her over the years and join me in wishing it continued success into the future. As I write Covid restrictions have been lifted, spring is in the air, and there was hope of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, that optimism has been shattered by events in Ukraine which have so amply demonstrated the deep flaws in human nature and the merciless corruption of unaccountable old men in power. The loss of lives on both sides remains uncountable, millions are displaced and, judging from our TV pictures, the destruction of towns and cities in eastern and coastal Ukraine is all but complete. We have, of course been here before; the historic parallels bleak in their transparency. And, just as before, once peace is finally restored, it will be the work of a whole generation to clear the rubble and rebuild their land. I have no doubt that the people of Ukraine will rise to that challenge too. That reconstruction will also present new opportunities. Along with our humanitarian concerns, members of our profession will also hope to see damaged historic buildings conserved and lost ones restored, just as Warsaw, Dresden, Hamburg, Liverpool, Stalingrad and so many other towns and cities rose from the ashes of WWII. Perhaps, as before, new churches, civic buildings and memorials will be commissioned that promote a brighter, more secure and, maybe, thoughtful future. However, the pressure will be on to rapidly build homes so that the many millions of refugees can come home. In that urgency, let us hope that some of the lessons of the postwar house-building booms – whether in east or west Europe – are not forgotten. Having visited both Russia and Ukraine, my personal hope would be to see the worst of the grim statist blocks of flats swept away and replaced with new greener and more sustainable homes built along better urban design principles, following traditional local architectural distinctiveness and on an altogether more human scale. I think the phrase is ‘build back better’. The Ukrainians will need all of our continued support in that endeavour just as much as they have needed our support in the defence of their independence. No doubt some will argue that we cannot afford to support such a ‘utopian’ reconstruction. But that would not be good enough. In my view it would be the reconstruction of low-quality unsustainable buildings that would be truly unaffordable. Perhaps a new Marshall plan is called for that will deliver the resources and expertise needed? In any event the skill sets of IHBC members and our colleagues across the continent will have an important role to play in delivering essential conservation and regeneration work. But right now, as I write this column, the shelling goes on and fragile peace negotiations are being conducted in an atmosphere of distrust. In times like this I often turn for solace, not to religion or wine, but to songs. As Nick Lowe reminded us in similarly cynical and distressing times, ‘What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?’ Mike Brown is IHBC President (president@ihbc.org.uk), Director of Conservation & Design Ltd and head of the conservation service at East Herts District Council. Kiev’s National Bank of Ukraine before the war (Wiki Commons)
16 YEARBOOK 2022 CHAIR’S REVIEW FACE-TO-FACE DAVID McDONALD, IHBC CHAIR AS I started writing this year’s review, it dawned on me that this would be the third year in a row that I would be mentioning Covid. In 2020, probably naively, I thought that the worst would be over within a year. Since then our work and business patterns have changed, but not always for the worst. Despite rising cases of Covid in 2022, I think I have reason for optimism about the way forward post-pandemic, though that has to be tempered by concerns about living standards and the war in Ukraine about which IHBC President Mike Brown has commented so eloquently in his Welcome to this yearbook. My optimism is in part because I have been able to get out and attend two face-to-face meetings recently. In March I was able to accept an invitation to The Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Day. We were fortunate to be addressed by Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society. He mentioned that the government’s eagerly awaited Heritage Statement would be published shortly, but could not make any commitment to a reduction in VAT on repairs to historic buildings. Apart from enjoying talks from the wide range of speakers, it did feel good to meet colleagues again at a face-to-face event and to catch up on how the pandemic had affected them and their organisations. Networking aside, I am pleased to report that I chaired the IHBC’s first AGM under its new Articles of Association in February. In contrast to the Heritage Day, it was a virtual event, and while I might have regretted not having the opportunity to meet IHBC members in person, I did receive a number of positive comments on how it gave more members the opportunity to attend than previous face-to-face events, and on how well the event had been organised. At the AGM I was able to welcome our newly elected trustees who met in their first board meeting in April. The modernisation of our governance continues, with the baton being passed to a small working group which I chair to progress new regulations and byelaws. It will report to the new board. Amongst other items, I was able to report that despite the pandemic, IHBC’s financial situation had remained strong, thanks in part to savings made by our national office. I was also able to report on our second successful virtual annual school hosted by our South East branch. As with the AGM, it was noticeable that we had a wider geographical spread of delegates than we might have had in the past. Another online success over the year has been setting up an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) entitled Conservation, Places and People. Given the constraints of the pandemic, progress has been slow but steady. It has a good spread of MPs and peers and has finished its first inquiry on the value of conservation under its current Chair, James Grundy, MP for Leigh. I’m pleased to say that he and I will be meeting in the near future to discuss how the IHBC can continue to work with the group. The IHBC’s contribution to COP26 in Glasgow was also a good example of using virtual technology to our advantage. As well as having an online ‘helpdesk’, we were able to facilitate live discussions and present some fascinating prerecorded interviews. While this all worked well, Covid restrictions limited our ability to be there in person and to meet with others. Continuing the theme of climate change, the Association for the Study and Conservation of Historic Buildings held its Annual Conference in London in April 2022, which was the second event I attended in person. Its title was ‘Lessons from Built Heritage in the Climate Emergency’ and topics ranged from research into the thermal properties of older buildings to human behaviour and the need for different economic models to deal with climate change. The whole event was recorded and will be available via ASCHB’s website. The conference gave me the opportunity to reflect on this year’s IHBC Annual School in Aberdeen, not only for its location, ‘On the Edge’, but as a city which, during the second half of the 20th century has been associated with the oil industry. It is now in a position to consider life beyond a dependency on fossil fuels and even to lead the way. Unlike our last two Annual Schools, this will be a hybrid model, with the opportunity for delegates to meet in person and online. While I am looking forward to meeting our members face-to-face again, I hope that our hybrid format will be the best of both worlds, providing exemplary CPD for the heritage sector and a model for future events. David McDonald is the IHBC Chair (chair@ihbc.org.uk) and has been a member since its inception.
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS 17 DIRECTOR’S UPDATE GETTING THE JOB DONE SEAN O’REILLY, IHBC DIRECTOR OVER THE past year and more we’ve been extremely busy right across the huge variety of interests and networks that shape the built and historic environment, its care and conservation. At the same time we are looking ahead, not only at underpinning a new constitution and delivering a new Corporate Plan, but also at our latest priority: how to mark the 25th anniversary of the IHBC. We want to mark our founding as the interdisciplinary professional body accrediting our members’ multidisciplinary conservation practice. Yet that must take place alongside another special objective: to understand how our unique legacy can best inform our next steps in our evolution. To progress this work we must also contend with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and its own legacy, all of which remain a major concern. To start, and to keep everyone up to speed on plans, you can check out our anniversary ‘hub’ site at ihbc25.ihbc. org.uk. Reflecting on the evolving pandemic, weathering its depredations may be best taken as a sign of our resilience as an organisation. First, we successfully called on staff and volunteers to ‘step up’ and help ease the potential downturn arising from COVID-19 with more flexible working and more independent activities. Later, we underpinned our recovery by drawing on the unexpected surpluses from the pandemic-imposed contractions in spending. That meant we could invest in our volunteers and regional branches in particular, as we launched a ‘pandemic recovery’ allocation last September that included an extra year of easy-access budget funding to each branch. As part of that recovery, we also invested in a dedicated branch support officer, Jude Wheeler. In that role she has been charged first with addressing the most urgent needs across our volunteer networks – not all of which have been pandemicrelated – and then with establishing the role as a dedicated contact point. It is early days for many to notice this change, but over the coming year I anticipate a lot more awareness of our newest plans. If all that reflects the more historic challenges, the IHBC’s new priorities for the future are best summarised in the current Corporate Plan 2020–25. These include advancing our advocacy through the IHBCsupported Conservation Places and People All Party Parliamentary group (APPG). Now that their first inquiry is concluding, we will be looking at the issue of local government capacity in the next stages of this APPG’s programme. Promoting the huge environmental benefits of the practice of conservation specialists, including our members, is also a leading objective. It may be a familiar meme for us, but we are finally getting to grips with how to generate wider acceptance and appreciation. The achievements of our IHBC@ COP26 programme during the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference are well known and covered both in our journal Context and in these pages, as well as in our NewsBlogs and other digital resources. Devising the IHBC@COP26 ‘Helpdesk+’ showed how we could establish our own heritage priorities and presence at the scale of a global COP. The lowcost, innovative design allowed us to combine a number of services and strategies in one initiative that sat as centrally as any on the COP’s agenda. In particular, we were able to: • extend accessibility to the IHBC’s advocacy, not least through our new and hugely popular podcast suite (see page 89) • generate publicly-focussed re-casts of core IHBC policy and practice resources, especially around conservation’s inherent sustainability • offer a hub to encourage and enable other heritage bodies to address climate change during the event, and several took the opportunity to get involved, including BEFS, SPAB and Heritage Trust Network. Also at the forefront of our new ambitions is the advocacy for our practice standards and encouragement for the wider recognition of our accreditation. Although a longstanding and fundamental aim for us, our interdisciplinary fundamentals
18 YEARBOOK 2022 continue to face barriers with which we are so familiar, largely centred around a fear of change. Older professional bodies like the RIBA and RICS have the advantage that their accreditation is well established, so when their members are assessed as suitably ‘upskilled’ by their own built environment profession so that they are able to advise on conservation work, it is relatively straight forward for the heritage bureaucracies to acknowledge the new accreditation. That’s familiar territory for them. However, as an interdisciplinary professional body, the IHBC’s role is not only unfamiliar but outside the orthodox. Despite the paucity of formal recognition by heritage bureaucracies, there is growing recognition that our accreditation standard reflects the most universal descriptors of our members’ conservation practices, not least the 1993 ICOMOS Conservation Guidelines and World Bank project management models. We are making progress at the highest levels and the role of an interdisciplinary ‘conservation professional’ is gaining acceptance. Similarly, too, the barriers to multi-disciplinary membership bodies created by national vocational qualifications are in abeyance. This is most notable as our Education Secretary Chris Wood has successfully negotiated recognition for our members’ credentials through the standard Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) carding system for onsite workers. Until now, CSCS cards lay beyond our members’ reach precisely because of the diversity of skills across our core membership, where no single vocational qualification equivalence could be applied. Of course we’ve continued to focus on improving the kind of support we offer our members through services, information, regulation, networks and more. And our 25th anniversary is bringing huge clarity to that. For example, when adjusted for inflation IHBC membership costs less today than in 2004, the year we first established a professional executive, despite the increase in staff and all the new services. It is a credit to the IHBC – and absolutely typical of it – that it did all that without any recognisable financial support from the wider heritage world, just its own members investing in their future. And the revolutions continue, spurred on now by the enhanced standards of governance linked to our new Articles noted above. While the most familiar of IHBC services are tied to ‘coal face’ support of the most important sort, their future is intimately linked to the wider developments in our governance. In fact, as our new constitution is tied to our member and voluntary network, at once our most valuable resource, it is also tied to our recent achievements and future ambitions. One good example of the symbiosis across strategic governance and individual practice is how we can now advance our international strategy. The adoption of some sort of an international perspective and remit has been an aim of the IHBC since it was founded, not least because the foundations of our own multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary accreditation are rooted in global standards, as noted above. The old IHBC constitution formally barred us from investing in such activities. With our new governance and more open and transparent planning, development and accountability, we can now confront the widest of such challenges without unnecessary constraints. So, already – and in a very early manifestation of the new IHBC – we now have an international working group to help us grow that agenda. Not only are we starting to pursue the global remit here, but the volunteers that lead the working group now have a constitutional locus of a sort we could never offer before. For example working group members can report to our new Council, itself a newly constitutionalised tier of governance that is as nascent as the working groups themselves. Of course our recent achievements are not only tied to that constitutional progress, even if it does mean we have been able to move forward with much more confidence. We have also been working on a huge range of other stuff including: • our first ‘virtual’ AGMs and linked general meeting • new mechanisms and tools of governance to suit the new articles • newly-fashioned member services, including our twoday ‘virtual’ Brighton School, and the forthcoming blended Aberdeen School in June • the institution and development of the learning-led MarketPlace platform, allied to the annual schools but with the potential to live independently • our charity fund, the IHBC CREATIVE Conservation Fund • extensive collaborative work, not least joint Guidance for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment… ….and much more that I have to leave out due to space. One change has been contentious. The membership categories have been recast to focus on supporting early career progress and educational frameworks. This entailed introducing the new ‘Supporter’ membership category for those who are not applying for, or who do not qualify for membership as an Affiliate (see page 10). This change clarified the meaning of membership, but some members understandably felt that their familiar place in the IHBC was being challenged. As we have always made clear, that supposedly familiar place was in fact a long-standing illusion of ‘membership’ based mainly on a fee payment. As we grow, a firm solution was required, and with the inconvenience of that change now behind us, we will move forward with real credibility and clarity for members. Each year the IHBC’s board of trustees offers its special and sincere gratitude to the many volunteers, supporters, consultants and staff who have all contributed to the vast work programme over the year. Repeating those thanks here is a suitable conclusion to the update in this silver anniversary year! Seán O’Reilly is the Director of IHBC (director@ihbc.org.uk), joining in 2005 after working at the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. He has written, contributed to and edited numerous publications in architectural history and conservation.
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REVIEW AND ANALYSIS 21 ON THE EDGE JAMES GRUNDY AS THE new chair of the recently established All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Conservation, Places and People, I am delighted to introduce the themed articles of this edition of the IHBC Yearbook. The topics tie into the theme of June’s IHBC annual school in Aberdeen, which is ‘Heritage on the Edge’. The venue is appropriate. As a major port on the east side of Scotland, Aberdeen will always be associated with the North Sea oil rigs and fishing fleets it served, as much as with its Aberdeenshire hinterland where illicit whisky stills once flourished. Geographically and spiritually, it is a city on the edge. As the proud MP for the constituency of Leigh in the northwest of England, I see at first-hand how heritage is often on the edge of disappearing for good. An example is the high street in the town of Leigh itself. Some of it is in relatively good condition but other parts clearly need love and attention. Like many other towns in the north’s so called ‘red wall’, Leigh has a rich heritage dating back to the Industrial Revolution when the then mining town was a key part of the ‘workshop of the world’. This legacy includes the Lancashire Mining Museum, which boasts Europe’s largest surviving steam engine and the last standing pit head in the historic county. The constituency’s other historic environment showpieces include the Heritage Action Zone, which covers the main street of the town of Tyldesley, and Leigh’s Victorian Town Hall. It’s so sad we have lost some historic buildings but important that we preserve the ones we still have and ensure they are there for further generations to enjoy because I’m not sure we will ever be able to build buildings of such quality and grandeur again. How to harness some of the clear passion many people feel about the heritage of their local areas is one of the key objectives of the APPG, which was set up with the support of the IHBC just over a year and a half ago. The APPG’s first major piece of work is now concluding, its inaugural inquiry, which focuses on the ‘Value of Heritage’. With input from experts, the APPG has explored the economic, environmental and social benefits of heritage. We have also probed what is holding back efforts to regenerate historic communities and how heritage can dovetail with the UK government’s broader agenda of levelling up so called ‘left behind’ communities. These challenges are particularly pressing for high streets, which have been on the edge for decades owing to changes in shopping habits and consequent under investment. The decline of many historic high streets and town centres has been exacerbated by the pandemic. As the historic hearts of their communities though, these same high streets and town centres often contain rich legacies of heritage. To reverse the decline of high streets and help these historic places to adapt and consolidate, a radical overhaul is often needed. Heritage should be integral to these regeneration efforts. The inquiry has heard how restoring and finding new uses for treasured local landmarks can help to bolster a distinct sense of place, which many have grown to value even more during recent lockdowns. An example is Leeds’ Edwardian Bramley Baths, which after being threatened with closure is once again a hub for local health and well-being for its inner-city community. Finding fresh uses for old buildings like this can help to modernise and adapt our historic places for the needs of the 21st century and the new patterns of work and recreation, which have emerged in the wake of the pandemic. The inquiry has also focused on climate change, which features highly in this edition of the IHBC Yearbook, with one article on the achievements of COP26 and another that considers the importance of historic buildings from the perspective of embodied energy. Aberdeen faces acute economic challenges in coming years as the oil and gas extraction, which has sustained the city’s economy for the last half century, declines and is superseded by new sources of renewable energy in the North Sea. Other towns and cities in regions like my own native north-west have wrestled with similar economic transformations. As we continue work on the APPG’s exciting programme, I greatly look forward to working with you to help ensure the historic environment is seen as part of the solution to these profound challenges. James Grundy MP is the chair of the Conservation, Places and People APPG. The iconic pit head machinery of the former Astley Green Colliery, now The Lancashire Mining Museum, is the last of its kind in the county and on the Heritage at Risk register. (Photo: Shaun Brierley)
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