SPAB Magazine Summer 2024

The hidden history of buildings

Our long-established heritage team provides afullrange of conservation engineering services covering the inspection, assessment and repair of historic structure and infrastructure of all periods.

With national coverage we can help you manage the special challenges presented by historic buildings and maximise opportunities for their future use. Our team includes chartered structural &civil engineers, conservation accredited building surveyors and members of the conservation accreditation register for engineers (CAR E) whichidentifies specialist engineers skilled in the appraisal and repair of historic structures and sites.

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Welcome

Matthew Slocombe, Director

TThe hidden history of buildings is all there to be read but it often takes a sharp eye, careful study or cutting-edge research to yield the answer

he SPAB’s focus is on the fabric of buildings. The materials from which a structure is made offer a direct link to the past and teach us much about resources, construction skills, design – and people. Fabric also tells us too about changing lifestyles, alterations in taste and technological innovation. This evidence may lie in a superstitious marking, the form of a carpentry joint or the pencilled calculations of a past builder. The hidden history of buildings is all there to be read but it often takes a sharp eye, careful study or cuttingedge research to yield the answer. By protecting building fabric, we allow these stories to survive from one generation to the next, for each to explore and enjoy. The evidence offered by building fabric is solid and material, but we also value the intangible elements of buildings. Right from our beginning in 1877, we’ve promoted the worth of craft skills and the passingon of conservation knowledge. These things can sometimes be written down, but often survive best through oral traditions and observation. This is the essence of our Scholarship and Fellowship programmes, where learning occurs not just on site but in those after-hours discussions with the voluntary hosts who generously give their time and knowledge.

A step towards greater understanding and appreciation of intangible heritage has come recently with the UK government’s ratification, two decades after its establishment, of UNESCO’s Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. This comes into effect, in the UK, from 7 June. Ratification does not guarantee action, but it allows greater possibility for craft skills and oral traditions to be recognised and respected. A panel is due to be established, to review proposals for an inventory of the intangible. It could help to ensure that the often-hidden histories of threatened crafts such as flint-knapping, millwrighting or scantle-slating are not forgotten or ignored.

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Concern for historic windmills as Kent County Council consults on mass sell-off

We’ve written to Kent County Council about its proposal to sell off all eight historic windmills in its care. Like many other local authorities, Kent is facing ongoing financial challenges and trying to cut costs by disposing of its windmills.

We responded to its public consultation expressing serious concerns, including the worry that privately-owned mills might no longer be regularly open to the public, and that development of private land around mills could prevent them from ever working again. The sale would be a short-sighted measure that saved less than 1% of the Council’s revenue budget: £135k over six years, against an annual budget of £1.3bn. For barely a dent in the public accounts, we could lose access to Kent’s historic mills forever.

The current Kent Heritage Conservation Strategy details just how “exceptional” its windmills are “in terms of their high listing grades, their historic and regional significance, their architectural and technological excellent, and their mechanical completeness.” It sets out its commitment to looking after its windmills, promising to keep its four ‘active’ mills “in full working order” and to ensure its ‘static’ mills are kept stable so they can be “returned to working order over the long term, as funds become available”.

Mildred Cookson, Chair of the SPAB Mills Section, says: “Kent County Council Heritage Conservation Service department has an excellent record of mill care and most of the mills have had major work carried out to bring them back to a good working state. These mills should only need minor work and maintenance rather than major Council expenditure in the coming period. We urge that these important heritage assets are retained under its care.”

History Alice to join Kevin McCloud at the 2024 SPAB Heritage Awards

We’re delighted that historian, presenter and social media star Alice Loxton, a.k.a. History Alice, will be presenting the Best Loved Award as part of the SPAB Heritage Awards Ceremony this November. She’ll be joining writer, presenter, broadcaster and SPAB Ambassador Kevin McCloud on stage at the Grade II listed Barbican Centre, London, who will once again be hosting the Awards, sponsored by Storm Bespoke Secondary Glazing.

The Awards are open for entries until Wednesday 31 July, after which they will be reviewed by a panel of expert judges. Anyone can enter or nominate a favourite building for the Best Loved Award for a lovingly maintained building, the Sustainable Heritage Award, sponsored by Keymer Handmade Tiles, or the John Betjeman Award for places of worship.

Equally, anyone can enter or nominate an inspiring early-career craftsperson for the Building Craftsperson of the Year Award, sponsored by Owlsworth IJP. Architecture students and recent graduates can show

off their design skills by entering the Philip Webb Award.

Alice says: “The SPAB is an incredibly important organisation when it comes to heritage in the UK and Ireland, and I’ve learnt so much about historic buildings and heritage by working with them. I’m absolutely delighted to be partnering with the SPAB for the Best Loved Award this year, and I can’t wait to see which wonderful buildings are nominated!”

Enter the Awards at spab.org.uk/ get-involved/awards. Interested in sponsoring an Award? Email awards@ spab.org.uk

Spital Square and Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill open for heritage festivals

You asked – we listened! We’re grateful to so many of you for filling in our Audience Insights survey in late 2022, and one thing came back loud and clear: you all love visiting historic places. So, we’re opening two of our historic places this autumn to take part in two of the UK’s biggest heritage festivals. Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill will be open for free guided tours as part of Heritage Open Days, and we’ll be welcoming visitors behind the big red door of our HQ at 37 Spital Square as part of London’s Open House Festival. You can read more about both sites on pages 32 and 48. We hope that many of you will join us for both events – but this is also a great opportunity to tell the world about the SPAB. After attending Heritage Open Days in 2023, half of visitors felt inspired to volunteer in future, and two thirds of visitors said they intended to visit heritage sites more often. If you have friends, family members or colleagues in or near London or Leicestershire, please spread the word! Based elsewhere? There are heritage festivals all over the UK and Ireland this summer and autumn, so check out Doors Open Day in Scotland, Open Doors in Wales and Heritage Festival in Ireland. We can’t wait to see so many heritage sites fling open the doors and reveal their secrets. Don’t forget to check out the What’s On guide for more fascinating historic visits, organised by our Regional Groups across England and our national branches in Scotland and Ireland.

Right The Grade I listed Cranbrook Union Windmill, a smock mill built in 1814, is one of the mills under threat

Above Kevin McCloud, who hosted the 2022 SPAB Heritage Awards at Conway Hall, will be returning to host the 2024 Awards at the Barbican Centre

Above Historian Alice Loxton will present the Best Loved Award at the 2024 ceremony

Above The iconic red door at 37 Spital Square

Photo Ralph Hodgson Photo Alice Loxton

FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS

Introducing our 2024 Fellows and Scholars

Get to know this year’s cohort of craftspeople and conservation professionals as they embark on our unique training programmes, the Fellowship and Scholarship.

Fellows

Ellie-Jae Dobson is a bricklayer, but living in Yorkshire means she does more stonework than brickwork. As a bricklayer who now works primarily in stone, it makes sense that Ellie would want to do the Fellowship not only to improve her own craft but also to have the opportunity to try other crafts. She heard about the Fellowship from a SPAB Scholar now at the Landmark Trust while working on Calverley Old Hall. “I’m most looking forward to travelling the country, meeting expert craftspeople and gaining more experience onsite,” she tells us.

Marlène ‘Marly’ Lagnado is a stonemason who first heard about the Fellowship while working with 2001 Fellow and Master Mason, Mathias Garn, in Yorkshire. Marly attended our 2023 Boxley Working Party as a stonemasonry specialist and told us how much she would love to do the Fellowship, so we’re delighted her dream has come true this year. Marly comes from Alsace and first learned about old building repair from her father, a man passionate about preserving traditional Alsatian homes. She finds “comfort in looking at the old, historic things that surround us” in this “fast-paced” world. “We like old trees, old buildings, old stories,” she says. “They bring us back to reality. Our past is part of us.”

Jim Brearley-Ratcliffe is a carpenter who grew up in a ‘building’ family. “From a young age I learned to appreciate real craftsmanship and the kinaesthesia of working with tools.” He used to work

Above The 2024 Fellows and Scholars at SPAB HQ for the first day of their programmes. From top to bottom: Scholars Sarika Jhawar, Hannah Bass, Chloe Chambers and Jen Langfield, and Fellows Ellie-Jae Dobson, Marlène Lagnado, James Bull and Jim Brearley-Ratcliffe

NEWS

with modern buildings, but he recently made the switch to conservation and set up Fellridge, a family carpentry, roofing and masonry company that he runs with his brother Louie. Jim’s SPAB journey began when he bought a copy of the Old House Handbook . He was awarded a bursary place on the Repair of Old Buildings course in 2023, where he first heard about the Fellowship, and then deepened his involvement by attending that year’s Boxley Working Party as a carpentry specialist. “I value the SPAB as a home for my enthusiasm and am getting ever more involved and integrated into this community of optimistic, eccentric individuals,” he says. As well as becoming a Fellow, Jim has just co-founded our newest Regional Group in the Peak District with 2022 Fellow Steve Hogarth, so do join them for Members’ events in the area.

James Bull is a carpenter and our 2024 Millwright Fellow. Like other Fellows, James comes from a family of builders and has spent the past six years working with his dad Stephen at his company Historic Building Conservation and Repair, repairing listed Georgian buildings all over London. In that time, he also gained his NVQ in Heritage Carpentry Skills at the Prince’s Foundation. Stephen has been a SPAB Member for decades, so James grew up reading about our Fellowship programme in this magazine and attending our events. His was drawn to the Fellowship for its “in-depth and hands-on” learning opportunities and “to be immersed with specialists”. He’s looking forward to spending the Fellowship with “like-minded individuals who are as excited about conservation” as he is, and is particularly pleased to be discovering more millwrighting skills.

Scholars

Sarika Jhawar is an architectural designer whose conservation career began in India, where she became interested in how traditional construction methods can make buildings comfortable and sustainable. She studied how Kashmir’s traditional buildings perform in earthquakes and has a Masters in Vernacular Architecture. Since moving to

the UK, she has worked on barn conversions, alterations to listed properties and church reordering. “It’s the reuse and repair of old buildings that interests me most,” she says. She heard about the Scholarship from colleagues “who talked highly of how the programme transformed their lives”. She is excited about how the programme will impact her ability to work on historic properties in the future, equipping her with “practical insights to effectively communicate the right course of action to building professionals”.

Jen Langfield is a chartered architect based in Sheffield, whose conservation experience has been in residential work and small-scale community projects across the north of England. She heard about the SPAB while attending RIBA’s conservation course in 2019. “The SPAB Approach resonates with how I approach my work,” she says. Jen applied for the Scholarship “to broaden my awareness, reflect on my own approach and work alongside others who value collaboration” and “play my part in preserving traditional building crafts”. She’s also playing a role in preserving other crafts as a part-time tattoo artist!

Hannah Bass has been an architect for a decade and has focused on conservation

in the last few years. She has always been interested in the sensitive and sustainable repair and retrofit of older buildings, but now she really wants to properly understand “how traditional buildings are actually constructed” so she can “ensure that any retrofit measures are appropriate to the building fabric”. She applied for the Scholarship to learn this first-hand “rather than from behind a computer screen or from a book”. “The Scholarship is an opportunity I wouldn’t get anywhere else,” she tells us.

Chloe Chambers has spent half of her architecture career so far working in historic buildings, historic settings and community projects. She first came across the SPAB at university. “Once you get interested in conservation theory, the SPAB comes up pretty quickly!” she says. She has had her eye on the Scholarship since then and heard good things from colleagues over the years. “I am most looking forward to getting my hands dirty, having a go at some practical skills that I might not have seen on site before, and filling up my sketchbooks.” We can’t wait to see those sketchbooks at the end of the year!

Follow all their journeys on social media @spab1877.

by

Traditional stonemasonr y sk ills passed down through nine generations in the

are combined with cutting edge technology to better enable us to carry on look ing af ter the masonr y fabrics of our historic buildings

Hibbitt Masonr y, 126-128 Victoria Road, Cambridge CB4 3DZ

Proud to have helped restore and conserve Ancient Buildings and Monuments for over 130 Years

Hibbitt & Sons (Masonr y) Ltd was established in 1890

We are one of the oldest and most trusted companies in Cambridge employing and direc ted

S.P.A.B fellows. Pride and qualit y is in ever ything we do.

craf t,

Covering Cambridgeshire, Suffolk , Nor folk Essex, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Nor th & East London

Above Visit to Westminster Abbey with Ian Bartlett

Photo Sarika Jhawar

Prote cting Ou rH erita ge ,

Craft in gO ur Fu tu re

2022 SPAB Working Party at St Mary’s Church becomes part of an award-winning archaeology project AWARD

Congratulations to our friends at Caer Heritage whose Hidden Hillfort Project recently won a 2023 Archaeological Achievement Award for Engagement and Participation from the Council for British Archaeology. We’re proud that our Working Party at St Mary’s Church in 2022 was a part of the project, focusing on the medieval legacy of this Iron Age hillfort.

The project took place in the Cardiff suburbs of Caerau and Ely, two of the

most deprived wards in Wales, and involved local students, residents and heritage groups. The judges praised the project for using archaeology to “bring people together, helping to create a sense of belonging and togetherness that was previously missing, but sorely needed”. Our St Mary’s Working Party was an important part of that.

We found St Mary’s in a bit of a sorry state, having been neglected and subject to antisocial behaviour since the 1960s.

Despite this, St Mary’s is important to locals who still remember attending church there and is lovingly cared for by a Friends group. We spent a few days with local volunteers, undertaking vital masonry repairs to the tower, removing graffiti and installing soft capping to the top of low-level walls to provide protection from both rain and vandalism. Welsh stonemason and 2016 Fellow Thomas Kinghorn-Evans was one of the specialists on site. “These sorts of projects bring the community together,” he said. “When people realise that the site is important, they’ll take more care of it. The more people think that the effort and work they put in is going to be rewarded and appreciated, the more it will be looked after.”

A number of the volunteers were local school students who wanted to work in conservation or become archaeologists. One of the students said: “It’s really been fascinating, and hope some of the knowledge I’ve gained here can be applied in my future career.”

“I’ve always had an interest in history, particularly because I’m from a country like Wales which has such a rich history that dates so far back,” said another. Students particularly loved getting their hands dirty: “The more hands-on work I can do the better.”

“What Caer Heritage has achieved is exemplary,” said Special Operations Manager Jonny Garlick, who ran the Working Party. “With the community’s help, we’ve increased interest in the building, increased the love for the building, and I’m hoping that the community will get involved for many years going forwards.”

Many thanks to our funders, supporters and partners Cadw, St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff University and Tarmac. Find out more at caerheritage.org/ medieval-period

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Above and top Modern graffiti removal and soft capping at St Mary’s Church, Caerau

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GOVERNANCE

Stand to be a SPAB Guardian in 2025

Are you an expert in historic building adaptation or grant funding, materials conservation or education? Perhaps you work in a completely different field to heritage, but you own an old building or simply enjoy them as an enthusiast. If so, you could make a huge contribution to the SPAB by standing to be a Guardian, all the while meeting like-minded lovers of old buildings and gaining valuable professional experience. Guardians have a formal role in the SPAB’s governance structure and are volunteers who offer their time,

expertise and advice to help us do the best work we possibly can championing old buildings and the people who care for them. Our eight Guardian committees cover different aspects of our work and are made up of elected and appointed members, with at least a third of each committee elected by and from the SPAB membership. Elections take place each year and Guardians are appointed for three-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

This year, we have vacancies on the Education & Training (1), Technical &

Research (2), Mills (4), SPAB Ireland (4) and SPAB Scotland (2) Committees. If you have the skills, experience and enthusiasm to be a Guardian in one of these areas, please apply online by 9am on Monday 5 August. We will announce eligible candidates in the autumn edition of the SPAB Magazine and Members will be able to vote online or by post. Any questions? Email director@spab.org.uk or call 020 7377 1644

Apply now at spab.org.uk/members/ guardians

Meet Guardian Aoife Murphy, on our SPAB Ireland Committee

What’s your area of expertise?

I’m a chartered structural engineer working exclusively in the conservation of historical buildings in Ireland. I’ve just finished an MSc in Building Conservation at the Weald and Downland Living Museum and applied for my CARE accreditation (Conservation Accreditation Register for Engineers).

Why did you stand to be a Guardian? wanted to give back to the charity that offered me a wonderful education

in conservation as a SPAB Scholar in 2017. Without the help, guidance and contacts during my Scholarship year, I would have found it difficult to get into the industry. The programme helped me gain confidence in my abilities as a structural engineer and enabled me to adapt my experience repairing earthquake damage to conservation.

What have you found most rewarding about being a Guardian?

2017

It has been great to see SPAB Ireland get established and become recognised as a key player in Irish conservation in such a short time. Being able to contribute to that, and to use my experience, skills and knowledge to give back to the charity has been really satisfying.

Left Structural engineer and Guardian Aiofe Murphy sits on the SPAB Ireland Committee

Below Aiofe at All Saints church, Stanford, during her Scholarship year in

Brookwood

Old House Project Summer 2024

Above Mass dial

As work proceeds on the Old House Project (OHP), the building’s stories continue to be revealed. Last summer, an intriguing mark was found on one of the building’s walls. This was initially thought to be a superstitious symbol, but further examination suggests something different. The mark is close to the priest’s door at the southeast end of the 15th century chapel. This is a position where mass or ‘scratch’ sundials are quite often found on ecclesiastical buildings. Mass dials are circles inscribed (often quite crudely) into the wall surface, with lines to indicate times of the day. The dials are believed to have been used, in an era before clocks and watches, to show the moments at which masses and other services should be

celebrated. A shadow was cast onto the dial by a gnomon – a short stick located in a hole at the dial’s centre.

Our marking has all the attributes of a mass dial. We have shown an image of the mark to Ben Jones of the Sundial Society who keeps their mass dial register. He has kindly offered an opinion and agrees that the mark appears to be a dial. However, various puzzles remain. Mass dials generally face south and this one faces east. The lines to indicate times of the day are usually in the lower half of the circle, but in this instance, they are in the upper half. Most notably, the marking is inside the present building, not in the sun! It is likely that the stone in which the dial is inscribed has been repositioned, though its height

in the wall and relationship to the priest’s door are a surprising coincidence if it is merely a randomly re-used stone. A further possibility is that the dial was once on the outer face of an earlier building on the site, though this would not explain the divergence from conventional form and position. The story has one further twist. After an early 15th century doorway at the building’s east end – opposite the mass dial – had been opened up last summer, a small but carefully carved piece of wood was found resting in an open carpentry joint. This object was initially thought to be a peg or a needle of some kind. It is just possible, though, that this piece of wood was the dial’s gnomon. This may be fanciful speculation, but when the piece

PROJECT UPDATE

of wood was tried in the dial’s central hole it did seem to fit! If it is a gnomon, Ben Jones says it would be a rare and special find.

Our thinking about the dial has been largely speculative, but with the generous help of Historic England (HE), we have applied a more scientific approach to the understanding of other aspects of St Andrew’s.

Dendrochronologist Dr Martin Bridge, accompanied by Shahina Farid of HE who has commissioned and supported the research, recently returned to take samples from timber not previously accessible. As part of the visit, we made one further request of HE and this was generously taken up by Shahina. Our main gap in understanding of the building’s development is the post-Dissolution period from 1540 up to about 1700. There is little documentary information so far discovered for this period and little physical or architectural evidence either. It’s possible that the chapel was used as a dwelling, but with minimal change to its internal space. Some intriguing soot deposits exist in places around the buildings. These have been sampled by HE for further analysis. The hope is that radiocarbon dating will give a date for the upper layer of soot, which may offer additional clues about the way in which the structure was being used by its post-monastic occupants.

The SPAB helps secure reduced Welsh heritage funding cuts

After we and others in the sector wrote to the Welsh Government, it has agreed to reduce funding cuts for heritage organisations in its recent budget. While the cuts are still a painful 10.5%, this is much less than the 22% originally proposed, and brings the cuts in line with other arts and cultural organisations.

Christopher Catling, Director of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), wrote: “I am very grateful to the SPAB and to everyone else in

the heritage sector who wrote to the Culture Minister on our behalf – it was heart-warming to see how much we are loved and appreciated!”

Earlier this year, we had joined calls from the Twentieth Century Society, Historic Buildings & Places and the Council for British Archaeology urging the Senedd to reconsider sweeping funding cuts that would have put the country’s built heritage at serious risk of damage and decay. The final cuts are still a blow to the sector, which is already struggling with hugely

stretched budgets. Cadw’s Heritage Counts report showed that heritage supported over 40,000 jobs across the country, constituting nearly 3% of its total employment.

The RCAHMW and others are now asking for the Welsh Government to prevent the sector from being targeted for future cuts via a petition. If it reaches more than 10,000 signatures, it will be considered for a debate in the Senedd.

Sign the petition at petitions. senedd.wales/petitions/246088

Above Caerphilly Castle, looked after by Cadw, is part of Wales’ rich cultural heritage

A dive into Tenby’s rich history

Murray John and Gillie Evans recall 20 years spent conserving their Georgian house within Tenby’s Norman town walls

WHEN A LOCAL ESTATE AGENT

called in 2003 to say that 2 Olive Buildings, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, was on the market, he warned us that it needed modernisation. Murray knew the house and understood what the agent meant, telling him to take it off the market and that we would be there in the morning! The house was built around 1810 by a County Cork magistrate escaping threats to his life. Tenby had been in the doldrums from the late Middle Ages but

Left The front elevation showing the crown glass mostly saved by sympathetic repair

Below The 1960s extension, 19th century jettied loo and reinstated slate-hung walling over cork

Below The duct has minimal impact on the fabric and enabled optimum performance

Bottom A simple home-made trammel used to repair the cornice

at the end of the 18th century the risk of war restricted travel to France, and places like Tenby became popular middle-class holiday destinations. A public seabathhouse sparked the town’s popularity as a spa resort and explains the plan and characteristics of our house, the middle of a terrace of three.

No 2 Olive Buildings is double-fronted and on four floors. It has two rooms flanking a staircase on each level with a few smaller closet rooms on the upper

Above Dining room windows with draught strips and working shutters

Right In the basement all walls, floors and ceilings can now breathe and there is wood fibre insulation on the rear elevation

and half landing in the 1960s. Murray was born in Tenby and has memories of his grandparents in a similar house living almost entirely in the comfort of their basement.

UNDERSTANDING AND REPAIRING THE HOUSE

We washed the house down, scrubbed the floors and lived in it as found. Then we assessed the historic value from the fabric and documented its history. Integrity and ambience, however, were far less tangible. Many listed houses in Tenby have lost these two qualities, often converted into guesthouses and hotels with concomitant damage to their character. This one, though damp and in poor condition, looked like it could be recovered.

floors within the stair bay. For much of its early life it was let throughout the summer season to whole families arriving largely by sea. The top floors were bedrooms, and the ground floor was for meals set out under a splendid buffet arch. These were serviced from the basement kitchen, scullery and larder, almost entirely below ground level, by local staff. We were pleased to discover these rooms were mainly intact. A utility and bathroom were added to the ground

Work began room by room and with the help of a Pembrokeshire townscape grant, we re-roofed in slate, with 50% replaced, and rebuilt a chimney. Tenby bricks were often acquired from Bridgwater at that time. Trading across the Bristol Channel, Pembrokeshire shipped anthracite to Somerset returning with bricks as ballast. We arranged to visit the Somerset Brick and Tile Museum in Bridgwater with some samples and on the same day visited local salvage yards and found a perfect match. The basement floor was of half brick

skirting was recreated 12 cm from the wall, where the impact would be minimal. We made a zinc trammel, copied the mouldings in plaster of Paris and reset it in a new plywood arch with quadrant lions.

Lighting roses and sockets were located, as far as possible, in existing positions so new wires could draw through to minimise damage to lath and plaster. Floorboards taken up were screwed down through the original nail holes using black plasterboard screws. To reduce the heat loss in winter, we closely followed advice in the SPAB leaflet Repair of Wood Windows

We saved most of the crown glass, replacing only stops and parting beads with modern brushed ones, thus massively reducing the draughts and rattling. Shutters were also made to function effectively.

TACKLING THE EXTERIOR

on side – around 16 in thick, close fit with no grout, directly on washed fine sand.

Two hundred years of use left a richly undulating pattern with wear providing a record of where the sink, ovens and dresser had been located. The floor had been patched in concrete in the 1960s, so we removed this and repaired with our salvaged bricks to support all round ‘breathability’, knowing that unless all surfaces were moisture permeable, we’d have little chance of making the kitchen usable.

INTERNAL INTEGRITY

We kept samples of the wallpaper and linoleum we removed and would have liked to have left some in situ, but the lino especially was trapping damp from the basement where, as everywhere, chimneys were blocked, preventing ventilation. Under two layers of lino in one ground floor room we found a sodden Kidderminster carpet alive with silverfish! The next task was to update boilers, wiring and services generally. Horizontally, pipes and wires could be managed through the thickness of floors but vertically, an accessible rising duct had to be established for heating and soil pipes to a new internal bathroom. To do this, a short section of entrance wall, cornice and

The walls are of thick limestone with brick chimney, arches and quoins to openings. Traces of slate hung walling were found on the back wall – a common local finish on exposed south-westerly Pembrokeshire walls. This was reinstated in second-hand slate over an insulation of wood fibre and cork. This massively improved comfort levels within the building while keeping the walls dry.

The main doorcase was repaired, although the front elevation remains rendered in cement from the 1980s. Trials showed that it would have caused more damage to remove it than leave it for the time being. We think the front was originally harled with lime and pebbles with ‘Pembrokeshire yellow’ wash – traces are in evidence under the eaves – and returning the colourwash is a job for the future.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

We are now selling the house and hope someone drawn to its character will take it further. Some have looked at it and asked, “has it been tanked?” and wonder about the possibility of rebuilding the kitchen on the ground floor and opening it up to the garden. All this may be thought feasible but keeping the house’s patina, ambience and integrity will be crucial to any future changes. We will leave with many happy memories of this beautiful historic house.

Left inset The staircase has been unpainted for at least 70 years

Learning opportunities at the SPAB's Old House Project

Catherine Rose, Training Officer, discusses the wealth of education opportunities at our site in Kent

LEARNING HAS BEEN AT THE HEART of the Old House Project (OHP) since it was launched in 2019. This five-year venture was intended both as an exemplar of conservation best practice and a setting to offer practical training on the skills and materials used in the building’s repair. As a case study demonstrating how the SPAB Approach can be practically applied to turn a historic building at risk into a comfortable home, the lessons learned are valuable to a wide range of audiences, from craftspeople and conservation professionals to homeowners and caretakers.

Through a variety of educational and outreach activities, including public open days, working parties, site visits, virtual talks and practical courses, we have been joined – both on site and online – by hundreds of people keen to learn more about this special building and how to care for similar buildings they live in and work with themselves. We’ve made the most of learning opportunities at St Andrew’s (former) Chapel, running workshops, masterclasses and training days to correspond with every phase of the project, each drawing from a range of specialisms and firmly rooted in our conservation principles.

UNDERSTANDING THE REPAIRS

A central tenet of the SPAB Approach is that thought should precede action. Taking time to understand a building’s history, construction and design, together with any underlying structural issues, is vital before repair works can be carried out, but it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Several courses have addressed this theme, helping professionals and homeowners alike to navigate the

complexities of this process while sharing insights and lessons from our own OHP. Training days and masterclasses on investigation and research, surveying and repairing historic finishes, and structural proposals were each taught by leading specialists on topics including archaeological assessment,

archaeologist Graham Keevill, dendrochronologist Dr Martin Bridge and architectural paint researcher and conservator Phillipa McDonnell) while being shown the issues they describe up close at this live site. Although largely theoretical, these courses were presented through a combination of talks, site tours and, where applicable, hands-on activities. By engaging as many senses as possible, and making connections between abstract concepts and tangible materials, our OHP courses can help deepen participants’ understanding of these subjects, offering a holistic view of the SPAB Approach in action.

CRAFTSMANSHIP

Below left One of our course participants trying his hand at letter carving at our Stonemasonry Repairs course

Above Course participants learning from glazier Rob Croudace at our Window and Joinery Repairs course

Left Our distinctive tile repairs being carried out by a Stonemasonry Repairs course participant

Part of the reason we chose St Andrew’s (former) Chapel for our OHP was because it features such a mix of traditional materials, allowing us to offer practical, hands-on courses on a variety of skills, from glazing and traditional lime plastering to joinery, brickwork and stonemasonry repair. We run courses on these subjects at different locations around the country as part of our ongoing efforts to redress the decline of craft skills in the UK. While all our training is, of course, underpinned by the SPAB Approach, what has been particularly special about these OHP courses is they are presented within the context of a large repair project that is wholly guided by this conservation philosophy.

dendrochronology, bat surveys and legislation, 3D laser scanning, structural appraisals, soil monitoring, materials testing and historic paints and papers. Our course participants have found it particularly beneficial to hear from such a variety of experts (including surveyor and 3D scanning specialist Andy Beardsley, ecologist Katia Bresso,

Participants get to hear all about the project and what our investigations and research have revealed about the building from Special Operations Manager, Jonny Garlick. They can watch repairs being made by our contractors, Owlsworth IJP, before trying their hands at some themselves, from raking-out and repointing mortar joints to scarfing new timber to old, under the expert guidance of our tutors. Several of these tutors, including stonemason Jim Whitbread and joiner Callum McCaffrey, work for Owlsworth IJP, who have supported these educational activities throughout the project.

PASSING ON KNOWLEDGE

Developing and passing on knowledge are also central to the SPAB Approach, and these principles are exemplified by the learning centred around our on-site field kiln. Almost everything that is

This field kiln was built as part of a SPAB research project into local lime, ragstone and septaria. While sharing some of the findings of this research is an important feature of all OHP training days, a course dedicated to natural cement and septaria allowed for a more comprehensive exploration of the subject. Through a mixture of talks, demonstrations and hands-on activities learners enjoyed a deep-dive into the history, production and applications of these widely-used but poorly understood building materials. These sessions were led by Joe Orsi, historic buildings consultant and architect; Stafford Holmes, architect and Guardian; Scholar Hugh Conway-Morris, Jonny Garlick and Mark Murthwaite-Price.

taught at the OHP, whether theoretical or practical, requires an understanding of lime and its use in traditional mortars, renders and surface finishes. Course participants all spend time at our kiln (fondly nicknamed Katie by long-term OHP volunteer and kiln specialist, Mark Murthwaite-Price) learning about the different materials and processes involved in lime mortar production. They find out about how we carefully developed our own mortar recipe, closely resembling that used in the building’s original construction, which has been essential for the repointing and mortar repairs throughout the building.

In May, we hosted our Repair of Old Buildings Course delegates, following last year’s successful site visit. They spent time hearing from architect Mal Fryer, Owlsworth IJP stonemason Jim Whitbread, and glazer Rob Croudace and our staff, while witnessing the ongoing repair works up close. For many this was a highlight of the week-long Repair Course, helping to crystalise their understanding of the SPAB’s philosophy. As we enter the OHP’s final phase, plans for future courses centre around work to the inside of the building. Sustainability will be an important theme and we will be hosting training events on this important issue, as well as courses on subjects including thermal upgrading and interior finishes.

The OHP is an exercise in how the SPAB Approach can be carefully applied to breathe life into an old building like St Andrew’s (former) Chapel. Equally, by giving us these wonderful opportunities to share vital knowledge and skills, this beautiful but previously neglected building itself helps us bring the principles outlined in the SPAB Approach to life.

Left Leaded glass repairs at our Window and Joinery Repairs course

Above OHP volunteer and kiln specialist Mark Murthwaite-Price with 'Katie' the kiln

CASEWORK

Through our casework, we offer expert advice to architects, owners and local authorities on planning proposals involving listed buildings. As a National Amenity Society, we have a statutory role in the secular and ecclesiastical planning systems which means planning authorities must notify us of any application involving total or partial demolition work to listed buildings. We also welcome requests for pre-application advice. Our casework is one of the key ways we protect historic buildings for the future.

KINGSMILL HOUSE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Merlin Lewis

Grade II listed Kingsmill House in South Gloucestershire was brought to our attention in January this year. Historic mapping shows a mill on this site as early as 1496, although the existing building dates to the 1570s. Until recently it was thought that Kingsmill had been constructed as a single-bay, square plan building, which was then extended westward by the addition of two further bays in the early 17th century. However, new evidence has presented a challenge to this theory. Recent investigative works have revealed two sizeable fireplaces within the west side of the wall, previously assumed

to divide these early phases. On the ground floor, elements of a large, moulded fire surround have been exposed alongside later insertions, including a steel beam. The moulded surround shares stylistic similarities with an example dating to the late 16th or early 17th century at Cardynham House in nearby Painswick. An area of later masonry infill has also been uncovered, unbonded to the building’s southern wall. The rediscovery of the ground floor fireplace at Kingsmill is highly significant, allowing a re-evaluation of the building’s early development. Considering the findings, Cowper Griffith Architects suggest that the house constructed in the late 16th century in fact comprised two principal rooms either side of a central stack, with an additional service bay to its west end. This theory is supported by the survival of an early doorway within the north elevation, aligned to the central stack.

In such an arrangement it would not be uncommon to encounter evidence of a stair adjacent to the fireplace, servicing an upper floor, and the later masonry infill invited further examination in this regard. However, the uncovering of a second fireplace at first floor level provided a further insight into the evolution of the building. While smaller than the example at ground floor, the proportions and moulded surrounds of this fireplace suggest 17th century origins which are not easily reconciled against any stair rising from below.

The discoveries at Kingsmill House present an opportunity to better understand not only the building’s evolution but also its social history. Given that the site of Kingsmill had been purchased for a quit-rent (ie by its former tenant) towards the end of the 16th century, these

The rediscovery of the ground floor fireplace at Kingsmill is highly significant, allowing a re-evaluation of the building’s early development

refined fireplaces bear witness to the aspirations of the house’s early occupants, living at a time of considerable social change associated with the decline of the feudal system in England.

The case exemplifies the often-accretive development of historic buildings, and we have suggested the owners of Kingsmill House conduct further research to better understand how it has evolved over time. The reinstatement of the lost elements of the ground floor fire surround has been proposed, and in this case, we feel that sufficient evidence survives for this to be achieved without conjectural restoration. However, we have stressed that invasive works should be kept to a minimum, and that any new sections should remain distinguishable from the old in order to achieve an honest, legible intervention.

Above left Detail of the surviving moulded surround at ground floor level

Above Exposed ground floor fireplace at Kingsmill House

Left First floor fireplace

CLIFFORD’S TOWER, YORK

Jo Needham

It is just a little over two years now since Clifford’s Tower was reopened to the public following a major project to improve access, presentation and interpretation, and to repair and conserve the structure. In the development and consultation phases, we offered comment and advice on the emerging proposals, which in 2016 included: the erection of a visitor centre at the base of the motte; the introduction of a new roof deck and viewing platform; a walkways structure and associated works within the tower; improved access from street level; and conservation and repair works to the fabric.

Following strong opposition from various parties to the proposed visitor centre at the base of the motte, English Heritage took the decision to omit the visitor centre from the project altogether, and found alternative arrangements for ticketing and associated sales. A few years passed and in 2020 the necessary permissions and consents were granted for a revised scheme, with the works completed in 2022.

In our consideration of the case, we recognised from the outset the need to encourage visitors to stay longer on site. We also welcomed the comprehensive repair and conservation works package. We remained, however, unconvinced of the principle and the design of the roof deck/viewing platform/walkways structure because of its potential impact on significance, but also for technical (structural, environmental, maintenance and repair) reasons.

Clifford’s Tower had been an empty shell for well over 300 years following an explosion and fire in 1684. In our view, that event and the building’s continued ruinous state saw the tower subsequently accrue new additional layers of interest and meaning. In 2016, our Casework Committee considered that “the experience of walking into the keep with the sky framed above” was “striking and memorable” and that “the loss of the quatrefoil blue sky that one currently sees on entering the ruin would be regrettable”. There was

concern then, and again in 2020, that the proposed structure “would alter too greatly the current character of the interior space of the tower”.

In this case, we felt that there was perhaps insufficient discussion and analysis of the significance of the building as a ruin, and the philosophical, technical and other implications of the proposals thereon. We believed that the building had special and enchanting qualities as a ruin and that these would be significantly compromised or potentially lost as a result of the proposed scheme. We also wondered if the visitor experience would be negatively impacted, with reduced opportunities for discovery, imagination and joy. With the 2020 scheme fully implemented and operating, visitors now have the opportunity to ‘get up close’ to features and rooms which we are advised “have not been seen and accessible for centuries”; experience the tower’s history being brought to life through the improved presentation and interpretations; and experience 360-degree views of the skyline of the historic city of York from the roof deck and viewing platform.

Following the recent works and reopening in April 2022, both visitor numbers and the duration of visits have increased. The commitment to the comprehensive conservation and repair work must also be commended. But what is the impact of the proposals on the significance of the building, on its tangible and intangible qualities, and on how we view, experience and understand the building today?

The scheme has undoubtedly delivered a number of ‘benefits’ and has received praise from various quarters. Some of the ‘benefits’ might be argued as having revealed hidden heritage or better revealed significance. While we do not believe that it is possible to enhance significance, we do recognise that there could be circumstances where it may be possible and justified for proposals to better reveal significance. Crucially though, it is important to understand at what cost such works (often described as ‘benefits’) would come and what would be lost (both tangible and intangible) in the process. We are pleased to report, however, that a small delegation from the SPAB who recently visited were largely impressed by the interventions and observed visitors thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Clifford’s Tower New interior walkways

Photo Brian Deegan

Photo Matthew Slocombe

Photo Matthew Slocombe

HAY CASTLE, HAY-ON-WYE

Elgan Jones

Hay Castle is a building of great historical importance and has been continuously occupied for the last 800 years. The structure rises imposingly above the town on an elevated site with commanding views across the Wye Valley. A Marcher Castle with a turbulent history, it was first mentioned on this site in 1155. The Castle has an impressive keep dating from 1220 and a 13th or 14th-century gatehouse with a pointed archway and portcullis slot. The Castle was provisioned against Owain Glyndwr in 1403 but gradually lost its defensive function and became a gentrified residential dwelling following the construction of the Castle House wing in the 16th century.

Sadly, the castle later fell into decline. Repairs were carried out by W D Caröe in the early 20th century; however, the western half of the house was severely damaged by fire in 1939 and the eastern part suffered a similar fate in 1977. Further repairs were undertaken in the early 1980s to make parts of the site habitable, but for decades it remained in a semiruinous deteriorating state, engulfed in vegetation, security hoarding and littered with yellow hazard signs. Remarkably, features such as the oak medieval gate leaf survived in situ with its replacement 17th-century partner and wicket door –the oldest of their kind in the UK.

In 2014, we were invited to visit Hay Castle to meet with Hay Castle Trust and its design team to learn of their ambitious proposals to repair the structure and create a cultural centre for arts and training in the heart of the historic town. Importantly, the proposals also sought to reinstate the vital connection between the castle and the town. This was proposed through the reuse of the entrance to create a dramatic arrival point from the town, connecting to Hay’s market square with new steps and an accessible ramp carefully designed to minimise impact on the archaeology and aesthetic setting of the site.

direct rainfall. Sections of the timberwork, particularly at low levels, had decayed and needed repair.

The complex task of removing, repairing and reinstating the gates was carried out primarily by master craftsmen John Best and Guy Palliser of John Nethercott & Co. The repairs to the ironwork of the gates were carried out by blacksmith Peter Crownshaw. The timber repairs included intricate and complex scarf joints on both the inner and outer faces of the gates. The repairs incorporated techniques such as the

A critical element of the proposals was the conservation of the timber gates which would be repaired and returned to working order to be used again on a daily basis

Left A fitted board extension ready to be glued into position and supported by stainless steel rods

Below The east door following the timber repairs and prior to the plugging and the final toning-in of the new work

introduction of stainless-steel threaded rods and plates to provide additional strength between the new and old timbers. Concealed steelwork around the smaller wicket door was also introduced to support this ‘weak point’ around the inserted aperture.

The castle opened to the public in May 2022, coinciding with the annual Hay Festival, with the conserved gate providing an impressive entrance to the castle and its grounds. With thanks to John Nethercott.

A critical element of the proposals was the conservation of the timber gates which would be repaired and returned to working order to be used again on a daily basis. Fortunately, the gates appeared to have avoided any major restoration attempts or invasive repairs and had instead been supported by two horizontal wrought iron bars built into the ashlar masonry on either side. Being held shut also appeared to reduce stress on the fixings and sheltered the timber from any

Above The door prior to repairs

Above Arch perimeter repair using complex scarf joints

Hidden Histories

Matthew Slocombe explores the rich history of the SPAB’s headquarters

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE annual opening of our HQ at 37 Spital Square to visitors this September as part of the Open House Festival. It gives us the opportunity to welcome you to explore the interior of this wonderful Grade II listed Georgian house, learn more about our work, and the fascinating history of previous owners and occupiers of the site. It is also a time for the sharing of stories and recollections, and discoveries of past episodes in the house’s history. We often learn as much valuable information as we convey. A good example of this was when descendants of the Greenstein family, Russian Jewish leatherworkers, who lived in the house in the early 20th century visited a few years ago and revealed their ancestors’ connection to the house. We had no prior knowledge of the Greenstein’s occupation, but they were able to show us that the building’s fabric harboured

evidence of marks on the surrounds of internal doors where Jewish mezuzahs were once fixed. These small capsules, set at a slight slant, contained a tiny scroll with text from the Torah and are conventionally put in place within the first month of a building’s occupation. Members of the family went on to donate the brass business plaque inscribed ‘PURSE MAKER’, that had once been attached to No 37’s front entrance. These tangible links with the past are very important to us and have enriched our understanding of this period of the house’s past life. We hope for further discoveries of this kind as we piece together its layered history.

TRADING TALES

No 37 Spital Square, London E1, stands right on the border between the Corporation of London and Tower Hamlets borough. It is liminal in many respects: part City, part East End; part

English, part French; part ancient, part modern; and part evident, part hidden. Visitors to No 37 generally view it as a remarkably unchanged Georgian townhouse. Its intact panelling, six panel doors, sliding sash windows with shutters and eared fire surrounds all point to a construction date of 1740. No 37 was a substantial house, but typical of those built by successful Spitalfields silk merchants in the 18th century. These merchants, including Peter Ogier who is believed to have had No 37 constructed, were immigrants to England. The Ogiers, like many other families in the area, were Huguenot refugees who had left continental Europe under religious persecution and quickly re-established themselves as skilled craftspeople and entrepreneurs in a new home on the edge of London.

The silk trade flourished in Spitalfields from the start of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th. Huguenots lived at No 37 throughout this time. Robert Senecal was the last, remaining until the 1880s and still employing “40 hands” in the silk trade, but by the end of the century, fabric manufacture had gone. The house subsequently became the home of people who were part of a new wave of immigration including the Greensteins.

Close inspection of the building’s fabric reveals other clues to its past. The best room on the building’s first floor has a fireplace that is not from the original construction date of 1740 but from c. 1800. An insurance certificate held at London’s Guildhall shows that the site was in dual occupation by this time. Mrs Mawer, a “gauze stifner”,

No 37 Spital Square…

is part City, part East End; part English, part French; part ancient, part modern; and part evident, part hidden

Above Brass plaque of M. Greenstein purse maker

Left The front door and steps of 37 Spital Square

Below far left A Greenstein family wedding, c. 1915

presumably producing chiffon gauze to decorate silk dresses, was one of the occupants. Alongside Mrs Mawer, the insurance record suggests that the main occupant was a Mr Gahliē. It’s perhaps fortunate that no physical trace of his occupation remains since he was an 18th century surgeon and quite possibly carried out surgical operations or experiments in the house. Coroners’ records from the time show that autopsies were among his duties. Less macabre was his collection of “printed books”, valued at a substantial £200. Apart from the fire surround, no trace of Gahliē or his patients remains in the building. However, paint analysis by Patrick Baty, undertaken as part of decorative work in 2013, showed the many layers of ‘stone colour’ (a creamygrey off-white) that had been used throughout the interior during the 18th and 19th centuries. The 2013 work, overseen by Scholar-surveyor Alan Gardner and undertaken by builders Lodge & Sons, also produced evidence that there had once been a near disaster within the building. In the mid 20th century, part of the house had been used as an electrical repair shop. When floorboards were lifted in 2013, a charred electrical fitting and evidence of fire damage were revealed. Fortunately, the fire must have been put out before serious damage was caused.

Far left 1740s panelling in a state of disrepair when we took the building on in the 1980s

Left 1740s panelling with Regency chimneypiece now

Right Silk taffeta robe a l’anglaise, woven in Spitalfields, London, 17751780, Flynt Center of Early New England Life, Deerfield

We often learn as much valuable information as we convey. A good example of this was when descendants of the Greenstein family, Russian Jewish leatherworkers, who lived in the house in the early 1900s visited and revealed their ancestors’ connection to the house

DECIPHERING THE CLUES

Similar near-misses seem to have occurred during World War II. Blast damage to the building’s windows is shown in wartime photographs of 1944, but the only trace remaining today lies in some low-grade replacement window glass. After World War II and until the 1970s much of the building was occupied by Ince and Sons, the UK’s longestestablished umbrella manufacturer.

Photographs from this period in the London Metropolitan Archive show the building down-at-heel. A more impressionist record of the house at that time lies in the childhood memories of the firm’s current head, James Ince, who recalls navigating the building’s dark and warren-like interior. The basement was probably not accessible to the young James Ince, since it was not deepened and made usable until the SPAB’s occupancy in 1980, but it holds some important clues to the building’s pre-Georgian past. Part way up one basement wall, buried in the masonry and with only its end grain showing, is an ancient timber. The reason for its presence is not entirely clear, but it is quite possibly the remnant of an earlier timber-framed building on the site. Before the 18th century, most houses in the Spitalfields area were timber-framed. Map evidence suggests that those on the site of No 37 faced east-west, rather than the north-south of

Above Embedded timber found at no 37

the present building. The whole area was then known as Spital Yard, a name which is preserved in the small dead-end street immediately to the west of No 37.

The pre-Georgian buildings on No 37’s site appear to have had small courtyards across the present Spital Yard and onto what is now the site of a large modern office block facing the main thoroughfare, Bishopsgate. When foundations for this Bishopsgate block were dug, archaeologists found backfilled cesspits containing various fascinating objects. Among them were the cores of animal horns – the horn itself was used for objects from clothing to furniture, and sometimes even as a cheap substitute for window glass.

FROM ALE HOUSE TO HOSPITAL

Also in one of the pits was a very early wine bottle, bearing the seal T&A Kent with a King’s Head. This seal belonged to Thomas and Ann Kent who ran the King’s Head public house in Fleet Street in the 1650s. The bottle dates from this time and as such is from the earliest period of glass wine bottle manufacture in London. Bottles bearing a seal at this date were more like decanters than disposable modern bottles and remained in use until they were damaged. The Spital Yard bottle, now in the Museum of London’s collection, has damage to its base. Given its date and location, it seems likely that the bottle was taken as debris from Fleet Street after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and dumped in Spitalfields. Spitalfields was low lying and boggy in the medieval period and the ground level has been raised artificially by around six feet to make it less damp. Great Fire debris would have served usefully for this purpose.

Spitalfields had its own King’s Head, far closer than the Kents’ tavern. In A Banquet of Jests (first published 1630) two characters leave Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre and go to the “King’s Head at the Spittle Gate” close by. The Spital Gate had formed the entrance to the great priory hospital of St Mary. No 37 stands on part of its south transept, with the nave running along what is now Spital Square.

Extensive archaeological investigation by MoLAS, now MOLA, in the 1990s,

that took place as part of the area’s redevelopment, established much of the priory’s historic layout. The hospital housed the sick of medieval London, and the area is named after the ‘Spital’ in ‘Hospital’. The priory hospital’s presence is the reason why the ground beneath No 37 is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. A hint at the site’s hidden history lies in the area’s current street layout which carries echoes of the priory building’s plan. Above ground, there is now little trace of the priory, but some of the smaller stone paving slabs in No 37’s courtyard are believed to be medieval and re-used. There is also a beautifully carved and re-set stone corbel in the basement, almost certainly of priory origin.

No 37 links us to past building traditions and the riveting history of the evolution of Spitalfields and serves as a living case study for our work. We are very proud to continue to add to its story

Medieval people were not the first to live or be buried on No 37’s site. London was an important Roman settlement, and No 37’s plot is due north of the single Roman crossing point of the river Thames. Gracechurch Street, which becomes Bishopsgate, is on the line of a main Roman road through the city. During the Roman period, the area that is now Spitalfields, being outside the city wall, was used for brickmaking – and also for burial.

A HYBRID HISTORY

In 1999, the MoLAS archaeological excavations yielded an astonishing Roman discovery within metres of No 37’s rear wall. This was a high-status stone sarcophagus which, on discovery,

was still sealed. The coffin opening allowed a ‘Howard Carter’ moment for Dr Simon Thurley – now Chair of the National Heritage Lottery Fund but then Director of the Museum of London. The opening lived up to expectation. The sarcophagus contained a secondary coffin of elaborately decorated cast lead. Inside was the body of a woman, as well as grave goods including gold, silk and bay leaves. The 1990s were early days for radio isotope analysis in archaeology, but the technique was used to help understand the woman’s origins. It suggested that she was not merely a Roman Londoner, but a Roman Londoner born in Rome. Her final resting place, as for many others from her era, was within a stone’s throw of the present No 37 Spital Square.

The hidden history of No 37 has a further twist. Its current address results from a Post Office renumbering of the ‘square’ in the 19th century. No 37 was originally No 36!

We acquired the building in 1980 from the Spitalfields Trust, who had rescued it from decay and potential demolition in the 1970s. We undertook a major repair project under the guidance of architect Julian Harrap. No 37 is an intriguing historic building that links us to past building traditions and the riveting history of the evolution of Spitalfields and serves as a living case study for our work. We are very proud to continue to add to its story.

37 Spital Square will be open for Members and the public as part of this year’s Open House Festival on Saturday 14 September 2024. https://open-city.org.uk/open-housefestival-2024

Above Robert Senecal

Right Hallway with Victorian coloured glass light

Above Rosabel Senecal

S K I L L I NGTONS

SPECIALIST CONSERVATORS

ARCHITECTURAL STONEWORK

STATUARY AND MONUMENTS

DECORATIVE PL ASTERWORK

ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS

MOSAICS

Leighton

Listed

Archaeological investigations at the Old House Project

Graham Keevill, Lead Consultant Archaeologist for our Old House Project at St Andrew’s (former) Chapel and neighbouring Boxley Abbey, in Kent, spoke to Tessa Wild about the myriad discoveries

Could you tell us about your career as an archaeologist?

I got the archaeology ‘bug’ very early on – my family would visit old churches and excavations on holiday in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seeing Martin Biddle’s dig at Winchester Cathedral clinched it for me. They were excavating the cemetery over the Old Minster at the time, and it was a stupendous sight to my young eyes. From then on, I only ever wanted to be an archaeologist, and here I am, years later, still going strong. I did an archaeology degree in the late 1970s and have been working in the field ever since. I’ve worked on some amazing sites, including the Tower of London, Salisbury Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral, and Christ Church, Oxford, but I must say the Old House Project (OHP) and Boxley Abbey rank right up there with them all.

How did you get involved with the SPAB and the OHP?

Like many in the heritage sector, I’d been well aware of the SPAB for years and had helped with a seminar or two. My involvement with the OHP, though, came about because of my role as the Cathedral Archaeologist just down the road at Rochester. I was delighted to be asked to help, not least because I already had a lot of relevant contacts with Historic England (HE), the local planners and the archaeology team at Kent County Council.

Can you tell us about your role as consultant archaeologist at the OHP?

There are several strands to my involvement. St Andrew’s (former) Chapel is a Grade II* listed building, so we had to work hard to get the best possible understanding of its long and complex history to achieve listed building consent for the repair and alterations we’ve carried out. That’s required a long and ongoing process of recording and research, taking every opportunity to examine the fabric of the building – especially when it’s been necessary to ‘open up’ previously untouched areas (often for centuries) to see what was hidden there. At the same time, I had to cover the below-ground archaeology, and that really did have to

Above Excavating the section of wall to the south of St Andrew’s (former) Chapel

Restoration and conservation specialists offering a complete range of services for heritage properties.

Stonemasonry

Brickwork

Terracotta repair

Terracotta replacement

Lime plaster

Rendering

Joinery

Lime render

Carpentry

Lime washes

Decorative painting

Metalwork

Leadwork

be a ‘from first principles’ study.

I’ve also been involved in detailed discussions with officers from HE and the local planning and archaeology teams, to make sure all the necessary approvals for our work have been in place. At Boxley Abbey, this has included getting Scheduled Monument Consent each year that we’ve been working there, because the whole site is a protected archaeological monument.

Had any archaeological investigations been undertaken prior to the SPAB’s ownership?

After the past few years of activity, it might seem hard to believe that the OHP had been unoccupied – abandoned, in

effect – for around 50 years before that. The site was pretty much a jungle, and it would have been all but impossible to study it in any meaningful way. The Kent Historic Environment Record (a catalogue of archaeological work in the county) doesn’t mention any previous work here. We do know that at least two experts on the archaeology of Cistercian abbeys had taken an interest in the building and its relationship to Boxley Abbey, and there’s an excellent PhD thesis on the history of the site as a whole – but the chapel itself hadn’t been studied at all before the OHP started. This meant it presented a wonderful opportunity in every sense.

One of the key elements of the OHP has been the Working Parties, which have been attended by professionals and enthusiasts. How have you shared your knowledge and skills?

I’ve always been committed to sharing my knowledge and experience. That can be through relatively simple things, such as getting people involved in our excavations – we did that from the outset – and showing them everything that is needed, from the digging right through to doing drawings and taking photos. At the same time, it’s been important to explain why we do things in particular ways and the consents we

Above The intact 13th century mosaic tile found by Craig Cope at St Andrew’s (former) Chapel in March 2021

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Above The doorway discovered behind a later fireplace

need to get. These aspects are particularly important for people from other professions: architects, engineers, those involved in site management, and a wide variety of other disciplines. Explaining how archaeology fits in with what they do, and what to expect from archaeologists, is a vital part of my work at the Working Parties.

It’s just as crucial to share our results as we find things. My wife, Cathy, is also an archaeologist, and pottery is one of her main specialisms. She’s brilliant at explaining the differences between pots of different periods – Roman, medieval and later, for example – and the features to look out for that help us tell one from another. I know a lot of people

working on the OHP have loved that level of interaction and have learned from her expertise.

What have been the principal discoveries? At the OHP, I’d say that Martin Bridge’s work on the dendrochronology has been of paramount importance. The dates

Arguably our most important find of all was the intact 13th century mosaic tile, found in March 2021 by a young volunteer, Craig Cope

he’s been able to get for the timber framing in parts of the building have completely and dramatically changed our understanding of the chapel. It seems clear that the small timber-framed block at the south-east corner of the OHP is actually earlier than the stonebuilt chapel. I think it’s fair to say that we’re still processing the implications of this, and I’ve no doubt that the building still has more to tell us.

One example of an unexpected reveal came when we started work on the east wall of the timber-framed block. Opening up here showed that parts of the timberwork were in poor condition, but we also found out that the brick chimney stack had been built around (and thus preserved) the original timber door frame at what must have been the entrance to the block originally. This was a huge leap forward in understanding how the building functioned, but it also meant we had to rethink the design of this area. There have also been lots of small details – not necessarily vital individually, but taken together they have helped us to understand how the chapel changed and grew in the wake of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Boxley Abbey was closed in 1538, and the raison d’etre for the chapel disappeared overnight. One key piece of evidence came from an unusual place: the roof space over a late 19th century extension on the north-west corner of the building. The roof here was stripped and retiled during the Working Party in 2020. This allowed us to see areas of chapel wall that were otherwise completely hidden by the roof. Thus, we could see the straight joint between the original north-west corner of the chapel and a new wall running west from it. This was part of the enlargement needed to

Above Excavating a pit against the east wall of the building. Late 15th century pottery was found close to the foundations and the teapot at a higher level

convert the cramped medieval buildings into a private residence.

Another intriguing discovery came about almost by accident (a remarkably common theme in archaeological work) during the 2022 Working Party. It had always seemed strange that the chapel was so isolated during the medieval

Left The straight joint between the NW corner of the chapel and its western extension, exposed when the ‘post office’ roof was stripped

Below left Martin Bridge taking dendro samples

Below The 18th century teapot found on site

fitted into the monastic landscape, but the dating evidence and materials used in the wall’s construction certainly suggest that it is of medieval date. From the earliest days of the project, we had debated whether the building had been a gatehouse chapel, associated with the outer precinct wall for the abbey. Is this what we found in 2022?

We would need a much bigger excavation to prove the point either way, but it’s an intriguing prospect.

Can you tell us about the various object finds? What do these mean in terms of a greater understanding of the place and those who have lived and worked there in the past?

We have found quite a lot of Roman pottery and tiles at the abbey excavations. They are very distinctive, especially in comparison with their medieval and later equivalents. It has long been known that the builders of the

abbey reused Roman building materials when putting up the new monastic complex in the 12th century – indeed, some have suspected that it was partly founded around a ruinous Roman structure. Our finds can’t support that idea, but they certainly add to the growing body of evidence for Roman activity in the immediate area where the Cistercians would come to build.

Probably the loveliest single find from all our work so far came from the Working Party excavations at the abbey in 2023. It’s only small – a few centimetres long – and, at first sight, looks like a simple handle. In fact, it features a quite accurately rendered horse’s head, with applied clay strips imitating a bridle and bit. The piece dates from the 14th century and is very unusual. It’s of very high quality and must have been a reasonably high-status object.

period, well away from the core area of Boxley Abbey. In 2022, we needed to excavate a small pit to the south of the OHP, where a new drainage feature was planned. It was a major surprise when we found a large stone wall running east-west, parallel with the building. We don’t yet know for sure how this

Arguably our most important find of all was the intact 13th century mosaic tile, found in March 2021 by a young volunteer, Craig Cope. In a way, it was also the most gratifying discovery because I’d been explaining to the team on site at the time what kind of things I was looking for, and how they could be recognised. Medieval floor tiles are usually very distinctive in appearance, especially when glazed. So it was a delight when Craig said he might have found something. He had indeed: our now well-known mosaic tile. It is hugely important for at least two reasons. First, we know that a medieval tile kiln was found in one of the fields next to the OHP during the 1920s – this had produced the floor tiles for which Boxley Abbey became well known (and they were supplied to Rochester Cathedral, Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral). Second, Peter Tester found a tile at the abbey itself in 1971, which was of exactly the same type, to the extent that they had clearly been formed from the same mould.

Finally, I think I should go back to our first fieldwork at the OHP, during that summer’s Working Party. We had some very good finds, but perhaps the best of them was an 18th century teapot. It’s lost its handle, spout and lid, but is still a fine piece, and pretty unusual in an excavated context.

What has been the most challenging and exciting part of the project?

At its best, archaeology doesn’t recognise any ‘boundaries’. We are looking at a single continuum across the past – albeit sometimes within fairly obvious limits, whether historic or geographical. Similarly, we don’t (or shouldn’t) see boundaries between different aspects of a site. To me, there’s no distinction between the below-ground remains and the standing building at a site such as the OHP – and the current surface is really just an interface between the two.

If anything, the chapel as a building has perhaps ‘behaved’ more like belowground archaeology, with so many crucial details of the building’s history and appearance literally buried under later layers of plaster or brick. The careful unravelling of those details, while respecting the need to preserve the maximum amount possible of its fabric in situ, has been an immense, but also very rewarding, challenge.

Does the site still hold hidden histories? Is there anything you had hoped to discover that still eludes you?

Oh yes, there’s still plenty to find at the OHP, I’m sure of that. In some ways, we’re still looking for the ‘silver bullet’ that will help us unlock all the twists and turns of its history… but, in the meantime, we’ve got enough to be going on with!

As for an elusive element, two things strike me there. First, it would be nice to have some firm proof of the OHP’s medieval use as a chapel. I don’t think any of us seriously doubts that any more, but it would be great to find something like the remains of a medieval altar, or an obviously religious artefact in a context that inescapably links the building back to the abbey. The second point is similar and goes back to the wall we found in 2022: we haven’t really been

In some ways we’re still looking for the ‘silver bullet’ that will help us unlock all the twists and turns of its history

able to tie down the precise relationship between the chapel, the abbey and the contemporary landscape around them. We’re a lot further forward than we were five years ago, for sure – but it would be nice to make even more progress.

Alongside Graham Keevill as Lead Consultant Archaeologist, various archaeological groups have helped the SPAB with work at the Old House Project and Boxley Abbey Working Parties. These include the Kent Archaeological Society, Maidstone Area Archaeological Group, Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group and Kent Underground Research Group. We have also compared notes with, and appreciated input from, the Vernacular Architecture Group and Surrey Buildings Research Group. We are also grateful to Historic England for supporting Dr Martin Bridge’s dendrochronology.

Right The 14th century horse’s head found at the 2023 Boxley Working Party

Handmade at Horchester Farm, Dorset

A Flourishing Future

From explosive flour to endangered crafts, Rachel Stoplar looks back at milling history and considers the ongoing importance of windmills following the opening of Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill

IF YOU GO TO THE VILLAGE OF KIBWORTH Harcourt in Leicestershire for Heritage Open Days this September, you might see a strange sight. The sails of the historic windmill are no longer turned by the wind. Instead, on open days like these, they’re turned by the arms of a small group of dedicated volunteers. The obvious question is why? To answer that, we need to sail back to the 1880s and the advent of steam-powered mills.

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF TRADITIONAL MILLS

In pre-industrial Britain, every village would have had one or two windmills or watermills, grinding grain into flour for its human residents, and bits of bran for animal feed. But new technology rang their death knell. Windmills started rapidly disappearing from the landscape, going from ubiquitous and essential agricultural structures to increasingly rare relics of a bygone era. Traditional milling businesses couldn’t compete with the new industrial processes and began to fold. With windmills no longer profitable or viable, who would invest time, money and energy in looking after a historic machine that had been superseded by something newer, better and more efficient?

In 1929, we decided to do something about this. We launched a campaign to save Britain’s surviving windmills, and in 1931 the SPAB’s Windmill Committee was born, the precursor to today’s Mills Section.

In Leicestershire, Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill had survived a few decades of the industrial milling revolution, but by the 1910s-20s, its condition was in decline. It was owned by Merton College, Oxford, who, as Lords of the Manor, leased it out to a local miller on an annual basis. Now that it was no longer a working flour mill, Merton faced the same dilemma that so many other mill-owners have confronted before and since: what do you do with a redundant

mill? Fortunately, there was now a national heritage body dedicated to windmills, and rather than knock it down Merton donated it to the SPAB in 1936.

SAVING KIBWORTH’S WINDMILL

Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill was saved from destruction, but it wasn’t yet out of the woods. Bits of the roof were missing, the weatherboarding was broken and the sails were damaged. We carried out some emergency repairs in the 1930s, bolting quarter bars in place so that the mill stayed standing, and installed new weatherboarding in the 1970s to protect it from the elements. But half a century of British weather took its toll and when one of the sails dropped off the mill in 2017, it was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. It was only subsequently that a generous bequest provided the funds for a comprehensive six-month repair project and finally, in 2022, Kibworth Harcourt

Above The sorry state of the mill when it was donated to us in the 1930s

Volunteers showing visitors around the mill on a sweltering September weekend in 2023 for Heritage Open Days

Post Mill was removed from the Heritage at Risk Register. Now, we are able to open it up to visitors.

Which brings us back to Heritage Open Days, and those human-powered sails. Despite the epic repair project undertaken at Kibworth, the new sails don’t yet catch the wind as the sloping ground is preventing both the buck and the sails from turning fully. As it’s an historic site, we need to do a geophysical survey to check if there’s anything of significant archaeological interest hiding just under the surface. Then we can finally level the ground so that the buck can turn its full 360° and the sails can face and catch the wind. In the meantime, our volunteers manually turn the sails 450° each week to drain out any sitting rainwater and keep them in good working order.

Although Kibworth is operational for the first time since the 1930s, its historic machinery is still too fragile to mill flour.

Top left The forlorn mill in 2021 after one of the sails had fallen off and the others had been removed

Above left Scaffolding up in June 2021

Above Turning the post in 2022 was produced,” says 2021 Millwright Fellow Toby Slater. They don’t do that if only the shell remains.

The important thing is that Kibworth has been protected both from decay and conversion – we won’t be stripping Kibworth of its machinery to convert it into a quirky Airbnb or holiday let!

SIFTING THROUGH HISTORY

Converted windmills can still be beautiful elements of the landscape, their distinctive silhouettes punctuating the horizon. But visiting an operational mill like Kibworth Harcourt is something else: an exhilarating crash course in agricultural, technological and social history. “Mills show how we once lived, how we once worked, how our food

the green energy revolution that’s now taking place. Windmills like Kibworth are precursors to those wind turbines that now form the largest source of renewable energy in the UK.

Windmills also provided inspiration for less obvious technological developments. As science broadcaster Hannah Fry notes in her BBC documentary series, The Secret Genius of Modern Life, the flour particles in a windmill could be “more explosive than gunpowder”. Once suspended in the air as dust, there would be so much oxygen surrounding each flour particle that it would burn and “quickly ignite the other particles suspended in the air around it”. And as Graham explains, “there was a very real risk that if the millstones were turning too fast, a spark could ignite the particles in the air and cause an explosion”.

In the 1880s, the cyclonic centrifugal dust collector was invented to separate out the flammable lighter particles from the heavier ones. This inspired none other than Sir James Dyson to invent his patented vacuum cleaner. The cyclone prevented the dust clogging up his new Dyson, making it more efficient.

Windmills were also a stepping stone in the development of helicopters. The turning of windmill sails showed early aeronautical engineers how rotary wings and autorotation could work – technology that would later enable a helicopter to lift vertically into the sky. “The sails have

Mills are monuments of ingenuity that show what can be achieved by harnessing free energy from our environment… They are the beginnings of what we now think of as green energy

the dangers they posed. It was only when we woke up to the painful reality of climate change that we looked for solutions from windmill technology. In this brave new world of carbon footprints and net zero, who knows what else humble windmills like Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill might offer to the engineers of the future.

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION

“People think of windmills as buildings, but really they are massive machines using technology from 400 years ago,” says Graham Watts, a Kibworth local who leads our team of local volunteers on site. That technology was designed to grind wheat, to make flour, to bake bread, but it can be harnessed and adapted for other uses. If you’ve seen one of the 11,000 wind turbines now generating energy across the UK, you’re probably thinking of one use in particular.

“Mills are monuments of ingenuity that show what can be achieved by harnessing free energy from our environment,” says 2023 Millwright Fellow Daniel Cheetham. They are “the very beginnings of what we now think of as green energy” and an obvious source of inspiration for

a twist like the propellor on a ship or aeroplane,” Graham points out on our visit. It’s easy to visualise how this ingenious design could be transferred from one technological application to another. We can’t yet know what else we might learn from traditional mills. When they were first being replaced by industrial ones, few thought that the former were anything other than obsolete. We were in thrall to the magic of fossil fuels and oblivious to

Despite all the challenges they have faced, there are still hundreds of windmills and watermills across Britain, all of which need expert maintenance and repair. The people for the job are millwrights who build, install, repair and maintain wind and watermills. Millwrights are skilled in a wide range of specialisms, including engineering, surveying, carpentry, bricklaying, blacksmithing, millstone dressing, machining and steeplejacking. But there are now just 11 full-time professional millwrights in the UK, nine short of the minimum number needed to maintain these unique structures, and millwrighting has been on the Heritage Craft Association’s Red List of Endangered Crafts since 2019. Mills need millwrights. If the craft is at risk, the buildings will follow.

Left Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill today

Far left Millwrights Dorothea Restorations attach the newlycrafted sails to the buck in May 2022

The repair project at Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill was a fantastic millwrighting training opportunity. The bequest that funded the repairs also funded a new strand to the SPAB Fellowship, dedicated to millwrighting. “Millwrighting skills need to be passed on with hands-on learning,” explains Mildred Cookson, Chair of the Mills Section and a miller herself. “You can’t learn this job from reading books, and you can’t learn the skills overnight.” Millwrighting used to be a family business, and long-established firms would train the next generation of millwrights through apprenticeships. But many of these companies have gone out of business and the sole traders that have replaced them rarely have the resources to train apprentices. It’s in this context that sites like Kibworth provide such a valuable opportunity for aspiring millwrights to learn from the experts. Our first Millwright Fellow, carpenter Toby Slater, worked with expert contractors Dorothea Restorations on the repairs, helping to construct new sails and crafting the mill’s new external oak steps.

The repair project at Kibworth may be complete for now, but our Millwright Fellowship is going strong in its fourth year. We hope that in future, millwrighting will no longer be endangered.

VALUING OUR HERITAGE

Heritage sites like Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill can offer many practical benefits. They can teach us things, offer opportunities for training, attract tourists and boost local economies. But we’re fortunate to live in a society that is also able to value heritage for its own sake. A historic windmill is like a historic instrument. We don’t throw a finely crafted, historically significant violin away because a new one is more cutting-edge and offers improved acoustics. We don’t expect artefacts in a museum to be ‘useful’ or used – indeed, when Kim Kardashian wore Marylin Monroe’s dress to the 2022 Met Gala, there was widespread outrage. A mill like Kibworth doesn’t need to mill flour to be worth looking after.

Of course, when budgets are cut, our lofty aspirations to look after our heritage come under strain. With record numbers of local authorities facing bankruptcy, it’s understandable that running ambulances gets prioritised over running traditional mills. This is why supporting charities

This repair project was a fantastic millwrighting training opportunity

Left Millwrights Dorothea Restorations working on the mill in May 2022

Below Open for Heritage Open Days 2023

like the SPAB is more important than ever, and we’re grateful to people like you for helping look after Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill through your SPAB membership. Visiting mills and other sites for events like Heritage Open Days is important as it’s only when witnessing the magic of a mill up close that we understand what we may lose if we take the short-sighted step of underfunding heritage.

Hopefully at a future open day, you’ll be able to see the sails turn by wind rather than arm-power. Whatever happens, you’re sure to discover something unexpected.

Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill will be open for free guided tours on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September as part of Heritage Open Days. We’ll announce when booking opens via your Members’ enewsletter.

Many thanks to local volunteers Graham Watts, Andrew Potts, Bob Hall, Claire Wilson, George Keeping, Karen Spencer, Keith Gibbons and Stephen Poyzer. Our thanks also to everyone who made the repair project happen: Cambridgeshire Windmills Consultancy, local historian David Holmes, millwrights Dorothea Restorations, buildings archaeologist James Wright, mill consultant Luke Bonwick, Mills Section Chair Mildred Cookson, engineer Naomi Hatton, surveyors Terra Measurement and carpenter Toby Slater.

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If walls could talk

Tessa Wild explores the graffiti at Kibworth

MANY PEOPLE ARE ENDLESSLY curious about what has happened in the past and appreciate that the fabric of historic buildings offers tantalising and intriguing glimpses of an earlier age. For those involved in working with or interpreting the layered history of buildings, the phrase ‘If walls could talk’ often comes to mind and conveys a sense of the hidden history of particular rooms and places that we wish could share their stories.

At Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill, the walls speak from past generations to the present day through the medium of historic graffiti that is incised and drawn on walls and timbers in a variety of different forms. Although much of this graffiti has been visible since we were given the mill by Merton College, Oxford, in 1936, it had not been comprehensively recorded or interpreted and existed as an interesting feature awaiting more detailed exploration. In 2021, we recognised that the graffiti needed to be recorded in advance of the major programme of repair work undertaken and we commissioned a comprehensive survey from James Wright of Triskele Heritage. His investigations have revealed many more instances of graffiti than had previously been identified and a much richer understanding of the genesis, meaning and significance of the surviving graffiti.

Although some contemporary graffiti is justly recognised as creative expression and an art form in its own right; many still regard today’s graffiti as an act of vandalism, especially when it is etched on historic buildings.

Yet the opposite is true of historic graffiti which is being increasingly

recorded and studied because of the valuable insight it affords. As James notes: “Literate graffiti on historic buildings has a great capacity to inform subjects such as genealogy, tourism and travel, prisoners, warfare and trade. Meanwhile, pictorial graffiti has a tremendous potential to reveal the psychologies and emotions –hopes, fears, and desires – of individuals.”

AN INSIGHT INTO THE PAST

The graffiti at Kibworth is a physical document that links us to the past through the names or initials of those who have worked at the mill as millers or as craftspeople, and those who have visited. It also reveals earlier concerns about ill-luck and malevolent forces and belief in symbols and marks as a deterrent. Inside the mill,

Left Concentric circles

Below right 'R.S.N. COX 1936'

Below left 'DANIEL. HUTCHINSON. MILLER. 1711' inscribed on the east face of the main post

James discovered 264 pieces of graffiti made with pencil, paint or a sharp point, with the earliest dated graffito from 1711 and the last from 1968. Every surface of the mill’s ground, first and second floors was minutely investigated using raking light (where the light source falls at an oblique angle) so that incised marks were more readily discernible. All instances were recorded, photographed and where possible deciphered, and the positions marked on interior room views for ease of future identification.

The majority of the graffiti is literate and is composed of initials, names and other information. The second most prevalent form is apotropaic or ritual protection marks – symbols that were believed to literally turn away evil, derived from the Greek word apotropaios Alongside these are carpenters’ marks made by craftspeople, and a number of indecipherable marks. All the graffiti stands as an informal record made by ‘ordinary’ people whose existence might not be recorded elsewhere in historic records. Wherever possible, the graffiti has been cross-referenced with and informed by pre-existing documentary research of the

We

are now able to fully appreciate that the mill’s interiors harbour both an unexpected and exceptional historic record that gives us a tangible connection to past users and visitors to the mill

generations of millers living and working in Kibworth Harcourt in the 18th and 19th centuries to give a deeper understanding.

All 264 pieces of graffiti were categorised by type with 56 instances of names or initials with other information and 129 examples of names or initials only. The apotropaic marks were subdivided by type, with 23 examples of circles or rosettes, 19 burn marks, three mesh patterns and two other apotropaic marks. There were also five miscellaneous and 11 indecipherable marks. The remaining instances were

identified as 16 marks made by craftspeople on timbers.

APOTROPAIC GRAFFITI

Apotropaic marks are one of the most common forms of surviving graffiti and are found in medieval and later cottages, houses, estate buildings – like the bakehouse at Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire –and in many churches. Marks or symbols were made around doors, windows, fireplaces and other openings in an attempt to prevent evil forces entering the building. They were believed to both protect the inhabitants and users of the building and the building itself.

The tradition continued as an ingrained ritual or folk tradition and marks were probably made in later centuries as a way of promoting good fortune. It is not hard to envisage why there are so many apotropaic marks at the mill which was at constant risk of fire and dependent on good winds and good harvests for its safe running and continued prosperity. There are 23 circles or rosettes on the first and second floors of the mill. Seven circles or rosettes are carved near the first-floor northern window and three circles are located close to the window

Harcourt Post Mill, Leicestershire

on the second floor of the south elevation. In all, 16 of the circles and rosettes were close to doors or windows – points seen to be most at risk from entry by evil spirits. Of the 19 burn marks recorded, a number are found on the western wall plate behind the mill’s gear wheel. James states that this is likely to be because it is “a dark area which may have been seen to be vulnerable to spirits”. Burn or scorch marks are believed to have been made deliberately as a pre-emptive measure to protect against the outbreak of uncontrolled fire or lightning strikes, with the thought that these wouldn’t happen if the building had already been touched by a flame. Three mesh patterns are found on the north elevation for the first floor, and these have been interpreted as most likely reflecting the protective power associated with endless line designs.

The other two forms found – conjoined VV marks and butterfly marks – appear only once in each case. The VV symbol may reflect fidelity to the Virgin Mary – the Virgo Virginum in Latin – but can also be interpreted as the initial ‘W’ or even ‘M’. There is ongoing debate in graffiti studies about potential meanings of this symbol. It is found in the mill on a door jamb alongside three circles or rosettes. The single butterfly mark is inscribed into the main post and is like traditional carpenters’ and stonemasons’ marks.

It is hard to be certain of the original intention of all the apotropaic graffiti for it may have had a very specific meaning or been made in response to a perceived threat which we can no longer ascertain. What is discernible though is that a common medieval belief in warding off evil spirits or catastrophic events through the use of ritual protection marks persisted at Kibworth into the 18th century.

NAMES AND INITIALS

Eight pieces of named graffiti relate directly to millers, with the majority being members of the Smith family who ran the mill throughout the 19th century. All eight names are found on the first floor. The earliest named and dated inscription is that made by miller Daniel Hutchinson, in 1711, on the main post. But all is not quite what it seems and while the date of the inscription can be taken at face value, it may not originally have been part of Kibworth Harcourt

Post Mill. We know from documentary records that a mill was built on this site between 1609-35. The main post is the oldest surviving element and was potentially re-used from a different mill or retained from an earlier mill on site when the current mill was re-modelled or re-built in the late 18th century. Dendrochronology dating of the timbers of the buck indicate a felling date of 1773 and the present mill is dated to after this point.

The brick roundhouse is dated to the 1850s when the Smith family held the lease of the mill. The earliest inscription by a Smith is believed to be ‘MILLER W. S. 1837 SEPT 2’ and the last ‘W W SMITH MILLER 1880 KIBWORTH’. One of the

Above 'W SMITH MILLER MAY 1876' with a graffito of a post mill

Above 'WILLIAM FELLOW 1794'

Above Butterfly mark on the main post at first floor level

Owlsworth

•TimberFramers

•Lime

•Stonemasons

•Brick

•Millwrights

•Blacksmiths

most interesting is that of ‘W SMITH MILLER MAY 11, 1876’ which is enlivened by a simple, emblematic graffito of a post mill. This and two other inscriptions from 1870 and 1880 are believed to be the work of William Ward Smith when he was eight, 15, and 19 years old respectively. William Ward Smith was the grandson of Thomas Smith, thought to be the inscriber of ‘T SMITH MILLER OCTO 17 1837’ who is recorded in the 1861 census as miller and baker in Kibworth Harcourt. There is also an assemblage of names and initials on the first floor by people who must have been connected to milling or have been welcome to openly add their mark to the building. These include: ‘GR 1793, ‘WILLIAM FELLOW 1794, ‘EPW 1805’, ‘WT 1811’, ‘1819’, ‘CC 1821’, ‘EG 1838’, ‘CH 1861 and ‘T WELLS 1866’.

Further graffiti of names or initials appears to fall into two camps: that of craftspeople who worked on the repair of the mill and of trespassers who left traces of their visits in the 20th century when the mill was no longer functioning and fell into disrepair. The mill must have been readily accessible to those keen to view the interior, although the ground floor location of most graffiti from this period suggests the upper floors were secured against intruders. Among this graffiti are the following inscriptions: ‘WATTS 31.1930’, ‘FG 17 1932’, ‘HAROLD MASON 1932’, ‘H. FILWELL MEDBOURNE JULY 1934’ and ‘S. NOURIOH MAY 1935’. In 1968 one visitor added their name, date, and home country – ‘SONAROK CANADA 1968’.

James’s focus on identifying and teasing out the meaning of the graffiti means that we are now able to fully appreciate that the mill’s interiors harbour both an unexpected and exceptional historic record that gives us a tangible connection to past users and visitors to the mill.

As he concludes: “By recording the entire assemblage of graffiti, it has been possible to add a new layer of understanding at the site which is intimately connected to the human agency of the people that have been present within the building.”

When you visit Kibworth, do look at the graffiti and learn more about its varied forms and meaning – but please resist the urge to make your own mark by adding to this fascinating historic record.

With thanks to

Above Four burn marks on the wall plate of the west elevation

Above Partial circles and mesh pattern on a stud in the north elevation

Above 'SONAROK CANADA 1968'

Above A rosette apotropaic mark

The Buildings of the Malting Industry

The production of malt from prehistory to the 21st century

By Amber Patrick Historic England / Liverpool University Press £55

Beer was the daily drink of the majority for generations and most towns and many villages had their own malthouse and kiln. This attractively produced, well-illustrated book explores the history of these buildings through eight chapters, a prefix and postscript, a glossary and appendices. Each chapter concludes with a detailed list of source material revealing the author’s depth of research.

Chapters one to seven are split into periods of major change and detail records and research of the malting industry that covers two millennia of history. Much attention is given to the methods adopted in the malting process and how that influenced building design, although it seems that the basic process has remained fairly consistent from first inception. The final chapter deals with how these malting buildings have been adapted to alternative uses. It is encouraging that so many have found a new purpose as so often dereliction and destruction seems to befall such ‘one purpose’ buildings.

While pre-industrial England would have had a malthouse in many villages, growing industrialisation and the countrywide expansion of canals and railways resulted in the growth of large breweries. This concentration began to affect the ownership, location and size of malting buildings. Modest amounts of mechanisation were also introduced in the 19th century. During this period there was also a shift from vernacular maltings buildings to those which made a strong architectural statement.

One area that is not particularly well explained is the ‘why?’. The ‘what’ and ‘where’

(as to buildings and the malting process) are very well covered but the ‘why’ is less comprehensive. Mention of fiscal tax introduction and repeal, and general legislation affecting the malting industry is often made, but not the aim or reasoning behind such measures. This ‘why’ was probably beyond the scope of the book, but it might have placed into context the need for building and process changes. Despite this minor criticism this is a book that should appear on any professional or enthusiast’s bookshelf. It informs and explains a building type that has been long neglected and is aided by strong images which, although modest in size, cover a wide range of fascinating structures. The future of many such buildings remains a cause for concern, with examples like the Bass Maltings in Sleaford, Lincolnshire – a building that has been ravaged by fire and delays in its conversion to residential use – still uncertain.

Inevitably there are malting buildings that are not listed or mentioned and many have been demolished. Within a town, there is usually some reference to an area associated with malting and this book may spark an interest to discover more. That is certainly true for my own hometown where the malting building has been replaced by a supermarket. My curiosity has been piqued and I shall be seeking out more information about its lost history, armed with a much greater understanding of this interesting building type.

The final chapter deals with how these malting buildings have been adapted to alternative uses. It is encouraging that so many have found a new purpose as so often dereliction and destruction seems to befall such ‘one purpose’ buildings

CLIVE BAKER, FENLAND AND WASH REGIONAL GROUP MEMBER

Architecture in Britain and Ireland, 1530-1830

By Steven Brindle Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art £60

If I had to find a fault with this book, which believe me is not easy to do, I would say that it is not a coffee table book – it is the coffee table! It is a very weighty volume which does not make it easy to hold and read. The content, however, is absolutely wonderful and more than makes up for the new arm muscles you develop while reading it. This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated book takes you through the architectural history of Britain and Ireland chronologically in three sections: 15301660, 1660-1760 and 1760-1830. The author delves deeply into all aspects of our architecture, including subjects that are rarely considered. For example, there is a fascinating discussion of the lost architectural plans that were drawn up by medieval masons when designing and building some of our most striking structures. I had not realised that so many drawings have been lost here in contrast to continental Europe, where many medieval plans still survive. Nor had I ever considered whether the masons were literate; many were clearly very talented designers and engineers in their own right. As he moves through the centuries, Brindle explores how the economic and political scene had an impact on new buildings alongside changes in culture, materials and fashion, all of which left their mark. His examples are wide ranging: from the early vernacular courtyard houses that evolved as needs and fashions changed like Cotehele House, Cornwall, whose origins lie in the 13th century, through to the

pioneering Euston Station, London, designed in 1836 to be the first longdistance railway terminus.

Although the book predominantly uses well-known buildings as examples, it has great breadth with interesting sections on landscapes, mausoleums and the critical networks of roads, bridges and canals. This book will challenge any reader’s preconceived view of engineering with wonderfully chosen examples, such as the Caen Hill flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Wiltshire. This feat of engineering, designed by Sir John Rennie, opened in 1810 and consists of 29 locks in a continuous flight which are still in use today.

Defensive and military architecture is also well covered, primarily in the later chapters. Examples include the Royal William Victualling Yard in Plymouth which was purpose-built for the Royal Navy to Sir John Rennie’s design between 1828-32, to supply their ships with everything they would need while at sea. The author describes it as “fully intact and one of the most impressive complexes of buildings of the age in Britain”. Having been there, I can confirm that it is still a very striking and evocative group of buildings, despite their original use having become obsolete.

This is a fascinating, well-researched and beautifully written book. I highly recommend it.

Although the book predominantly uses wellknown buildings as examples, it has great breadth with interesting sections on landscapes, mausoleums and the critical networks of roads, bridges and canals

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Conservation at its finest: As CARE Conservation Accredited Engineers, we are impassioned about cherishing our shared heritage.

Comprehensiveheritage services: Whether it’s conservation design, structural appraisals, feasibility studies, adaptivereuse, or planning advice, our services ensure your heritage asset is protected, enhanced and celebrated.

Nationally recognised: Appointed to the Associate Model of the National Trust, our expertise stands distinguished.

Award-Winning excellence: We’re not just engineers, we’re multidisciplinary professionals celebrated with multiple awards including acoveted Civic Trust Award.

Proven track record: Our extensiveportfolio boasts projects spanning from personal residences. to intimate places of worship, commercial, city heritage, scheduled monuments, to museums and grand estate homes. Our work reflects our deep commitment to SPAB principles, quality,and sustainability

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NOTES

At the heart of our work to protect old buildings is our technical understanding of how they work. We provide free advice through our website and Technical Advice Line, share information and findings in our Technical Advice Notes, and advise on the technical content of our courses and casework

Above Historic wallpaper designs found in the Old Sun Inn were recreated on lengths of hemp and mulberry paper, hung from repurposed gazebo frames, for an art exhibition

Douglas Kent, Technical & Research Director, looks at the opportunities and challenges involved in opening up heritage buildings to the public

A BALANCING ACT

The UK’s heritage attracts millions of visitors every year. While its top visitor

attractions have a great deal to offer, so do many of its less frequently seen historic properties tucked away from the main tourist honey-spots. Opening more modest and unseen historic buildings to the public to reveal our hidden heritage brings opportunities and challenges for those managing the properties, not least when building conservation work is taking place.

We have organised trips to old buildings for many years. Workin-progress visits arranged by our Regional Groups are particularly popular and provide added interest –not unlike seeing a patient on an operating table! Visits to see ‘live’ projects first hand also form an important part of our Repair of Old Buildings Courses, allowing delegates

Photo Douglas Kent

Award-winning practiceexperienced in complex historic building projects Repair

the security of buildings and their contents, and visitor safety, as well as physical accessibility, provision of adequate public liability insurance and the scheduling of any planned building work.

OPEN FOR CONSERVATION: THE OLD SUN INN, SAFFRON WALDEN, ESSEX

The Old Sun Inn is a timber-framed and jettied Grade I listed building with 14th century origins, noted especially for its pargeting (decorative external plasterwork). Once owned by our property holding arm, the Ancient Buildings Trust, I am now its proud owner. The building is currently undergoing a programme of major conservation, including to its unique pargeting. It is also open for visits and events by prior appointment, or at advertised times.

Above Careful planning is required if properties are opened to the public when building work is under way. This part of the art exhibition had to be arranged to take into account an adjustable steel prop

to develop a real understanding of SPAB repair methods over two days of visits.

By admitting the public, building owners can showcase their projects, stimulate goodwill and enthusiasm

from visitors, obtain additional income and, in some cases, benefit from

advantages. Owners must balance public access, though, with a range of other considerations, not least the need to protect often vulnerable historic fabric,

One of the covenants over the property stipulates that people wishing to see parts of the building of architectural, historical or antiquarian interest be admitted for an agreed fee. Regular tours provide a way of managing this requirement efficiently. Routes through the building must be clearly signed, along with hazards –such as an exposed cill plate across a ground-floor opening – and temporary lighting has been installed in the cellars for sufficient illumination. In a few cases, vulnerable or dangerous items have been covered or removed, including broken windowpanes. Measures to protect the building from harm involve temporarily covering floorboards or chalk cellar floors with boarding, removing keys from locks and requesting that rucksacks are left downstairs to stop them damaging delicate historic wallpaper dating back to c. 1840 on a stairway. Restrictions are placed on the number of visitors entering certain areas together – for example, where there is a staircase that is safe but in need of repair. Smoking is prohibited and particular external doors are kept unlocked during tours for fire-safety reasons. Events have been arranged to tie in

NEW PUBLICATIONS

n We have cautioned strongly against using spray-foam roof insulation because of concern over risks associated with condensation and timber decay. While modelling for a recent Health and Safety Executive report found such risks exist, they are low in some situations if foam is applied in accordance with the relevant British Standard. We believe installation to such a prescriptive level is hard to achieve in practice. Even where it is, spray-foam can heighten the risks of problems should rainwater ingress occur. For the report visit bit.ly/3WEpvLk

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n A new publication by Purcell provides guidance on dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in listed buildings. Produced with input from our Technical and Research team and other contributors, this document is available at bit.ly/3QOckDV

with work that is under way, such as scaffolding tours to coincide with conservation of the pargeting, a short course with tour focusing on joinery repairs either completed or planned. The timing of such occasions is considered carefully to ensure that work is at an interesting but safe stage for visitors to see, while preventing unnecessary disruption –for instance, by avoiding scaffolding having to be kept up longer than otherwise needed. Visits can lead to further events, such as an immersive art exhibition this spring. Local artist Jessica Pearce was so inspired by a tour of the building that she devised a nine-day, multisensory, experiential installation with other artists, held here in collaboration with Saffron Walden Museum. It celebrated the building and engaged the public, including school groups, with local legend, folklore and history.

The installers were given detailed guidance on appropriate cleaning methods for the floors. To avoid any mechanical fixings into walls or ceilings, proprietary picturemounting strips were used in agreed locations and, for one room exhibit, support provided by repurposing gazebo frames.

Please email douglas.kent@spab.org. uk with any feedback -- we welcome your comments.

Need advice on technical aspects of your own home or project? Call our free Technical Advice Line on weekday mornings between 9.30am and 12.30pm. Thanks to Historic England for partially funding this service.

Above ‘1647’: This room set imagines a family lodging in the building in 1647, when Oliver Cromwell was in Saffron Walden and said

Cadwraeth ICadwedigaeth IGwaith Saer

Photos Douglas Kent

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The copy deadline for the Autumn issue is 23 August 2024 and the Publication date is 18 September 2024

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Broughton Castle, Oxfordshire

Nichola Tasker, conservation architect, 1998 SPAB Scholar and former Chair of Trustees, celebrates Broughton Castle, a fortified and moated manor house

Imagine that there was a Desert Island Discs for historic buildings. You have to choose your top eight historic buildings of all time. Torture, isn’t it? I’m sure you’d consider some that are architecturally unique, and some where the world turned due to a particular historic event. But the one that you would save from the waves, when all others were lost, surely must be a place which transcends its listing description and Pevsner or Jenkins’ credentials. It has to be somewhere that has somehow captured your heart. For me, and I’m sure for many others, that

place is Broughton Castle.

As SPAB members, I can leave you to do your own research. The images here immediately tell you, more than I have space to, about architectural style and materials. I won’t therefore detail Broughton’s 14th century origins, its 16th century triumphs and its healthy scepticism and magpie selection of only the best post-Renaissance fads and fashions. What I do need to tell you, and what you won’t appreciate at first glance, is that Broughton is more than anything else a home. Let’s think about that word: the warmth, security and stability it conjures up. A home is not a place where everything is easy, and this home has certainly known its fair share of triumphs and disasters. But ultimately, a home is the centre of a family and a community. This, Broughton has been for hundreds of years.

Broughton Castle reflected in the moat

Above The Great Hall

Above right

The garden and park from the battlements

Left Plasterwork from the 1550s in the King’s Chamber

And here, we start to touch on the relationship between our magnificent historic buildings and places and the people who live in them. The people who love them, leave them, fight for them or neglect them. In the story of the Fiennes family who have owned Broughton throughout its history, successive generations have done all of the above. But in more recent years, at the back end of the last century and across the millennium, this house has been loved, cherished and quite simply, nursed back to life.

When Nathaniel Fiennes and his wife Mariette inherited the house in the late 1960s it was in, what we conservation professionals would call, a bit of a state. Resolving to make it their home (there’s that word again) rather than run it as a museum, they applied what we would now see as a SPAB Approach to carefully

All of this activity was underpinned by what can only be described as an overwhelming generosity. The house was not only at the heart of local life, but it became a magnet for a generation of the building conservation community. Year after year of Scholars and Fellows were welcomed to climb the scaffold to see the stone repairs, or sat and shivered in the Great Hall in daytime sleeping bags, practicing their sketching.

Nat and Mariette shared each stage of their repair odyssey with the SPAB and others and, as a result, countless conservation professionals went forward from Broughton, having been helped to learn their craft and hone their thinking. And what we learned most, was the difference it makes for a house to be lived in, to be at the heart of family life. Not a monument, but a home.

adapting areas to create modern, cosy (a relative term!) and functional rooms for their young family, while still using and inhabiting the magnificent principal rooms for high days, holidays and Sunday best.

They knew, it seems, that the best way to understand a building is to live in it. As they raised their family, ran the estate, played their role in the community and supported seemingly every local good cause, so they repaired the house. Bit by bit, decade after decade, the leaks in the acres of roof were fixed, the windows made good, the parapets and label moulds made to shed water again. In the best tradition of the owners of grand houses they not only repaired, but they commissioned new work when they could: new art, new furniture, new stained glass for the medieval chapel and more.

But I can hear you thinking, what makes this Desert Island Discs material? We know the story. Many country houses didn’t make it through the 20th century, but surely many of the survivors could lay claim to a steadfast family; persevering, doing their best, keeping the roof on? To which I can only say, go... Go visit. Sit in the garden, climb the stairs to the ‘room with no ears’, watch the sunlight reflected from the moat dancing on the panelling in the Oak Room. Then come and tell me how I should have explained this house. What I should have told you about a place that holds the weight of time in the pleasure of a moment; the warmth of the ironstone reaching cool shadows across the lawn. And tell me then, that you wouldn’t save it from the waves. In memory of Nathaniel Fiennes, 21st Baron Saye and Sele, 1920-2024. broughtoncastle.com

Above The Gatehouse and curtain wall

Glass for period windows

and

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