Salisbury Civic Society by Civic Voice

Salisbury Civic Society - June 2010

A generous donation from a Canadian benefactor has made it possible for the Cloister Garth to be restored to a standard appropriate to the Cathedral. The lawn, which has an area of 1600 sq m, has been levelled and raised. In addition, low Box hedges have been planted around the periphery.

In this issue ... The Chairman’s annual and quarterly Reports The Annual financial reports from the Treasurer The Society’s 50th Anniversary - a barbecue party The Society’s Programme Plaques - a London meeting The Living River Project The White Hart restored A sad High Street Sheep Old Sarum reborn A Plaque in memory of Dr Middleton www.salisburycivicsociety.org.uk e-mail civic@salisburycivicsociety.org.uk

To promote high standards of planning and architecture To educate in the architecture, history and geography of the area To secure the preservation, development and improvement of features of public interest within the former Salisbury District ·

· ·

The Salisbury Civic Society, which was founded in 1960 as the Salisbury & District Preservation Trust, is involved with the past, present and future of the City and its district. This generates a substantial amount of work which is carried out largely by the Development Committee. Its meetings are monthly. New planning applications are examined where they concern listed buildings or conservation areas. Other applications are also looked at where they have special relevance to the future of the city and district. The remit is both ancient and modern. Opinions are formed and comments made where appropriate by this committee the members of which are a mix of both lay and professionally qualified, including architects. The Society keeps its members well informed and arranges a very active social calendar. Interesting visits are arranged as well as an exceptional programme of lectures. There is also a scheme to install Society Blue Plaques which are prized by their recipients. All this is the responsibility of the General Purposes Committee. The Society’s remit is broad so that complex wider issues can be addressed such as the Salisbury Vision, where the Society is represented on the Executive Board. The Society is a charity and there is no connection with or formal affiliation to any Local Authority. However the Society is frequently consulted by the Local Authority and has built up a respected working relationship. There is a prestigious Architectural Awards Competition, covering both Conservation and New Build with the Awards being presented each year at a New Year’s party, traditionally in the Guildhall. Each year a person of distinction is invited to chair the judging panel. Members are kept informed though our website, by emails and this quarterly publication. The affairs of the Society are overseen by the Executive Committee. Committee lists are on the inside back page.

Contributions to this Quarterly on any relevant subject are welcomed by the Editor and will be acknowledged. Opinions expressed here are those of the contributors and not of the Society, unless attributed. Editor: Dr Charles Villiers. Printing: Salisbury Printing. Registered Charity no. 293143. Member of Civic Voice. www.salisburycivicsociety.org.uk E-mail: civic@salisburycivicsociety.org.uk

3 . Meetings will be held at 6.30 pm - doors open at 6 pm - in the Sanctuary of the Methodist Church in St Edmundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church Street unless otherwise stated. Details of visits and any changes will be notified on this page and on the Website. Mid June The visit to Chilmark Quarry has been postponed indefinitely as it will be closed for a few months. Wednesday 23rd June at 6.45pm AGM including the election of officers. Then will follow Bill Moore, Diver on the Mary Rose and member of the Mary Rose Society The Mary Rose, Past Present and Future Friday 16th July Charles Villiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mystery Visit followed by a Pub Supper Friday 30th July 50th Anniversary celebrations at The White Horse, Quidhampton. See page 18 Late September Liminality in Salisbury Cathedral Close - Guided Tour of Exhibition by eight leading British based sculptors Late September or early October Visit to Embley Park, childhood home of Florence Nightingale and East Wellow Church, where she is buried Thursday 9th September - Sunday 12th September Civic Society Open Days - see page 22 Thursday 23rd September Peter Carson, Head of Stonehenge, English Heritage Stonehenge - Plans for the Future Thursday 4th November Frogg Moody & Richard Nash, local historians Endless Beat - Popular Music in Salisbury 1955-1999 Thursday 16th November Open Meeting at 7.30pm

As can be seen from the picture to the right, the White Hart adorning the roof of the hotel lost an antler some time ago. It has now been happily restored. The picture in the book ‘Salisbury in Detail’ has been updated for its reprint. A little over five years ago the sheep above the SPCK shop in the High Street was restored following a little persuasion from the Civic Society. It is made of wood. Unfortunately the restoration has not stood the test of time and the sheep’s head spontaneously disintegrated very recently.

5 ANNUAL REPORT 2009 PROTECTING OUR HERITAGE, SECURING OUR ENVIRONMENT, SHAPING OUR FUTURE Chairman. I never cease to be amazed by and extremely grateful for the work carried out by our Committees and others. It would be invidious to single out individuals and I thank everyone equally and unreservedly but I must just mention the support given to me by the Vice Chairman, Richard Deane. Our areas of interest complement each other and he keeps me on the straight and narrow in the nicest way possible. I said last year that I expected membership to exceed 400 in 2009 and indeed it did as you can see from the report elsewhere. Much work took place on the Salisbury Vision with the newly formed Vision Board meeting for the first time in May 2009 when Sir Christopher Benson was appointed Chairman. 2009 saw the preparatory work carried out by the Civic Society Initiative in order to find a replacement for the Civic Trust which went into administration in April 2009. The Society, I believe, continues to hold the respect of the various bodies with whom we deal and the reorganisation of Wiltshire and the formation of Salisbury City Council has thrown up a few challenges but, thankfully, our working methods have not had to change markedly. Finally I must thank you, our members, for continuing to support the Society. I make no predictions for 2010 except that I hope the upward movement in numbers will continue. Development Committee [by Melanie Latham & Richard Deane] Applications. Fewer than 2000 planning applications were submitted to Salisbury District Council during 2009, a significant reduction from past years which no doubt reflected the economic climate. Of these 321 were selected for examination, resulting in 24 letters of objection or comment being sent in by the Society, a very similar number to the previous year. Wilton Road Developments. The long awaited law courts building was finally completed, but further east on the Wilton Road the Old Manor site remained in a state of dereliction, though there was a positive move on the smaller northern part. The listed Paragon buildings were sold, to be repaired and restored to use as private residences, though the unlisted house known as Llangarren behind them, unlisted (despite the Society's best efforts a few years back) and now gutted by fire, was not included in the sale. It and the significant area of land around it are expected to be sold at a later date, for redevelopment with housing, though any proposal to demolish Llangarren will meet with resistance from the planners. The larger part of the Old Manor site, south of the Wilton Road, saw an initiative to create new premises for two GP practices, and representatives from the Society had a meeting with the planning consultants appointed to enable this. However it was clear that this project would not deal with the site as a whole, or with any of its historic buildings, and the Society

adopted a formal policy stating that it would object on principle to any planning application for the intended new premises which did not deal with the wider problems of the site as a whole. By the end of the year the application still seemed a long way off.

Salisbury in Detail. The long-running project to produce a book portraying the details of Salisbury's buildings, initiated after the offer of funding from the estate of a Society member's parents, stepped up several gears during the year. The fundamental decision was made that it should be published by the Society itself, rather than trying to get a commercial publisher involved, and a great deal of hard work saw a book of 216 pages, with over 500 photos and a hard cover, materialise during October, selling at ÂŁ14. Reactions were universally positive, and within a few weeks it was clear that the initial print run of 1000 copies would soon be exhausted. A further 800 copies were printed before Christmas, with the price rising to ÂŁ15. Few are likely to dissent from the view that the book is a high quality production, which exactly meets one of the Society's stated aims, namely to 'educate in the architecture, history and geography of the area', and overall the book project can justly be termed a major success for the Society. Planning Forum and Open Meeting. In February the Planning Forum dealt with the implications for planning and conservation of the new local authority. What the meeting was told by those responsible for conservation in particular, either locally or at Trowbridge, was encouraging, though the suspicion persisted that financial stringencies would in practice limit the commitments which had been freely expressed orally. Early in December the Open Meeting dealt with the tricky question of how the design of housing estates could be improved, with contributions from two architects from outside Salisbury and a key figure in the local planning office, David Milton. No easy answers were delivered as to how standards could be lifted, but the meeting was shown that much better schemes have been created elsewhere, and that the potential exists if there is a willingness to try something rather more imaginative. Eyesores. The eyesores campaign, aimed at countering visual blight in and around the city, continued, with a few more articles in the Salisbury Journal, but the paper appeared to have become more nervous about offending anyone. Since the eyesores targeted by the Society are ones which could be remedied reasonably easily, there inevitably has to be someone, or some business, which needs to do the remedying, and if the Journal is worried about upsetting them this inevitably reduces the number of suggestions it is likely to accept. In particular, the gaudy yellow colouring of a phone shop on the corner of the High Street and Silver Street seemed a clear devaluation of the quality of the city centre, but it never appeared in the paper. Awards Scheme. 2009 saw new buildings being looked at, with a judging panel chaired by former county High Sheriff Peter Pleydell-Bouverie. An award was given to the law courts building in the Wilton Road, and commendations to a house at Nomansland, a dance and drama building at St Edmund's School at Laverstock, an office development on the London Road in Salisbury, and a new house at Homington.

Listing Requests. Following success the previous year with the campaign to have Salisbury railway station listed, the Society continued to keep a watch for buildings which might merit, and benefit from, listed status. It was decided that the former fire station in Salt Lane, whose original part dates from 1905, would be worth putting forward. While a less obvious candidate than the station, the building, which in recent years has been used by the county's Social Services, has some features of merit, in particular very high quality terracotta decoration, photos of which appear in Salisbury in Detail. Given the fire station's rather borderline chances of being accepted for listing, as much research as possible needed to be done to add salient facts to the case, and the actual submission of a request for listing was left till 2010. Local Development Framework. The Society took advantage of further opportunities to comment on the Core Strategy, which is at the heart of the new LDF system for 'planning ahead'. The Society's most significant decision was to agree to formally suggest that there was in fact a very good case for concentrating new housing development in the district in a new settlement, something which the planners had earlier veered away from after negative publicity about siting such a settlement at or near Winterslow. Without making specific suggestions about location, it seemed to the Society that the idea of such concentration of new development could be much more successful, both visually and in sustainability terms, than endlessly adding new housing on the edge of Salisbury and other major centres of population. Milford Street Bridge Project. The previous year the Society had expressed guarded support for the idea of decorating the southern wall to the underside of the bridge which carries the ring road across Milford Street, based on the idea of recreating some of the historic buildings which had formerly stood on the site. This support gave the Society the prospects of eventually becoming involved with the project's design group, once the funding situation had been resolved. In practice its main involvement during 2009 was to back the project's bid for lottery funding, which met with success. This should clear the way for the creation of detailed designs in 2010. Salisbury Market Place and Traffic in the City Centre. Early in the year the Society expressed its views on the schemes which had been submitted for the market place redesign competition. The design approach which won the day differed from the Society's preferences principally in its combination of Guildhall square and market place into one space, rather than maintaining some physical division between them. However the final form of the scheme which should eventually go ahead remains to be settled, and the Society awaits further chances to make comments. Its main impetus in this field during the year was to take a wider look at possible traffic measures for the surrounding streets, linked to other aspects of the emerging Vision programme. Its ideas incorporated the concept of a new road linking Fisherton Street and Castle Street, taking advantage of the major redevelopment intended for the Maltings/central car park area in between. By the end of the year the city centre ideas had been set down in graphic and written form in a traffic document, ready for wider publicity the following year.

8 Involvement with Other Bodies. The Society continued to be represented on the district council's (and after April Wiltshire Council's) Design Forum and the Salisbury Conservation Advisory Panel, and maintained links with the local CPRE branch.

General Purposes Committee [by Wendy English]. The General Purposes Committee has responsibility for the following areas of the Society’s activity: Lectures. During 2009 we enjoyed lectures on “250 years of Methodism in Salisbury”, by David Ensor; “The Long Eighteenth Century”, the series of Spring lectures, arranged by John Elliott, which included Hadrian Cook on “ A First great revolution: Agriculture and Watermeadows”, Stewart Abbott on “The Romantic Villa”, John Chandler on “Roads, Canals, Railways and Coaches”, Philip Baxter, on “Church Music and the Rise of Dissent”, and Richard Deane, who stepped in at short notice, on “Georgian buildings in Salisbury”. The AGM, in June, was followed by “The Phoenix Rises” about Studio Theatre, by two of its longstanding members, (and born entertainers!) Hugh Abel and Derek Jones. In September Steve Hannath talked about “The Cathedral Rocks: earth materials used in the construction of Salisbury Cathedral”, and in November, Rex Sawyer, on “Colourful characters of the Nadder Valley”. Visits. Visits were made to Studio theatre, to see a presentation, “Afterwards”, about how the City decided to commemorate the First World War – with shenanigans in Council meetings only too similar to what occasionally happens nowadays! In June we were privileged to make a Special Access guided visit to Stonehenge, followed by a hearty breakfast. Don and Judi Cross arranged the Mystery Visit, to the Military Chaplain’s Museum, near Andover, in July. In August we had two guided art walks,“J W Turner`s Salisbury”, and in September, we visited Higher Stavordale farm, Ruth Kimber`s home, near Wincanton. Also in July, we hosted a day visit by the Guildford Society, among them David Bunting, a former Chair of our GP Committee. For Civic Society Open Days we visited a diverse range of buildings that have won CS Awards during the previous few years, in Tollard Royal, Broadchalke, Dinton, Wilton, Tisbury, and Odstock, as well as central Salisbury. Plaques. Due to delays associated with gaining the necessary planning permissions, we were only able to unveil one plaque in 2009, to John Wesley, at the Methodist Church in St Edmunds Church Street. Alan Clarke has continued to develop our plaque website, Salisburyplaques.org, and attended a Conference organised by English Heritage about blue plaques nationwide. We helped in various ways with the activities of the Development Committee, with whom, and the Executive Committee, we had a Joint Committee meeting and meal at the Cathedral Hotel, one of the Society’s erstwhile “eyesores”, now excellently refurbished. Membership of the Committee has remained stable. Alan Clarke has taken on responsibility for the Society’s archives, and (after the end of 2009) we have been delighted to recruit Jean Lunnon, who has joined an ever-busier group of very committed, hard-working colleagues, to all of whom my very heartfelt thanks.

9 Civic Voice. One year ago I reported the demise of the Civic Trust and, since then, have kept you up to date with developments that have led to the formation of the Civic Voice and our membership of that organisation. I attended the Launch of Civic Voice in London on Saturday 17th April at which there were some 190 delegates. Here is a short report by Third Sector Online: Umbrella body formed to replace the Civic Trust. A new umbrella body for the civic movement has been launched. Civic Voice, which will represent civic societies in England, was launched on 17 April. The charity is the replacement for the Civic Trust, which closed in April last year because of a lack of funding. Civic Voice says its activities will include campaigning, raising public awareness of the issues facing civic societies, fundraising and promoting civic pride. The decision to form Civic Voice came after research among civic societies – voluntary groups set up to improve their local communities – revealed what the sector wanted to replace the trust. Tony Burton, director of Civic Voice, said: "The civic movement should be in the driving seat of a new politics that responds to the pride people have in the place where they live. Civic Voice will campaign nationally and work locally to protect the local places of which we can be proud, and to improve those which should offer more to their communities." There are more than 1,000 civic societies in England, with more than 250,000 members. One of the practical benefits for our members is the offer by the National Trust that individual members of all civic societies who join Civic Voice can receive the offer of a free day access pass. This will provide free access to any National Trust property during normal opening hours subject to a small number of restrictions. The free pass is available to download by using the following link www.civicvoice.org.uk/nationaltrustcivicvoiceoffer The pass is transferable and can be given to friends or family if a member is already a member of the National Trust. If you do not have internet access a free day pass will also be available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Civic Voice, Unit 101, 82 Wood Street, The Tea Factory, Liverpool L1 4DQ requesting one and providing contact details and saying that you are a member of Salisbury Civic Society. This offer is available in the first year that a civic society joins Civic Voice. Annual General Meeting. The AGM will be held in the Sanctuary of the Methodist Church starting at 6.45pm on Wednesday 23rd June. The talk afterwards will be given by Bill Moore, a diver and member of the Mary Rose Society entitled “The Mary Rose – Past, Present & Future”. He is a lively and illustrative

10 speaker and will be well worth hearing. Guests are welcome at a cost of £2 per head. 50th Anniversary BBQ. In this edition you will find a reservation slip for our BBQ on Friday 30th July. Places are limited so book early and come along for a relaxed and sociable evening. Many thanks to Ron Smith for organising it. Salisbury in Detail. Sales of the Society’s book have exceeded expectations and we have almost run out of the 1,800 copies printed thus far. The Executive Committee has authorised a further reprint of 1,000 which should last for a reasonable length of time. We are taking the opportunity to make one minor change to the text, and more significantly to update the photo of the stag on top of the White Hart, so it will now appear in its fully antlered form, rather than half-antlered as it has been in the book so far. It seemed only fair to the hotel to make this change. The revisions to two pages will have no effect on the cost of the reprint. Talks and Visits. James Woods organised an interesting talk on 11th March by Martin Gilchrist on the Living River Project and Judi Cross arranged two excellent visits: on 15th April to the housing development and airfield at Old Sarum and, on 19th May, to Guildford where we were expertly hosted by the Guildford Society under the guidance of David Bunting who many of you will remember from his Salisbury Civic Society days. Awards Ceremony 2011. Very much for information only at this stage but, due to the uncertain opening date of the Guildhall next year and the availability of our preferred second choice, the Conservation Awards Ceremony and Society Party will be held at Godolphin School on Thursday 7th April 2011. With a bit of luck snow will not be a problem, but you never know……….! Plaques. A plaque to Dr Andrew Middleton (1819 – 1879) who was instrumental in ridding Salisbury of cholera by replacing open canals with drains and covered sewers will be unveiled by our President at Waterstones in New Canal at 1130 on Thursday 17th June. There will be a small reception in the former Assembly Rooms afterwards and members are welcome. Salisbury Vision. Several members have asked me about progress on the various Vision projects. As you know the first project, the Guildhall, is underway and a tremendous amount of indispensable technical work is going on in the background on others. Please refer to the website www.salisburyvision.co.uk for details of activity. Alastair Clark

11 Blue Plaque Conference in London “Passion” is how I would sum up the conference. There were notable delegate/speakers from Canada, Norway, Isle of Man, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Coventry, Norwich, Brighton, Bath, Chipping Sodbury etc. Even the gentleman in control of the digital projector suite (his permanent occupation at the RIBA building) was passionate about his job and brought up the various delegates’ websites and found appropriate plaques on the web to show on the large screen behind the speakers. Many ways of presenting one’s town or subject’s heritage were illustrated. The plaque was always the tip of the iceberg. Some plaques have telephone numbers, some have new Q codes, some embedded Bluetooth tags. Most have webpage support. Torbay has plaque walk literature and literature for each plaque. Every conceivable way was being used to deliver the message; audio podcasts, video, printed matter, web site and iPhone apps based upon geo-location. It really was quite a high technology conference with plenty of modern buzz words! The Norwich team had carried out a worldwide survey on technology associated with plaques. Coventry started their presentation by saying that they had no blue plaques at all in Coventry. They then explained that they had gone for high quality bronze plaques. The most impressive of these was a bronze miniature of the world’s largest stained glass window that can be found in York Minster but was manufactured in Coventry. Every delegate was passionate about his set of plaques. Bath had great unveiling ceremonies and mass plaque walks. They also had plaques with hooks below the plaque so that every ten years or so afterwards they could re-celebrate the unveiling and hang a wreath below the plaque. Sometimes this wreath would, upon command of the mayor or such, travel down a sloping wire and end up on the hook; automated wreath hanging! One society had surface-mounted plaques like ours, and a rolling maintenance programme whereby each plaque was taken down and rejuvenated every ten years. This was much cheaper than the English Heritage expensive ceramic plaques (they used to be made by Poole Pottery), which cost up to £4,000 to mount within a wall but were self-cleaning and long lasting. Plaques came in all sizes, shapes, colours and materials. Many societies had chosen to use different colours to distinguish between people, places and events. If the plaque could be viewed close up then more words could be used than if it was further away. The consensus was that the choices for type of plaque were very dependent upon the environment. Some plaques were mounted in the pavement. We have some like this in the High Street in Salisbury. Some societies have all their plaques sponsored by companies or other societies. For example if we were to put up a plaque to the authoress

Continued on page 14 and see pages 12 & 13.

London Plaques - see page 11.

Continued from page 11. Dorothy L Sayers, maybe the Dorothy L Sayers society would like to make a contribution and come to the unveiling. Salisbury has plaques sponsored by companies such as Percy Churchfield’s Dairies with their name on the plaque. Consensus was thought important. Although legally only the owner needs to give his permission for a plaque, it would be unwise to ignore tenants’ views. A Sikh gave a talk on how a set of plaques throughout the country to famous Sikhs, who lived here in the past few centuries, was helping with race relations. Some buildings have multiple plaques due to the succession of prominent inhabitants! With careful choices the term “clutter” can be avoided in such cases. There were many leaflets on display which gave me a few ideas. One society has on their website a “Hall of Fame” of potential plaques. I like this because it could go part way to pleasing all those who suggest various people, buildings or events for plaques. It would mean that information could be gathered to help present and future selections for plaques. We could even have a “Hunt the plaques” week in Salisbury advertised to all the UK and world plaque societies! I can hear Alastair saying “Don’t get too carried away (passionate)!” Alan Clarke.

SALISBURY CIVIC SOCIETY 50th ANNIVERSARY To celebrate this Anniversary of the formation of Salisbury Civic Society, a barbeque will be held at The White Horse in Quidhampton on Friday 30th July 2010. The cost will be £20 and will include a welcoming drink, barbeque food, entertainment and music. Tickets will be available through the booking form included with this Quarterly. Tickets will be allocated on a “first come- first served” basis.

15 On a sunny but blustery day members gathered on the exposed hilltop of Portway to meet with a Persimmon representative, hard-hatted, chalk on his boots, straight from the job and full of information. The housing development in question was shown on a hand-out “Castle View Development Masterplan.” On this site of approximately 300 acres, Persimmon and Charles Church are the companies involved. The first overall impression is a bit startling, here were fields, wild flowers and small animals and in a remarkably short time are roads and pavements, then rows of houses, chimneys and garages, and large heaps of chalk and rubble. The domestic architecture could be described as traditional and acceptable, with little sign of innovation apart from some solar panelling and extensive insulation. A percentage of social housing is incorporated and in the pipeline are a football ground and playing fields, primary school, community hall, recycling, and retail facilities. Garden space is limited, just room for the barbecue and a few flower pots but although there is a variety of housing on offer many are designed for a fully employed couple with more cars than children. As our guide commented, “they mostly move on when the children get older.” On a different scale and without a place of worship, this is more or less how it might have seemed when workmen appeared nearly 900 years ago to build a cathedral and lay out a new city. It will be interesting to see what influence this sudden increase in population will have on Salisbury; for example the building of Poundbury has had a noticeable influence on Dorchester spawning shops and restaurants and a new sense of bustle. We moved on, threading our way through the buildings of Old Sarum airfield. Dust from an Icelandic volcano might be grounding the big jets but here some very small planes were gently taking off to a lower level. Inside the mess room Angus Beal, Airport Manager, presented a PowerPoint description of the airfield’s history. He was knowledgeable and informative through a complicated history from the first military flying of the RFC in 1912 to Army closure in 1979, a period of course that encompassed two world wars; there is a memorial to some of the members of Army Air Operations Squadrons who were training here from 1941-45. During WW2 Spitfires were ‘trundled up’ to this airfield for testing and commissioning. They had been assembled ‘somewhere in Salisbury’; the Spitfire website notes Anna Valley Motors. The airfield site has never been dormant; although the Sunday droning of the Old Sarum Flying Club is heard no more, space and accommodation is used by several light industries, and by Wessex Archaeology site of a previous Society visit. The Council is interested in the airfield’s preservation and continuing use, and small private and corporate planes are kept and serviced here. Some were available for inspection inside a 1917 ‘Belfast’ hangar (where the timber roof trusses were made), a dainty little Tiger Moth nestling in one corner. Huge arched brick buttresses support the outer walls; it seems that these builders had as many problems with stresses and strains as the cathedral masons. The hangars, now nearly a hundred years old, are scheduled Grade II* ancient monuments but some restoration work is badly needed. We helped ourselves to very good coffee or tea with cream and jammy buns, and it is worth noting that this OSFC licensed restaurant is open to the public during airfield hours. There’s space to park the car and we could imagine a pleasant afternoon drinking and eating and watching behind the shelter of large windows the leisurely but interesting business on the windswept grass runway. A member recently gave an 85-yr old relative the gift of a birthday spin. Ann Curry.

16 The Living River Project - Martin Gilchrist Martin Gilchrist, then Project Officer of the Living River Project, gave a presentation at the Salisbury Methodist Church on 11 March to an audience of over fifty people. He began with an overview of the River Avon system, explaining its national and international importance as a supporter of habitats and species, and detailing the threats it faces, as identified by the River Avon SAC Conservation Strategy in 2003: · Overengineered river channels lacking natural habitats and dynamic functions · Low flows caused by a range of factors including licensed abstractions · Pollution by a range of licensed discharges and unlicensed/diffuse sources · Built development that increases pressure on the river system either directly or indirectly (e.g. by increasing demand on water resources) · Loss of habitats adjacent to the river, reducing connectivity between wetland habitats and the river · Invasive plants that occur throughout the catchment, currently at low levels but likely to increase significantly in the near future unless controlled · Lack of public access to, understanding of and appreciation of the river system · Lack of engagement between communities living near the river and those responsi ble for its management The £1m Living River Project, funded principally by the Heritage Lottery Fund, began work in 2006 as a partnership project with Natural England, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and other prestigious bodies. It aims, with the help of local people, to restore some naturalness, including biodiversity, to the heavily engineered river. It enhances access to and information about the river. Education and training opportunities are provided to help people understand their relationship with the river system and take responsibility for it, though the public have right of access to no more than about 2% of the system. Successes include new access at Blashford Lakes and the transformation of the riverside outside Salisbury Library. The project is now approaching the end of its 4-year life (the money runs out in September). Both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected on what people think about the river before and after they have been involved with it. Guidance/protocols for best practice and demonstration reports are being disseminated and leaflets, reports (for funders and other partners) and other documentation produced. Work is continuing with parish councils to ensure that river issues are addressed in parish strategies, plans and other initiatives. A low maintenance website has been set up. Lessons from the project are being embedded in partner organisations, which include industry bodies (HSBC, Friends Provident, QuinetiQ); educational institutions (John Ivie Centre); Harnham Water Meadows and other trusts; Wessex Chalk Streams Project; Wiltshire Fishery Association; Local Authorities; and about 20 Parish Councils. The project was one of the five shortlisted finalists last year for the International Thiess Riverprize, a competition which showcases excellence in river management, with nominees all demonstrating leadership, innovation and commitment to sustainability. Disappointingly, in the end the A$350,000 prize went to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in Canada. James Woods.

17 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF “SALISBURY CIVIC SOCIETY” I report on the accounts of the Salisbury Civic Society for the year ended 31st December 2009. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: • examine the accounts (under section 43 of the 1993 Act); • to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 43(7)(b) of the 1993 Act); and • to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examiner’s report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner’s statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements a. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act; and b. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act have not been met; or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name: Kevin Gregory Martin Flynn BSc MCMI FCMA Relevant professional qualification or body: Chartered Instititute of Management Accountants Address: 16 Ash Crescent, Hampton Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SPI 3GY Date: 20th March 2010.

18 HONORARY TREASURER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2009

Income & Expenditure Account The result of activities for the year was an excess of Income over Expenditure of £4,394.41, compared with £2,595.00 for the previous year, I am sure the Members will regard this as very satisfactory. Income from Lectures amounted to £2,070.48 and the profit from Salisbury in detail of £1,118.44, both made a very significant contribution to the Society’s net income for the year. Membership Subscriptions, including Gift Aid amounted to £6,548.97 compared with £5,950.22 for the previous year; another record for the Society, reflecting the continuing increase in Membership and Public Awareness of the Society’s Activities. I would again urge Members who do not Gift Aid their Subscriptions to consider doing so, as it means an extra 25% for the Society, and until 2011, a supplementary 3.2% at no cost to the individual Member. Visits achieved a surplus of £285.33 compared with £153.75 for the previous year. Expenditure of £100 regarding Salisbury City Walks represents the net cost of all leaflets in stock at 31 December 2009. Interest Income for the year amounted to £357.35 compared with £1,406.96 for the previous year, regretfully the bleak prospects I forecast last year have come to fruition because of continuing low interest rates. The Balance Sheet Total Equity at 31 December 2009 amounted to £29,961.29 compared with £22,625.30 at 31 December 2008 and £20,030.30 at 31 December 2007. The Architectural Book Fund of £2,941.58 was closed following the printing of Salisbury in Detail and the balance transferred to Accumulated Fund. The stock of Salisbury in Detail books has been valued at average cost, debtors and prepayments include £5,349.30 due from book sales at 3l December 2009. Sundry Creditors include £6,628.00 due in respect of the reprint of Salisbury in Detail. This continues to be a very healthy financial situation which I am sure gives all Members continued optimism for the future of the Society.

RN Millar FCA Honorary Treasurer

Japanese Knotweed at Wilton - pretty but unwelcome. This is one of the problems that have to be solved by the Living River Project -see page 16.

Society members at a visit to Old Sarum Airfield in April this year. The memorial is to members of the Army Air Operations Squadrons who trained here throughout the Second World War. See page 15.

22 MEMBERSHIP REPORT 2009 At the end of 2009 the Society had 402 Members plus 7 Corporate Members. We welcomed 48 new members during the year but several members resigned due to ill health or leaving the area. This meant that we had a net increase of 27 in our total membership in 2009. This was a splendid effort on the part of all those who recommend the Society to their friends. Membership also increases due to our excellent press coverage such as for the Annual Awards and the book launch. This is the largest number of members the Society has had since I took over as Membership Secretary in May 1998. I would like to thank all those Members who have completed Gift Aid Declarations. Our Inland Revenue Charity Repayment in 2009 amounted to £1166.92 an addition of £148.25 from 2008. Michael Hallam. SALISBURY CIVIC SOCIETY OPEN DAYS 9th – 12th SEPTEMBER 2010 HIDDEN SALISBURY Have you ever walked round Salisbury and wondered: just what is hidden behind that wall, or what does it look like behind that lovely building, or what can they see that I can’t? Thanks to the generosity and co-operation of owners and guardians, the Civic Society Open Days will enable you to see gardens, places, views and interesting roof profiles which can only be seen by going around and behind private houses and buildings. Full details of all venues and timings are available from the Salisbury Tourist Information office behind the Guildhall. Visits are all free and booking is only required for the three School visits. We need volunteers as stewards for; Myles Place, from 10-12 noon on 9th &10th Sep and one steward for St Clements Churchyard from 1012 and 2-4 on 10th Sep Please contact Jean on 01722-335909.

Salisbury Civic Society members are cordially invited on June 17th at 11.30 To the unveiling of a plaque at Waterstones New Canal Street in honour of Dr Andrew Bogle Middleton, 1819-1879, in recognition of his contribution to the eradication of cholera in Salisbury. A small reception on the first floor of Waterstones will follow.

23 OFFICERS as at 1st June 2010. PATRON: The Lord Congleton MA, Hon.LLD. PRESIDENT: Dame Rosemary Spencer, DCMG. VICE-PRESIDENTS: Lt Cdr David Allen, Maj Gen Roy Dixon, Mr ARA Hobson, Mr Ken Wiltshire. CHAIRMAN: Brig Alastair Clark. VICE-CHAIRMAN: Mr Richard Deane.

Executive Committee Brig Alastair Clark (Chairman) aj@ajmc.me.uk Mr Richard Deane rdeane@madasafish.com Mrs Wendy English wendy@qeventures.com Mr Michael Hallam (Membership) michaelhallam991@btinternet.com 107 The Borough, Downton, Salisbury SP5 3LU Mrs Melanie Latham melanie@stannsgate.com Mr Ron Millar (Treasurer) ron.millar@virgin.net Mrs Marguerite Scott (Secretary) margueritescott@talktalk.net 31 Harnwood Rd, Salisbury SP2 8DD Dr Charles Villiers crvilliers@aol.com

Development Committee Mrs Melanie Latham (Chairman) Mr Richard Deane (Secretary) Mr Ralph Bryder (Streetscape) Mr Simon Lock Mrs Judith Payne (Eyesores) Miss Louise Rendell Mrs Duygu Riley Mr Paul Stevens Mr Jeremy Turtle Mr Peter Wicks

melanie@stannsgate.com rdeane@madasafish.com ralph.bryder@btinternet.com simon.lock@tinyworld.co.uk judith.payne@hotmail.co.uk louise@stannsgate.com duyguyriley@hotmail.co.uk psa@constructionplus.net jeremy@j-turtle.co.uk peter.wicks715@btinternet.com

General Purposes Committee Mrs Wendy English (Chairman & Open Days) Miss Helen Wilcockson (Secretary) Professor Hubert Britton Mr Alan Clarke (Plaques) Mr Don Cross (Open Days) Mrs Judi Cross (Visits) Mrs Jenni Dougan (Plaques) Dr John Elliott (Spring Lectures) Mrs Stevie Paul ( Open Days) Mr Ronald Smith (Publicity) Dr Charles Villiers (Newsletter) Mr James Woods (Lecture Organiser)

wendy@qeventures.com h.wilcockson789@btinternet.com hgbritton@hotmail.co.uk jac314159@mac.com dae.cross@tiscali.co.uk judicross@tiscali.co.uk jennidougan@hotmail.com jpelliott@btinternet.com steviesteph@hotmail.co.uk dairycottage@ntlworld.com crvilliers@aol.com lisandjames@googlemail.com

Martin Gilchrist gave a talk to the Society on his Living River Project in March this year - see page 16. He was able to illustrate much detail of the volunteer work carried out of course in the daytime, but this picture serves to remind us of how frequently such work allows us to appreciate the rivers in their various forms throughout the city and at all times. Here the Avon is seen looking north from Crane Bridge. Contents A sad Sheep and a new Hart - Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Report - - Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report for June - - A London conference on Plaques The Annual Accounts - - - A visit to Old Sarum - - - - The Living River Project - - - Civic Society Open Days, a reminder In memory of Dr Middleton, an invitation

4 5-8 9-10 11-14 17-20 15 16 22 22

Below: The Opening Night of the Salisbury International Arts Festival.