THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY CONFERENCE

LOOKING FORWARD – LOOKING BACK

Saturday 19 January 2008 at The Council House, Birmingham

Chairman: Dr Colin Cunningham             Attendance: c100 People

THE FOUNDING OF THE BIRMINGHAM GROUP         Dame Rachel Waterhouse

 Because Rachel had written the centenary history of the Birmingham & Midland Institute in 1954, she was invited with 392 others to attend the inaugural meeting of the Victorian Society in London in 1958. She suggested a Birmingham Group, but this was rejected. The demolition of the Euston Arch (1960) and the London Coal Exchange (1962) spurred interest in Victorian architecture. Liverpool & Manchester each established local groups in 1965. Following a local exhibition showing all that had been demolished for the inner ring road, Birmingham’s inaugural meeting was held on 19 January 1967. It was attended by 400 people, including Pevsner. Rachel was elected its first Chairman. An early EC member was Mr Collins of Worcester, who saved the fountain at Witley Court. Alan Crawford was a notable Secretary.

 HERITAGE PROTECTION REFORM                Nick Molyneaux, English Heritage

The 2007 White Paper was supported by EH as it strengthened protection. Protection legislation began in the 1880s and remains diverse today (eg the differences between buildings and archaeology). 35k applications each year are made for listed status, and decisions are made by the Minister personally. An inventory is difficult to obtain, and many listings are out of date. A new Bill is currently being drafted for Parliamentary debate in 2008/9 and implementation in 2010.

It will establish an (electronic) Register of Historic Assets containing in class A currently listed buildings/protected archaeological sites; Class B historic parks and gardens; and Class  C marine designations. In future decisions on Listing will be made by EH. Historic Partnership Agreements between EH and Local Authorities will enable some decisions (eg replacement of door handles in Listed buildings) to be simplified. Interim Protection (ie prior to Listing) will be included in the Act: details are currently being formulated. Conservation areas will not be part of the new system, but will be devolved entirely to LA Planning. EH will give advice to LAs on

Conservation Officer numbers, and help to train them.

 HERITAGE WORKS                  Gary Cardin RICS, Partner, Drivers Jonas, Birmingham

Successful regeneration depends on many factors – traffic restrictions/expulsion, public spaces animated by people, local economic activity, and well maintained buildings. It was crucial to find long term viable use for the buildings and - amidst the numerous heritage designations and layers of legislation - to understand the eligibility for a range of grants. Successful projects have been the Jewellery Quarter (Birmingham), the Lace Market (Nottingham), Grainger Street (Newcastle-on-T) and Southwark Borough Market (London).

 BIRMINGHAM’S APPROACH TO CONSERVATION  Clive Dutton, Director Plng

 Over the last 40 years there have been 330k Planning Applications in the city, which now has 2396 Listed Buildings, 490 Locally Listed, 25 Conservation Areas and 13 Ancient Monuments. In 2007 Listed Buildings increased by 300 and Conservation Areas by 2. In 2008 the Jewellery Quarter is to be proposed as a World Heritage Site, and planning will be finalised for the Wholesale Market to be relocated so that the Manor House underneath can be excavated before the site is redeveloped.

 DID WE WIN THEM ?                            Andy Foster BA, Architectural Historian

Amongst Victorian Buildings lost have been Bingley Hall [Chamberlain 1850],  St Asaph, Colmore Row [1865] and many more churches, the old Market Hall (ruined in WWII), the old Central Library [Martin & Chamberlain 1879] and 41-3 Church Street [Webb 1898].

 Buildings saved have been the Grand Hotel [Chatwin 1875], the GPO [Tanner 1891], Springfield Library [Harrison 1894], St Andrew, Handsworth [Bidlake 1907] and a number of public houses catalogued in Birmingham Pubs 1880-1939 by Alan Crawford and others in 1986. The VS also suggested the Jewellery Quarter be made a Conservation Area, a new use for Oozells Street School, and supported restoration of the Chamberlain Fountain and the Town Hall

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Notable Buildings Teach In

Thursday 25^th October 2007 at 2pm

We held a ‘Teach In’ at Solihull Library on 25 October to show people who had little or no experience of researching a building, how to do it. Eight members attended, together with five other more experienced people who will mentor them in their researches over the coming months.

Nigel Cameron introduced the subject and suggested how to choose a building to study. He emphasised that the people who lived in the house were as important as the building itself. Twenty from the original list of 63 Notable Buildings still needed to be researched. The new researchers selected eight of these. Tracy Williams, the Local Studies Librarian, explained the sources that the Library had available, including the invaluable card index, and demonstrated how to use microfiche and the computers.

The afternoon was very successful, and we look forward to the research results next year.

    RESEARCHER                  SUBJECT                          MENTOR

        Ros Rafnson                             Marlpits Cottage                                 Edna Handley

       Sue Irons                                  Hillfield Cottage                                        do

      Anne Vallis                               4 – 16 New Road                                 Trevor England

      Angela Cameron                       Wharf & Waterside Cottages                 Allan Evans

      Malcolm Shepherd                   Signal Box, Bentley Heath                              do

      Norma Bailey                           27 School Lane [Palmer’s School]            Peter Handley

      Dorothy Saunders                     The Oliver Bird Hall                             Nigel Cameron

      Adam Pearce                           45 – 69 Lyndon Road                                      do

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Newsletter 9: September 2007

The Committee hope that the inclement weather of the last few months has not spoilt the Summer break for members and we hope that you return to the meetings refreshed and ready to learn more about the history of our local patch. A varied and interesting programme has been drawn up and we hope that you can join us at the meetings held at the WI Hall on the third Monday of each month. A copy of the programme is included with this newsletter.

Future Outings
Already plans have been made for two outings during the coming session. The first takes place on Thursday 1st November to St Martin’s in the Bullring, Birmingham. There is a short service at 12.30 (optional) and lunch in the tea room if required. The guided tour for 15 to 20 people starts at 2pm. Tickets will be £2. Following the tour Allan Evans has kindly offered to lead a walking tour of the surrounding district.
A second outing has been arranged for Thursday 3rd of April 2008 to the Forge Mill Needle Museum and Remains of Bordesley Abbey, Redditch. The tour starts at 11 am and includes coffee and biscuits. There is no café at this site but the museum does have a picnic site. Own transport is needed and the cost is £4.50 per person. Further details will be available from Joy Woodall at our meetings.
Future Developments
By the time you receive this newsletter the Solihull Local History Circle will be a member of Warwickshire Local History Society. This membership allows our group to receive two bulletins and two copies of Warwickshire History. Membership also means that our members can attend the Warwickshire society’s meetings free of charge and join them on outings. Their coming year’s programme includes talks on The Lost Villages of Warwickshire, Early Theatres in South Warwickshire, the Warwick Bankruptcy and the 1918-19 Flu epidemic in Warwickshire.
Committee Matters

It is with great regret that we have received the resignation of Mary Riley from the Committee due to ill health. Mary has been a stalwart member of the Circle and the Committee has written to her thanking her for her work over the years. Mary hopes to attend the lecture evenings and we look forward to seeing her at these events.
Temple Balsall

The Circle has received notice of a forthcoming lecture which will be of interest to many members, this is the annual lecture organised by the Friends of Temple Balsall. The speaker is the Rev’d Dr James W Woodward and his talk is entitled, ‘An Appreciation of Temple Balsall, Its Buildings, Its History, Its Mystery’. James Woodward has now been Master of the Lady Leveson Foundation for nearly ten years and in his lecture Dr Woodward will reflect on the site’s history. He will also be suggesting answers to some of the intriguing and puzzling questions regarding this site. The lecture take place on Tuesday 16th October 2007 at 7.45 pm in St Marys Church Temple Balsall. There will be no charge for this lecture but a retiring collection will be taken. Parking arrangements will be signposted.

Notes on our Meetings in April, May & June 2007

Edna Handley took us Around Solihull Village on 16 April, with fine illustrations from her postcard collection. We started at Union Road with the Infirmary (built in 1838) of the second Workhouse and ended, close by at the first Workhouse on Warwick Road. Highlights were the windmill in Brueton Avenue, changes to the interior of St Alphege Church since 1907, and the coat of arms on Lloyds Bank. Clues for undated pictures provided a timeframe, eg the wisteria on the George Hotel was killed by a gas leak in 1905.

On 21 May John Jarman explained the meaning of English place names in What’s in a Name? Documentary sources included the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bede’s Histories, manorial records, wills, charters and the Domesday Book. Celtic words abounded in the north and west; Old English (ie the Angles, Saxons and Jutes) contributed 450 derivations, and Old Norse (Vikings & Danes) 835 – sometimes together, eg Portinscale: Portcwen (OE) and Skali (ON). Ham tun and burgh meant settlement (of varying size/security). There were 28 different names for water courses, 39 for hills, and 19 for roads/river crossings. Normally there are two elements (NB not syllables) to a name, the second being the base, although personal names came first, eg Coventry is Cofa’s Trew (Tree). Knowle, a single element, was Gnolla in 1200, La Cnolle in 1221 and Knowl by 1540: it means the top of rising ground. John gave many other local illustrations, both etymological and scenic.

Our joint meeting with the Solihull Archaeological Group was on 19 June when Emma Jones, Warwickshire’s Historic Environment Manager, explained that her database covered archaeological sites, landscapes, buildings up to WW II – even war memorials. In 2000 the MBC had asked that the database included Solihull, since when 420 entries had been added.
Nigel Cameron
Past Outings
15 members and friends enjoyed a most interesting tour of Alcester on 17 May. The superb Roman Heritage centre (in the former Magistrates’ Court) was specially opened for us, and displayed the results of recent excavations including ‘as new’ Samian ware. Then expert guides conducted us around the town. Outstanding buildings were the Town Hall (1618) with its hammerbeam roof (1641), Churchill House (1688) and many timbered premises, some of which had been refronted with brick.
Nigel Cameron

Forthcoming Meetings Of Other Sections Of The SSA

Members might like to attend other Section meetings. A guest fee (not more than £2) is usually charged, but if you take out membership of a second section its annual subscription is reduced by £5. Both the sections listed below hold their meetings at Alderbrook School, starting at 7.30 pm.

ART – Contact Pat Coward (705 4379), 3 September – Ink & Wash Demonstration, Ron Law, 17 September – Critical Appraisal, Jane Stevens, 1 October – Arts & Crafts Movement , Ann Bartlett, 15 October – Sketching Evening, 5 November – Images of Nature, Peter Preece, 19 November – Pastel Demonstration, Michael Laws

RECORDED MUSIC – Contact Jackie Cartwright (705 5495), 11 September – Khachaturian, Spartacus Suite & Brahms 1st Symphony, David Ross, 25 September – Edvard Grieg: 100 Years Anniversary, Ken Osborne, 9 October – Sullivan, Pirates of Penzance Overture; Mendelssohn Violin Cocerto; & Mahler 1st Symphony, Peter Monahan, 23 October – Stravinsky, Petrushka; Brahms, Piano Quartet; Dvorak, Cello Concerto, Brenda Chapple, 13 November –Bonnie Scotland, George Wallis, 20 November – Beethoven, Leonore No 2; Haydn Symphony 104; Wagner, Siegfried Idyll; Mozart String Quinten, Bob Martin

DRAMA SECTION – Contact Josie Rathbone (743 0754). ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ will be staged at Alderbrook School in October. There will be two productions in early 2008, one of which will be, ‘The Long and the Short and the Tall’ by Willis Hall.

OPERATIC SOCIETY – Contact Jill Godsall (795 0968) Rehearsals will start in October for next year’s spring production of ‘Camelot’. Men needed!

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Updated 20.7.07