Merchant's House, Shepton Mallet - good for Wood!

Picture: Jon Maine

A very rapid blog to congratulate Jon Maine, who has won the Conservation/Restoration category re the Wood Awards.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jonmaine  is a web album of shots.

Jon's updated blog

http://merchants-house.blogspot.com/

Jon's website

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

with next date of his house 'open day'.

SAVE website:

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/article.php?id=73

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/docs/articles/Merchants%20House.pdf

My previous witterings on this include:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/05/merchants-house-wins-rics-sw-award.html

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/06/all-we-need-is-love-save-buildings-at.html


Brilliant, Jon. Now try to relax and enjoy it.

Nem



PS the new, updated Blogger editing facilities are an improvement,  Recommended download.

All We Need Is Love: SAVE Buildings at Risk!

Published today - the 2009 SAVE Britain's Heritage Buildings at Risk catalogue, so don't delay, order NOW!

"SAVE’s 2009 Buildings at Risk report is due to arrive in the office on the 1st June. It is the most agonising parade of delightful and decaying historic buildings that SAVE has so far produced.

Many of these buildings can be tackled and rescued by enterprising individuals. This latest list of over 100 buildings includes classic Queen Anne and Regency houses begging for restoration, weather boarded Essex farmhouses, old rectories, town houses built for wealthy merchants, pretty but forlorn village pubs, and a perfect William and Mary Dolls House belonging to the Ministry of Defence. There are bigger buildings too, many prominent local landmarks such as the art College at Derby, the Prison at Plymouth, several town halls, post offices, schools, chapels and hotels.

Every page is a cry for help...

To order your copy please contact the office or send us a cheque with a note describing which publication you require. The publication is priced at £15 (£13 for Friends) + £2.50 p&p"

For further information and more pictures, here's the latest Press Release:


Buildings at Risk Press Release May 2009


And to spur you on, in case you fancy rescuing a wreck, Jon Maine has updated his Merchant's House website (see last Republic post on his success in the RICS Awards) with a gallery link to Picassa web albums of pictures, and started a blog (see my blog list on the right):

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jonmaine

SAVE has featured his wonderful work and success in the RICS Awards on its website, with a link also to the article which appeared in the 2006 BaR catalogue:

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/article.php?id=73


http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/docs/articles/Merchants%20House.pdf

Now Jon (who is a conservation builder and project manager in case you want to rescue a wreck and feel you need help) is to go forward to the national finals, with Merchant's House up against places like St Paul's. Best of luck, Jon!

Also on that PDF link is part of the article in the same book about the rescue of Heolas Fawr in Wales, by Gervase Webb. For those wishing to know more, Gervase Webb's website is at :

http://www.horganandwebb.com/

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/106620 Heolas Fawr click to enlarge

Gervase has also published this useful guide to traditional plastering:

http://www.horganandwebb.com/downloads/Plastering.pdf

and there is other useful stuff here for those keen to tackle their own wreck:

http://www.horganandwebb.com/advice.html

If you want to buy meat carefully raised at Heolas Fawr, here's further information:

http://handmademeat.co.uk/Producers/Heolas-Fawr.html

Like Jon, Gervase is happy to come along and advise, project manage, and also get his hands dirty helping others to rescue their own wrecks.

"Horgan & Webb is a member of the AECB, the sustainable building association, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and The Building Limes Forum.

The work on our own house was featured in the BBC2 series Restored to Glory, where John Yates a former chairman of the IHBC, commended the "textbook conservation techniques" and Ian Constantinedes of St Blaise Ltd commented, "England's loss is Wales's gain".
The project has also been featured on the Period Property website and in the 2006 SAVE Buildings at Risk register. More recently Gervase Webb was asked to speak at the annual conference of the The Building Limes Forum on the implications of new building regulations for those working on traditional buildings. He has also been featured in the property section of the Independent newspaper."

UPDATE!!

I've just had my attention drawn to this article in the Times 29th May

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6390411.ece

on the new SAVE report on Brighton's churches at risk, so why not order that in addition to the BaR catalogue? I wrote about it here:

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/03/brighton-churches-save-report.html

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/publications/

and it's also featured in today's SALON:

http://www.sal.org.uk/salon/#section25

Click to enlarge


Back soon with a longer blog!

Meanwhile, enjoy the great weather. I know I will, the garden beckons...


Nem

Latest: Sunday Times June 7th has an article about the Buidings at Risk catalogue:

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article6432246.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Merchant's House wins RICS SW Award!

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

I was mid rant about something else when I read the wonderful news, so this is a short blog this afternoon to say congratulations to Republic Follower Jon on the marvellous, and well-deserved, win at the RICS SW Awards, for his long time repair project on the II* listed Merchant's House, Shepton Mallet.

The South West’s most innovative building projects were once again celebrated at the 5th annual South West final of the RICS Awards during May. From a shortlist of 36 finalists, awards were presented for the best projects in four categories - building conservation, community benefit, regeneration and sustainability, as well as the Project of the Year. Now in their 19th year, the RICS Awards are widely acknowledged as an annual celebration of built and natural environment projects that demonstrate true excellence and commitment to value for money and sustainability. The five winners on the night were: * Clavell Tower, Wareham won the building conservation category* Knowle West Media Centre, Bristol won in the community benefit category* Princesshay, Exeter was the winner in the regeneration category* Swindon Central Library received the award for sustainability* Merchants House, Shepton Mallet won the Project of the Year award.

Details here:

http://www.rics.org/Networks/Regions/UK/England/SouthWest/ricsawardssw_n_200509.html

As I said in an earlier blog:

I hear that Jon Maine has finally completed the long time repair of the Merchant's House in Shepton Mallet, and Family Maine spent Christmas there. Such good news, a most beautiful and important Grade II* building rescued from dereliction; I leave the website to fill in the background, but I gather Jon is open to offers to come along and work his magic on your own home.

His recent Open Day, with guest Kevin McCloud off the telly, raised a substantial sum of money for the local hospice. Brilliant!

James Gregory, RICS South West Regional Chair comments: “These awards are hotly contested each year and 2009 saw a particularly strong entry from across the region. We now wish them all the very best of luck for the next stage of the competition which will be the grand final to be held in London in October.”

Back later with the rant!

Nem

Pick 'n' Mix

Actually,

with the demise of Woolie's, I wonder if you can still pick 'n' mix?

Sad that such a national institution as Woolworth's has gone down the financial pan, I have very fond memories of it from when I was a child. There was a tiny branch near my home. I recall dark wooden floors, dark wooden interior with goods laid out behind small (glass?) upstands on wooden counters. As soon as I was old enough to clasp a coin or two of my own pocket or birthday money, off I went to browse. My mother's birthday gifts were bought there - plain hankies to be embroidered with her initial in wobbly chain stitch, and a memorable Mothering Sunday plastic basket of plastic anemones, which she greeted with what must have been feigned pleasure. The girly joys of a first bra (probably a 28AA whether I needed it or not and I think it cost a shilling, but so much better than a Liberty bodice with rubber buttons for suspenders, even if it did still have to be worn under a St Michael vest) and make-up to be tried in a gaggle behind the outside lavs in the last year of primary school (Miner's - bright pink, shocking blue - gorgeous) were acquired from Woolie's. What, I wonder, will happen to those Deco exteriors which have been a feature of high streets great and small for so many decades? Despite the changes in signage over time, it was still often discreet and didn't overwhelm the building. I suspect that we will get nasty plastic frontages (Iceland has bought a number), and many a store will vanish altogether. Among my favourites are the huge block with a parade of shops at ground level in Carlisle built in local red sandstone, and the tiny store in Barnard Castle. The one in the historic pic is one of those in Liverpool, Wavertree Road.

I don't have any pictures of my own, but I found this on t'internet (well worth a browse at the others in the set too): http://flickr.com/photos/seant_25/2878744406/

One day I will learn how to do all that stuff with links hidden in text, like Gervase does on his blog, but I haven't yet got that far.

News of new blogs which I am certain will be of interest, we at the Republic seem to be developing a 'Bloggers' Circle'. First up is another from a CO who is being coy about identity but no doubt will soon give the game away to those who have regularly read his calm contributions in other places: http://conservationofficer.blogspot.com/

and the second is an additional refugee from another place: http://hazel-abearoflittlebrain.blogspot.com/not of little brain at all, in reality, but I hope she will keep us updated with her exploits in delving into archaeology in deepest Wales along with tales of house updating in the Frozen North.

Perhaps we should call ourselves Grumpy Old Bloggers, the GOBs for short; although one of our number is a GOB in spirit but not yet in years, he assures me he's been working at it since he first wore long tweed trousers.

Clicking on the links in the Followers' pics at the right will, I have found, also bring you details of the blogs. If you are a Blogger, then your dashboard will give you fresh posts of all blogs you follow. If anyone, Follower, Blogger or not, wants an alert from me when I update this do send me an e-mail (see profile) and I will add you to the growing list.

Jon Maine (see The Merchant of Shepton Mallet) has sent me this link to an album of 'before' pics to which he will add, as and when, updates: http://picasaweb.google.com/jonmaine/OldPhotos#

If anyone is having trouble with the comments section, also let me know.

Apologies to people who have sent news and fresh listings and pics which I haven't yet incorporated, time is short at the moment but it's not forgotten.

In yesterday's comments Gervase raised the subject of the sad news of the impending demise, after a long campaign, of the colliery headstocks at Annesley, Notts, http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/and there are song lyrics and a poem. The latter is connected with something on my list of 'to write', the 'Treasured Places' exhibition in Edinburgh, but that's for another day.

Happy blogging, do keep in touch - it can get lonely at the end of this Republic outpost mud track.

Nem

PS See comments, here's the link: http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/1.350359

The Merchant of Shepton Mallet

My, how the flames have reached my ears today, see below for some background, and how glad I am I do not live in Salem. Eeeeeeek.

In the garden, the cold weather has meant a large number of tits in a feeding frenzy. Clearly, that is not confined to my garden.

Don't make the elementary mistake I made while searching for an image of birds on google - be specific. Those are great tits in the picture. Try adding 'birds' to the search term.

A great deal of news sent to write about, but so gobsmacked at the vitriol some seem to think acceptable on another site (pots and kettles, citizens? I leave you to decide) that I will today confine myself to a few snippets of information. Possibly I should post a fruitcake recipe too, but I think after Christmas we have all had enough of fruitcakes?

Moving on...

Firstly, I hear that Jon Maine has finally completed the long time repair of the Merchant's House in Shepton Mallet. and Family Maine spent Christmas there. Such good news, a most beautiful and important Grade II* building rescued from dereliction; I leave the website to fill in the background, but I gather Jon is open to offers to come along and work his magic on your own home.

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

His recent Open Day, with guest Kevin McCloud off the telly, raised a substantial sum of money for the local hospice. Brilliant.

Courses for the next few months at the glorious Cressing Temple, Essex, which people may wish to consider for some hands-on experience:

http://www.cressingtemple.org.uk/

http://www.cressingtemple.org.uk/Courses/Building.htm

New Year Lectures 2009

Building Recording
9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 28th January
Speakers: Andrew Westman, Museum of London and Elphin Watkin, Historic Building Specialist
Good building conservation is dependent on understanding and analysing the fabric of a building. These lectures will look at different methods and approaches, and the standards of documentation required in the planning system. Cost £50.

Historic Lead
9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 11th February
Speaker: Dr Peter Rumley, Stephen Bradbury Architects
Good specification is essential to good lead work. This day will look at historic lead, its features and how it can be repaired. Cost £50.

Thatch
9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 18th February
Speaker: Keith Quantrill, Thatching Consultant
The session will look at the Essex thatching tradition, and address the practical issues of repair and maintenance, as well as looking at new thatch. It will also consider how to reduce the risk of fire. Cost £50.

Joinery Repair
9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 11th March 2009
Speaker: Joe Bispham, Historic Building Specialist
Traditional windows and doors make an important contribution to the appearance of historic buildings and should never be replaced if repair is at all possible. These lectures will look at historic joinery details as well as covering differing approaches to repairs and their specification. Cost £50.

Lime Specification
9.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 25th March 2009
Speaker: Roy Cafferty, Traditional Lime Plasterer
The return to using lime rather than cement is the most important development of the last few decades in the care of historic buildings. The lectures will discuss the different types of limes, their use in plasters and mortar mixes, and will highlight the importance of preparation and aftercare. Cost £50.

TV tonight

A new series, The Victorian Farm, on BBC2 telly at 9pm, followed by Adam Hart Davis repeat of What the Victorians Did For Us - Steam.

"Watch a new series in which historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn move into a Victorian smallholding on the Acton Scott estate in Shropshire and live the life of Victorian farmers for a year."

No doubt it will all be available on watch again sites if you miss it. I have bottle or three of good ale in and a stack of logs, and will be glued to the TV.

Brewery website of the week (an occasional series):

http://www.bateman.co.uk/

Interesting website with a forum, which looks in needs of a few more posters to me:

http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/

Yesterday's comment and picture from Gareth very interesting, indeed I wonder if that is by Boardman? Great similarities.

Do keep in touch. I gather some have had probs posting comments, I HOPE that is resolved but I am very new to finding my way around the Blogger technology. Thank for all the support, I cannot tell you how much it is appreciated.

Nem