ST ALBANS AND HERTFORDSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY www.stalbanshistory.org N EWSLETTER No. 172 May 2009 Founded 1845 Registered Charity No. 226912 PRESIDENT’S REPORT The first recorded expenditure October 2007, the bats' life cycle and a delay in the issue on the 14th-century manorial of a licence allowed pigeons to continue their barn at Kingsbury, St Michael's depredations until work began in October 2008. was by John Moote, abbot of St Albans from 1396 to 1401. The owners decided early on to replace as little of the More than six centuries later I original fabric as possible. Seasoned oak was inserted am delighted to report that one into rotting joints and beams. The failed weather-boarding of our members and her was replaced using untreated elm (ironically from Holland) husband have paid for the barn fixed with traditional rose-head nails. Re-roofing was to be transformed from its necessary because the tiles had been re-fixed using nails dilapidated state into a that had corroded so much that very few tiles could be re- magnificent monument to local mediaeval timber used. New hand-made tiles were attached to riven oak craftsmanship. battens by 60,000 hand-made oak pegs. The size of the holes in the tiles varied, sometimes within one tile, so the Adam and Jill Singer, who live in Kingsbury Manor, bought pegs had to be of different sizes to match. The oak pegs, the listed Grade II* barn in 2007 from the developers of riven battens and undersides of the tiles remain visible the site in Branch Road formerly occupied by Express from the inside. An attempt has been made to reproduce Dairy. The barn is once again part of the Kingsbury the original fragmented pattern in the roof using the Manor site. Before work could begin, its owners had to remaining original tiles on the east gable which is visible obtain a licence from English Nature for the temporary to the public from Branch Road. exclusion of bats. Although work could have started in The barn under wraps The work was overseen by Oxley Conservation during the renovation work, (www.oxleyconservation.com) and the builders were IJP and revealed in its new (www.ijp.co.uk), specialist timber workers who showed state. Left, Roger Miles and great attention to detail and an enthusiasm for the original members of the fabric. All the strapping and ironwork was cleaned and Archaeology Group have restored. The great barn doors had to be remade, but been surveying the barn internal doors were conserved. The window and Roger recently led A&A openings on the north elevation have new oak members on a tour of the shutters because the old ones were decayed. A new renovations The owners are particularly grateful to Roger Miles and his colleagues of the name for our continued on page 2 :1 : Society? see page 2 SAHAAS Newsletter No. 172 May 2009 Society's Archaeology Group for making a meticulous The owners are making plans to secure the barn's future. survey of the barn which will add greatly to our They will be interested to hear from anyone who has an understanding of its development. idea for some sort of ongoing use by the community. Adam and Jill's achievement is highly commendable and a Adam and Jill had no financial help with the conservation great contribution to the fabric of our City. I hope that of the barn, but they are delighted with the way the work members of the Society will come up with some has been carried out and very pleased to have revealed imaginative ideas for making use of it. Please contact the barn's stunning internal structure and its external Adam and Jill by mail (Kingsbury Manor, St Michaels, St appearance. They found a serious anomaly in the VAT Albans AL3 4SE), by email at [email protected], rules: for a nationally listed building VAT is payable on or by telephone (01727 838965). conservation work, but not on new work, such as extensions. This seems to go against common sense and sends the wrong message to anyone thinking of Michael Cooper conserving an existing building. PROPOSED CHANGE OF SOCIETY NAME As we all know, our Society was founded back in 1845 of our Society should be changed to The St Albans and with the original name of the St Albans Architectural Hertfordshire History Society, for the following reasons: Society, which largely reflected its members' interest in, for I Our current name no longer expresses the main example, the preservation of the Abbey. The name, interests of our members. Indeed, as long ago as however, seems to have caused some dissatisfaction even 1863, a lecturer apologised for giving us a paper that in our early years, so that only five years later the name was neither architectural nor archaeological. was changed to include 'archaeology'. I Our name should represent what its members do in In the following half century, it became clear that even this order to meet its constitutional objectives and to attract was not adequate, as 'St Albans' was in fact thought new members originally to refer to the archdeaconry (then under the diocese of Rochester) rather than the city. Matters were I Our present name is far too unwieldy. rather brought to a head by the establishment of the new I Our proposed new name is a more accurate reflection diocese and then that of local government under of our interests and will help us move forward into the Hertfordshire County Council, with the result that the 21st century. name changed again to St Albans and Hertfordshire The change will be proposed at our Annual General Architectural and Archaeological Society. Meeting on 8th September, 7.30 p.m. at Verulamium Over the intervening years there have been more Museum, where there will be further discussion and a misgivings over the accuracy of the title. At an AGM firm decision on this most important matter. So do come several years ago, it was suggested from the floor that to the AGM and state your views. 'history' should be included, but it was felt that such a Members now have more than three months to consider potentially momentous change should have a far greater and discuss this proposal from Council. To help inform consideration than could be given during that short the debate we are inviting members to send their views meeting, and the matter was referred to Council. and comments in advance to our Secretary Bryan Hanlon However, Council could not come to any positive decision by email or post (contact details on page 12). Extracts (apart from rejecting the proposed 'Historia'), and so it from correspondence received will be circulated to all was rather left for a decision to be made at another time, members with other paperwork in advance of the AGM. at some unknown date in the future. After much discussion, your Council (on a decision of eight votes in favour, none against and four abstentions) BryanSecretary Hanlon has decided to propose to our membership that the name HERTFORDSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY NEEDS YOUR HELP! The Hertfordshire Archaeology and records are computerised and the be most welcome. We are also History journal needs volunteers to time involved is approximately 2 hours seeking to encourage more help with the distribution and per month. submissions to the journal from marketing of this professional We also need one or more volunteers archaeology and history oriented publication and journal of record for to maintain the non-subscription organisations. It may be possible to the County. In particular we need outlets for the Journal including create a part-paid position for an help with the maintenance of booksellers, museums, specialist experienced person in this role. institutional and ordinary venues and conferences. Someone Please call or e-mail Prof Bill Martin, subscriptions and the distribution and with creative ideas about other HA&H Journal Coordinator, 01442 billing of the journal to subscribers markets for the Journal, including new 395615, [email protected] and members of the Society. All ways to increase subscriptions, would :2 : SAHAAS Newsletter No. 172 May 2009 SUBSCRIPTION ST ALBANS CITY VISION:OUR RESPONSE REMINDER The following statement was approved by the Society's Council and sent by the President on 13 March 2009 to local organisations and individuals who are By the time you receive this engaged in various ways with the formation of a long-term development newsletter it will be nearly the end of strategy for St Albans. A further statement was approved by Council and sent the Society's financial year and this in response to the exhibition of options for development held in April. The note is a reminder that subscriptions detailed master-plan is expected to be completed by September. are due and payable on 1st June for the forthcoming financial year. The WHY HAVE A NEW MUSEUM 2. The building houses a museum level of subscriptions currently in OF ST ALBANS? and other cultural resources which force is as follows: all sections of the population as Any citizen who is aware of the Individual member £12 well as tourists want to visit for history of St Albans is likely to be entertainment, leisure and Spouse or partner of interested in the city and care for it. learning. a member, living at the People who know something about member's address £6 the lives of others who walked the 3. The building is equipped throughout with IT for performing, Children of a member under same streets as they do, whether teaching and learning, with high- the age of18, living at the they were rich or poor, youthful or speed data transfer internally and member's address £6 elderly, newcomers or long- established, are likely to have a externally.