EDITORIAL The next issue of this Newsletter will be number 100 by the reckoning I made when I took over with No. 41 in June 1983, 31 years ago. I took over from Brian Ballin after a lacuna of nearly a year, and was given a copy of No. 37, which came out the previous year, to guide me. I received no other briefing and was told by Jeffery Tillett that I was expected to produce four per annum, which for a few years, I obediently did. No one told me that Peter Billson had been doing covers for Brian, so in ignorance I put a steel engraving on the front cover, and hurt his feelings. I also made the Newsletter longer, which put up the cost and eventually the committee told me to reduce the number of issues to two a year. As by this time I was married and promoted at work, this came as a relief, as everything in those days had to be typed laboriously out (and later typed up uniformly by Robin’s sister) and pasted up with illustrations (themselves an innovation) before going off to Tatlers (of blessed memory) for printing. As No. 100 will be my 60 th issue, I sought the committee’s sanction to produce it in colour (good-bye steel engraving on the front cover) and I am sure that those members who have seen the last two issues on the website will know that it looks a million dollars in colour and only a few bob in black-and-white. Modern printing technology is such that this had now fallen within the limits of our modest budget. I would like to make the issue a bit special, so would like each and every member to think about making a contribution. I am almost tempted to ask members if they can think of an apposite name for the Newsletter , instead of just Newsletter , just as the newsletter of the Friends of Derby Museum is called The Orrery . Unfortunately Derbeian , The Derby Ram and a few other obvious ones are already spoken for, but I would still welcome suggestions nevertheless. * I don't know why they bothered knocking down the 1963 Police Station tower; what is proposed to replace it is just as ghastly. Basically it is the cheapest thing they can get off their CAD which fills all their potential tenant's requirements, full stop. There is absolutely no hint 1 of trouble having been taken to enable the architecture to sustain any merit, to reflect the design, massing and materials of the listed old police station and courts, the Grade II listed Silk Mill, the Grade I listed Cathedral and the general ambience of Cathedral Green, municipalised though it is. Nor can one commend the proposed river facade either which, alongside the very fine one by Aslin immediately east of it, needed to be absolutely top quality, especially as our river is a major artery and is crying out for quality buildings facing onto it.. What was needed was something of absolutely stunning quality to sit happily with the Cathedral, Silk Mill and 1933 court/police buildings. What we have got seems to have taken its inspiration from the Assembly Rooms car park after it went on fire. Even the old power station (1912-1971) had more presence architecturally. * Members who have been reading the Newsletter for long enough will recall that in the mid 1980s, the government encouraged local authorities to support LOTS, an acronym for Living Over The Shop. This was a scheme to encourage the freeholders and/or tenants of city centre properties, especially retail ones and unused offices, to open up their empty upper floors to create apartments for rent. This would help towards the shortage of affordable housing, ensure much better security for town centre shops and other outlets, bring back into use what are often historic properties with fine interior spaces, thus ensuring better maintenance of the buildings involved, and give the tenants of such upper floor apartments a taste of living in an historic building,, which can be a life enhancing experience. Shortly after the election in May, Cllr. Shanker announced an initiative in which ‘empty city offices would be set to be turned into hundreds of flats’ – in other words, he has decided to embrace this old Tory policy initiated originally by Michael Heseltine when Environment Secretary. Back in the 1980s, the Civic Society strongly endorsed this policy and urged the then council leader to do likewise, but because it was a policy emanating from the hated Thatcher régime, he clearly wanted nothing to do with it and we were unceremoniously rebuffed. But life moves on, and I was so pleased by Cllr. Shanker’s initiative, that I wrote a Soapbox piece for the DET applauding it, and offering the support and expertise of this Society to help move the matter forward. This was duly published, on my wedding anniversary (4 th June). Whilst there has been no response from Cllr. Shanker, I am still very pleased that he has undertaken this initiative and look forward to seeing it enterprisingly implemented in the near future. * I have never had much confidence in the ability of the NHS to do the right thing with the historic properties and environments they have inherited from the nationalisation of health provision initiated by that old champagne socialist Aneurin Bevan in 1948. One thing they inherited was the City’s statue of Queen Victoria by C B Birch (1906, Listed Grade II). for the life of me I couldn’t see it last time I went down London Road, but they assure me it is still there. Any photograph of it taken after reading this would be welcome. 2 Meanwhile, in Derby they inherited a very fine Regency villa called Thornhill on Kingsway, built to the designs of Alderman Richard Leaper in 1823. They treated it shamefully, and finally allowed it to be demolished, despite the best efforts of this society in 2007. Left: Thornhill, seen shortly before its demolition, July 2006. [M. Craven ] Below: Wilderslow, photographed in 1986 [M. Craven ] They also own another Regency villa - this one at least listed (grade II) - of 1821 called Wilderslow, set back in a once attractive position off Osmaston Road on the dreadfully neglected and vagrant-infested DRI site. It was not in very good condition when I visited it a decade ago, but since it has been tinned up and is fast deteriorating. Unofficially, word reaches me that it is no longer watertight, with consequent damage to ceilings and long term problems with damp. The Council’s officers must require a site visit and if necessary issue a repairs notice forthwith, for the future of the building may yet take some time to sort out and it is the statutory duty of the NHS to keep it in good repair. On the subject of neglected listed buildings, the former GNR bonded warehouse on Great Northern Road (Richard Johnson, 1876 LGII), has reached almost terminal decline. Since the opening of the inner ring road, the decaying edifice has become a public spectacle. Clowes Developments have owned it for decades, and have consistently allowed it to be vandalised, in breach of the law. The City Council have consistently refused to issue a repairs notice. 3 Indeed, their track record on the Hippodrome aptly sums up what would appear to be their spineless and conniving attitude, so no surprise there. But now is almost too late, and the recent change of leader might be the sign for Cllr. Banwait’s regime to go in hard to this developer, which firm appears to be using the site as a land bank. They have the resources to have kept the building water and weathertight 30 years or more ago. Frankly it is a scandal and needs to be addressed. A recent view of the GNR 1876 Bonded Warehouse from Mercian Way/Stafford Street [M. Craven ] * In June, Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage spoke very appositely at a conference attended by a friend. The nub of his peroration was that modern architects’ penchant for glass and steel is inherently unsustainable. Modern tower blocks require far too much power to heat, light and ventilate, have windows that do not open and contain materials that cannot cope with the strain of being in the structure and many of which are un- recyclable. He called for a return to traditional building materials; old and unused brick and mortar buildings scan and should be re-cycled if they cannot be adapted. Architects should be consulted more in the building of new houses, as English villages were under extraordinary pressure to expand, but with computer designed identikit houses. Much more regional distinctiveness is required in order to ensure that the huge increase in house-building does not wreck our cities, towns villages and countryside. Wilson Bowden Full Street Hotel please take note. * 4 CHAIRMAN’S COLLOQUY As I write my second contribution to our newsletter it coincides with the conclusion of four talks over a period of three months by the Civic Society held in Derby Cathedral. I’m happy to report that all were very well attended. My thanks go to Maxwell Craven, David Ling, David Parry, and Richard Felix for their first class presentations. On more than one occasion extra chairs had to be provided by Cathedral staff to accommodate those who attended. We also attracted new members to the Derby Civic Society. 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