NORTHERN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Programme Sept

Transcription

1 NORTHERN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Programme Sept St Peter s Barton upon Humber Visited on our trip to Hull in 2016 Photograph by Tom Yellowley

2 THE NORTHERN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY SOCIETY The Society was established in the 1970s. It aims to encourage the study and enjoyment of architecture, buildings, their contents and settings by organising lectures and visits. It usually holds its lectures in Newcastle upon Tyne and enjoys a close association with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape of Newcastle University. THE LECTURE THEATRE Unless otherwise stated lectures are held in the Fine Art Lecture Theatre of Newcastle University. The location is marked by the blue oval. Doors open at 7.00pm, refreshments are usually available, and lectures start at 7.30pm. Disabled parking and easy access to the lecture theatre is available adjacent to the taxi bay and security cabin on Kings Road. St George s Church, Buxton Road, Heavily, Stockport, Cheshire. A major work by Architect Hubert Austin of Austin and Paley. Built Geoffrey Brandwood will talk about this practice in March.

3 Preservation and Transformation: How the Butes both respected and adapted Dumfries House, Robert Adam's first country house, Lecturer: Simon Green Wednesday 12 October 2016 A detailed survey by the RCAHMS was prompted by the proposed sale of Dumfries House. The wealth of material held at Mount Stuart suggested there was a story that needed telling. It transpired that not only was this a major work by Robert Adam but it had been altered by, among others, the 3rd Marquess of Bute. He is perhaps more famous for his transformation of Cardiff Castle but here he undertook a massive and surprisingly sensitive building campaign with Robert Weir Schultz. This talk will focus on how the house has been transformed by the Bute family whilst preserving its Georgian spirit. Simon Green is the President of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland. His work with Historic Environment Scotland involves examining, investigating and recording buildings throughout Scotland. Alvar Aalto s Influence and Reputation in Great Britain Lecturer: Harry Charrington Wednesday 16 November 2016 Harry worked in Aalto s office in Helsinki before graduating from Cambridge University. He practiced and taught in Newcastle prior to returning to Helsinki. He is now Professor and Dean at Westminster University s School of Architecture. Throughout his career Aalto has been his greatest influence. This talk results from research work prepared for an exhibition at Artek in New York. Before World War II the UK was the biggest market for Aalto s furniture. It was specified by everyone from Lubetkin to Yorke and sold through Heal s. The lecture will reveal the myriad connections between British and continental modernists, and the beginning of Aalto¹s reputation in the UK.

4 Christmas Event Armstrong Building, Newcastle University Early December: date, time and cost to be confirmed. The Armstrong building is the oldest building on the campus and is the site of the original Armstrong College. It was opened by HRH Princess Louise on 5 November The Jubilee Tower was built with surplus funds raised from an Exhibition to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee in The north-west front, forming the main entrance, was completed in 1906 and features two stone figures to represent science and the arts. The building contains the King's Hall, which serves as the university's chief hall for ceremonial purposes where Congregation ceremonies are held. Works to conserve the building and update the teaching facilities have been carried out over the last few years and it is now in pristine condition. The Hearth Tax: Northumberland and Durham Lecturer: Adrian Green Wednesday 18 January 2017 The Hearth Tax, levied between 1662 and 1688, is an invaluable documentary resource for anyone interested in the history of housing and the built environment. Surviving hearth tax lists enable us to reconstruct the housing stock of England between the Restoration of 1660 and the Glorious Revolution of To do so, however, requires an appreciation of the administration of the tax, and what the deceptively simple lists of householders and hearth numbers represent in relation to actual houses and settlements. This lecture sets out the ways in which the hearth tax records for Durham, Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne enable us to reimagine the housing of north-east England in the seventeenth century. Combining documentary records with archaeological evidence from standing and excavated buildings enables the landscape of villages, towns and new industrial communities across the region to be reconstructed, just as they were seen by Gregory King and Daniel Defoe.

5 Robin Dower, Architect: A Life in Conservation Lecturer: Robin Dower Wednesday 15 February 2017 After a first brush with the care of historic buildings working for London County Council in 1961/62 Robin spent 8 years with the London practice of Yorke Rosenberg and Mardall on a hospital programme before returning north to join Spence and Price where he has been a partner since The practice handles a mixed range of work, tending towards the care of the historic fabric of rural settlements, churches, roofless castles and the occasional rarity an early 18th century heather thatched cruck-framed barn, a delicately beautiful 1830s wrought-iron curvilinear glasshouse, the 17th century Clifford s Fort in the mouth of the Tyne and the grand 12th century St. Lawrence s Church, Warkworth. Alston Moor, Cumbria: Buildings in a North Pennines Landscape Lecturer: Lucy Jessop Wednesday 15 March 2017 Alston Moor is a large rural parish in Cumbria which historically both depended upon and provided important services for the agricultural and mineral industries of the North Pennines. Much of the area's settlement is dispersed among hamlets and single farmsteads. Isolated from major northern cities by the surrounding hills and moors, the parish's wild upland landscape provides a conditioning influence on a distinctive tradition of vernacular building types, ranging from the bastle to its later 18th- and 19thcentury derivatives and 'mine shops' providing lodgings for miners close to their place of work. Lucy s lecture will explore how houses of various types combine with a rich legacy of public and industrial buildings to create places of distinctive character. Lucy studied at the Courtauld Institute and is a Senior Investigator for Historic England based in York.

6 William Armstrong: Romantic Engineer Lecturer: Henrietta Heald Wednesday 26 April 2017 William Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Cragside ( ) scientist, inventor, industrialist is best known today as the brains behind Cragside in Northumberland, where he collaborated with Richard Norman Shaw to create the place where modern living began. Armstrong was a hard-headed engineer and businessman, but he also had an intensely romantic side and this mixture of realism and romance is evident in all the buildings, structures and landscapes closely associated with him. Henrietta Heald, author of William Armstrong, Magician of the North, explains how the two sides of Armstrong s character are reflected not only in the triumph of Cragside but also in the creation of Jesmond Dene and the restoration of Bamburgh Castle. Spring Day Trip to Eastern Cumbria Organiser: Ian Wells a Saturday in April 2017 There is a concentration of interesting houses in the area between the Lake District and the M6 corridor. Planning has commenced arranging the day around visits to Hutton in the Forest and High Head Castle. High Head Castle before recent consolidation works

7 AKENSIDE HOUSE The Side, Newcastle upon Tyne. We passed this building on our walking tour and failed to identify the signature features of a Marshall and Tweedy design. In January 1914 the Newcastle Daily Journal reported that the most imposing and commodious new building to be opened in the town during 1913 was Messrs. Fenwick s Store by M&T. The same article reported the completion of Akenside House. No expense or labour has been spared to make this building of the best quality. Externally the building is very pleasing. The ground floor is faced in dark granite and the upper portion is executed in stone which is relieved by neat sculpture. All the floors are of armoured concrete and the entrance is panelled in teak. The front windows are of teak and strong plate glass. The sanitary arrangements have received special attention and a handsome electric lift has been placed in the centre of the stair wellway. The work was carried out under the personal supervision of Messrs. Marshall and Tweedy. Society Members looking above the shop front to the magnificent upper façade of Fenwick s Store in Northumberland Street. Marshall and Tweedy Evening Tour JULY 2016

8 For Further Information about Events Please Contact: Ian Wells, 4 Swindon Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5RB telephone: events@northernarchitecturalhistory.org.uk Ideas for future events are always welcome! Annual General Meeting and Lecture: May 2017 Evening Walk: Early June 2017 Summer Trip: Late June / Early July 2017 Details to Follow Membership is by Annual Subscription Membership is due for renewal on 1 st March each year. To join please download the membership form from our website and send it to our treasurer. LESLIE STARKIE, 11 St. Leonard's Walk, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3SZ Telephone: SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE 2016/17 SEASON Individual subscription 14 Two people at the same address 18 Students in full time education 9 (for the academic year) Visit our Website for the Latest Information PDF copies of the latest programme can be downloaded from the site.