image: Rob Cowan for IHBC Context
IHBC’s members’ journal Context in June 2025 – No. 184 – focussed on ‘Leaders of conservation thought’, but it also included our must-read update on recent journals, ‘Periodically’, by Bob Kindred MBE.
Bob Kindred writes:
… Historic Environment
The leading item among the eight areas of competence for IHBC members is philosophy: knowledge and understanding of conservation theory and the social, cultural, political, aesthetic, economic and environmental values that underpin current conservation policy and practice. Readers should therefore find the latest bumper issue (running to 223 pages) of Historic Environment: policy and practice (Vol 15, No 4, 2024) to be particularly informative. Perhaps the most interesting and insightful paper is by independent scholar and IHBC associate Alfie Robinson on the importance of the listed building survey in England 1982–1989. This forms a thought-provoking counterpoint to the major evaluation of listing from a national amenity society perspective by Matthew Saunders, published as a Historic England Research Report (No 27, 2021); and a particularly useful update on the substantial 42-page 5 paper on the National Resurvey published by no fewer than seven collaborative authors, led by Martin Robertson and published in the Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society in 1993. Both of the latter studies are easily and fully accessible online…
Journal of Historic Buildings and Places
A substantial publication that would definitely justify readers’ membership of Historic Buildings and Places is its annual Journal of Historic Buildings and Places (Vol 4, 2025), which runs to 200 pages. The issue contains six substantial papers, reflecting the society’s aims and objectives of studying and conserving heritage assets of all periods and styles. The first paper is by John Darlington, director of projects for the World Monument Fund, where he leads UK-based initiatives. Entitled ‘Fake Heritage or Faithful Homage: why we reconstruct the past’, it was the annual lecture given to the society in 2023. The author has some particularly well- chosen examples in asking why the issue of fake or copied heritage is relevant today, and why we should care (or not). He argues that the past is important as it colours the places we live in and visit, contributes to character and local distinctiveness, and helps establish our place in the world….
SPAB Magazine
The Spring 2025 issue of the SPAB Magazine, highlighting women in conservation (‘Forging brilliant careers’), is introduced by trustee Jo Thwaites, chair of SPAB’s education and training committee. She draws attention to the fact that while most of the UK construction industry pays some attention to the gender gap, and that excellent equality diversity inclusion strategies reach a wide audience, the proportions have not increased much over the last 20 years, with only 15 per cent of surveyors being women, compared to 11 per cent in 2000. Barely two per cent of the construction workforce on site are women. Fortunately, the gender gap appears to be much lower in professional heritage management. The current issue of the magazine highlights women in conservation and those who are already forging brilliant careers in the sector, highlighting role models past and present, but illustrating the old maximum ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’….
Heritage Now
In the latest issue of Heritage Now (No 11, Spring 2025), Historic Buildings and Places director Liz Power reviews the society’s centenary year. As the society has appointed Sara Robertson as its new chair, an illuminating article asks her some searching questions about her vision for the charity (and asks her about the five buildings that have played a particular part in her career so far). As the recent £7.5 million restoration of Newhaven Fort, a scheduled ancient monument, nears completion, Neil Harrison, head of commercial development at Wave Active, which operates Newhaven Fort, and Alan Corbett, managing director of Pilbeam Construction, explain the process of conserving an under-regarded ‘hidden heritage gem’ in East Sussex. Pat Jones- Jenkins of the Grade II* listed Ruppera Castle Preservation Trust (formed in 1997) explains the trust’s work aimed at reversing the decay of the present ruins, stemming from a significant decline of the estate in the 1930s, and a tortuous planning history of failed developer conversion plans in the 1990s and 2000s.
See HERE for the full article online and in Context 184
Context 184: CONTENTS
Themed Articles
- Editorial: Making sense of it all
- Inclusive, values-based conservation to 2008, Kate Clark
- John Ashurst: practitioner, writer and educator, Chris Wood
- SAVE at 50: celebrating half a century of campaigning Eve Blain
- Lord Kennet: making government work, Rebecca Madgin
- Discovering Jane Jacobs, Joe Holyoak
- Nineteenth-century conservation, thinking from Ruskin onwards, Duncan McCallum
Feature Articles
- Replacing Brighton Museum’s roof lantern, Edward Lewis and Olivia Stitson
- The world of generative AI, Sammy Woodford
- Old buildings and oligarchs, Ian Wray
Regular & Occasional features
- Briefing
- Letter
- Periodically, Bob Kindred MBE
- Out of Context
- The writer’s voice
- Law and policy update, Alexandra Fairclough
- Inter alia, James Caird
- Vox pop
- Reviews, Peter de Figueiredo, Reviews Editor,
IHBC Updates
- Notes from the Chair
- Director’s Cut
- New member profile
- New members
Commercial
- Products and services
- Specialist suppliers index
Reading Context helps IHBC members develop their skills across all of the IHBC’s Areas of Competence, and so is a critical baseline in addressing priorities in Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Access the online archive and see the issue online
See more IHBC background and guidance on IHBC CPD and on how you might use past, current and future issues of Context
See the formal guidance paper on IHBC CPD (scheduled for update)
See more on the IHBC Competences and Areas of Competence
