Category: Uncategorized

Judit Heli’s work on the Spring Term module ‘Intervention at Historic Buildings’ involves the preparation of a new Conservation Plan aimed at revitalizing the Great Hall of Charing Palace. This major Scheduled Monument is currently owned by Spitalfields Trust. Earlier this year, the Trust invited the students of the MSc in Architectural Conservation to study the building and use it as a case study. As Judit notes, ‘the hall’s evolution from a palace hall to a barn and, later, to an oasthouse, makes this a particularly inspiring backdrop. I was particularly interested in the industrial oast-conversion, which lay the foundation for my intervention concept.’

As the project’s name ‘(h)all-round’ suggests, the proposal ‘aims to establish an adaptable space for diverse uses, providing public access to the Hall while integrating a manufacturing area to maintain continuity with the building’s past. While introducing modern architectural elements to foster organic growth, ensuring coherence between old and new components, the approach emphasizes minimal interventions to the existing historic fabric. 

Rather than prescribing a specific function, the proposal offers a flexible occupancy scheme to accommodate various business models. This approach facilitates diversified occupation, enabling the adaptation of multiple sustainable business plans to ensure the building’s long-term usability and viability. Furthermore, the proposal includes recommendations based on case studies as part of the documentation, contributing to the preservation and economic sustainability of the building.’

 

Emily Darragh (MSc in Architectural Conservation 2023) writes vividly about her studies in Conservation at Kent.

‘As a student with no architectural background approaching the Architectural Conservation MSc was daunting. However, I had an appreciation for historic buildings through my BA in History and my volunteering with the National Trust’s conservators which both led me to look into the MSc in Architectural Conservation at Kent, as I was interested in developing skills in this area.

The lecturers were extremely supportive of those of us who did not have as much, or any, experience with architecture as a discipline. They encouraged us to join first year architecture students in their lecturers on CAD and Sketch Up to help us develop our skills to the same stage as more experienced students, on top of giving direction in our own seminars. We were encouraged to present the progression of our work each week which would be commented on by a lecturer, while viewing our peers work demonstrated potential methods of working.

We went on several fieldtrips, where we were able to learn firsthand how the ideas we were learning about were put into practice and were able to talk to those currently working on conservation projects such as that at St Andrews chapel and Canterbury Cathedral. These fieldtrips also made us aware of opportunities to gain our own experience and learn from others who work in the conservation of historic  buildings. For example through the Society for the Protection of Ancient Building’s Old House Project. Lecturers also encouraged us to attend volunteer events where we can learn more about building conservation. This support has helped me develop my skills in the field of conservation, gain hands on experience and meet experienced heritage and architectural professionals.’

While working on a live project of adaptive reuse, our students draw inspiration from major conservation projects around Kent. On 19 February, we visited the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, to explore some of the most stunning Georgian and Victorian buildings in the UK. Guided by Stephen Billington (Chatham Dockyard), our students observed the repairs to the stunning 1833 covered slip, one of the largest timber structures in Europe. They also had a guided tour of the 1801 Smithery, currently refurbished to house and display collections of the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich. One of the day’s highlights was the visit to the elegant interior of the Commissioner’s house, a fine example of early Georgian residential architecture. The day closed with a workshop inside the refurbished Joiner’s Shop, a Scheduled Monument featuring a hybrid timber and metal structure. This gave the students the opportunity to fully experience a reused fabric, not only through the lens of a conservation architect, but also from the point of view of the user.

Fieldtrips and work on live projects are a key aspect of the MSc in Architectural Conservation. Last week, our students started work on two facinating medieval monuments: the Archbishop’s Palace at Charing and St. Andrew’s Chapel, Boxley Abbey. The Charing Palace project marks our first collaboration with the Spitalfields Trust. During the next three months the students will carry out a detailed survey of the ‘Great Hall’ of the palace, and draft a plan for its future use and conservation. At the same time, we were very pleased to continue our collaboration with the prestigious Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Visiting the medieval St. Andrew’s chapel, the students were guided into the recent repairs and the conservation challenges of this fascinating site. We discussed the discrete consolidation of the building, the sourcing of local building materials (including the clay used in the roof tiles and the lime mortar – calcinated and slaked on site), and the building’s sustainable new extension.

The students studying on the Conservation in Action module have wonderful opportunities to visit unique sites that demonstrate the work being undertaken in the area of East Kent for buildings and sites which are designated heritage at risk. They hear firsthand from charities, private clients and diocesan regeneration officers and a local reverend on the journey they are taking to secure a viable and sustainable future for their projects. This term we visited former Fort Burgoyne a Scheduled Monument site in Dover, the church of St George in Ramsgate (Grade I listed), Chatham House (part of the Historic England High Street Heritage Action Zone listed Grade II*), St John the Divine Church in Chatham by Smirke (listed Grade I). Knowledge and experience gained from these visits will now be taken forward for the rest of the term as we explore the legislative, ethical and administrative framework for the heritage sector and they select a case study for their assignment.  It has been an amazing start to the term! Prepared by Fiona Raley, Lecturer in Architectural Design and Communication at the University of Kent.

Fiona Raley, 11/2023

The students of the module ‘Intervention at Historic Sites’ (ARCH8430) visited the ‘Old House Project’ of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Currently being refurbished by the Society, St. Andrew’s Chapel has a varied and rich history: probably built in the 15th century, the original chapel was transformed to a house after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The ‘Chapel’ is currently a patchwork of different phases of construction, including a 1900s timber-frame extension that transformed the house to a Post Office, prior to its abandonment in the second half of the 20th century. This site provides a unique opportunity to engage with a wide range of architectural forms and methods of construction.  Our students are currently preparing a Conservation Plan that will help to infuse new life into the building. Their work started with a guided site visit to the chapel and its vicinity, which included the medieval ‘Hospitium’ of Boxley Abbey. Despite the cold January weather, the students were fascinated by the site’s incredible Medieval and Early Modern buildings and the opportunity to meet the expert technicians of the SPAB currently working on their preservation.

Our module ‘Intervention at Historic Sites’ gives our students the opportunity to learn from recent projects of adaptive reuse, which aim to breathe new life into seminal historic buildings. Examining intervention projects elsewhere plays a key role in developing the knowledge and methods required to tackle the challenges of this module. On 14 March, we visited the church of St. Mary the Virgin at Willesborough near Ashford to explore the recent work carried out by Lee Evans Partnership. Nicholas Lee Evans, managing partner and the architect of this project provided us with a detailed presentation of the recent intervention at the building, which included the installation of a new floor, and the creation of new indoor facilities that aim to breathe new life into the building, supporting its role as a centre for the local community.

On 10 November 2021, the students of the MSc in Architectural Conservation of the University of Kent enjoyed an unusually close view of the vaults of Canterbury Cathedral, with the guidance of Purcell engineers as well as the managers and conservation specialists of the Canterbury Journey project. The scaffolding and deck inside the nave provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe the late-Gothic lierne vaults and their rich sculptural ornamentation. Dating back to the late 14th century, and associated the work of Henry Yevele these wonderful ribbed vaults constitute a feat of engineering and one of the masterpieces of vaulted architecture.

The students of the MSc in Architectural Conservation (Kent) on the ‘vault deck’ inside the nave of Canterbury Cathedral, November 2021

Leaving the vault deck, we moved to the top of the western towers, which gave us the chance to examine the recent preservation of pinnacles and louvres in a part of the structure that is exposed to particularly harsh weather conditions. Closing with a panoramic view of Canterbury, this visit has been one of the highlights of our programme this year.

The students of the MSc in Architectural Conservation visiting the western towers of Canterbury Cathedral, November 2021

 

During the Autumn Term, our students visited a number of Historic Sites. Rebecca Lilley and Diane Harvey-White report on the site visit in Rochester.

It was on a bright day in mid-October that I and my fellow Architectural Conservation students arrived at Chatham House in Rochester. This Grade II* listed mansion dates from the early 18^th century and has a brewery complex behind, which stretches to the banks of the River Medway. For many years and until the early 2000s the site was used as a furniture and upholstery department of the well-known Featherstone’s Department stores. In their heyday Featherstone’s had shops in Rochester, Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Gravesend, Maidstone and Canterbury, and visiting the long, nearly straight, High Street I could picture how key this institution must have been to the character and popularity of the High Street. Sadly, like so many of our department stores of old, Featherstone’s is no more. However Chris Featherstone still owns No. 351 Chatham House in Rochester. We were greeted by Chris’s daughter Sheila, who is currently managing the conservation and refurbishment of No. 351. She spoke about her plans to restore the building so that it may, once again, be accessible to the public. The plans will be multi-phased, as different areas of the site will require different treatments to bring them back into full occupation.

Figure 1 Chatham House, front elevation

 

From my view as a new student in conservation, the site was a goldmine of historic features, and although the buildings here have been vacant for some time, it is clear that with good planning, sound advice and a great deal of financial backing, the enthusiasm which Sheila, her family and the team on the ground show will, in time, result in a remarkable transformation from a vacant store to a veritable asset to the town. Whilst the mansion is in relatively good condition, and retains many of its original features – as is evident in its Grade II* status – it is the Brewery building that will require the most work to give it a long-term viable future. It was clear that the Brewery had evolved organically over several generations. Its interior is a maze of rooms which vary from a vast 3-storey covered yard to small store rooms and passageways on split levels. The building is a hotchpotch of different materials, some showing signs of former use, perhaps in other buildings or maybe in shipping. Roofs have cleverly been adapted over time as new rooms have been created in the nooks and crannies between the main spaces. Original features such as high-level gantries, sliding doors and winches are numerous and will aid in the retention of the aura of the brewery when it is repurposed in due course.

Figure 2 Side elevation, showing the Lion Brewery entrance

 

Enough of the original charm of the mansion and its brewery have been retained under the custodianship of the Featherstones and  this shall aid their endeavours to retain, conserve, and repurpose the building so that it may be enjoyed for many generation to come. Our visit, which I could so easily write several more pages on, was an excellent example for the topic of our Masters and I wish Sheila and the project team all the very best for their endeavours there. It won’t be easy, but it will indeed be worth it.

Rebecca Lilley

 

To some people looking at a building with visible signs of decay is an uncomfortable experience; to a conservationist it is the beginning of a journey that will reveal the secrets of a building and end with that building saved for future generations. On a recent field trip to Rochester High Street, a recipient of a High Street Heritage Action Zone grant, we were able to see for ourselves one such gem – Chatham House. This magnificent town house shows obvious signs of deterioration: the front portico is missing, the façade is delaminating, there are plants growing out of the parapet. These things mask the significance of a building that contributed much to the High Street when times were good and it is this significance that informs the need for protection.

Discovering why a building becomes vacant sometimes tells the story of the wider area: the downturn in the economy, or the change in the usage of buildings in that area and this is true of Chatham House, which was used for many decades as a department store. Changes to retail shopping and the rise of the Internet, contributes to the story, for High Streets up and down the country have been victims of the same circumstance.

This mesmerising building offers the potential for events, retail or hospitality. The ancillary buildings that once housed a brewery – the house was built by a brewer as a display of his wealth – create a much larger, flexible use space to the rear and this whole site links back to the river and Chatham Docks, paving the way for a meaningful contribution to the regeneration of the area as a whole. Seeing a building in this condition offered insight to the valuable contribution important local buildings can provide for future development.

Diane Harvey-White