Timothy Brittain-Catlin chaired a distinguished panel of conservation activists on Wednesday 20th June, at an event hosted by the Romanian Cultural Institute as part of the London Festival of Architecture. The panel comprised the architect, writer and conservation pioneer Sherban Cantacuzino; the philanthropist and founder of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation Nicolae Ratiu; the author and conservation activist Jessica Douglas-Home; and the award-winning architect Vlad Sebastian Rusu, and the discussion was held to accompany the current exhibition of a number of fascinating recent conservation projects at the Institute.
Sherban Cantacuzino related the history of the newly restored early nineteenth-century vernacular cottage, where the composer George Enescu had been born, and Jessica Douglas-Home talked about the work of the Mihai Eminescu Trust, including the beautiful fortified church at Alma Vii in Transylvania. The Cultural Palace in Blaj, restored by Vlad Sebastian Rusu, has just been awarded this year’s EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the Conservation category. The evening attracted a large crowd and was attended by HRH Prince Nicholas of Romania.
Image: Left to right, Dorian Branea, director of the Romanian Cultural Institute; Nicolae Ratiu; Sherban Cantacuzino; Timothy Brittain-Catlin; Jessica Douglas-Home; Vlad Sebastian Rusu.