From the Chairman:

I’m writing this just after hearing a lecture from architect Eric Parry about his recent transformation of St Martin’s-in-the Fields and its parish buildings to the north. The church must be one of London’s most loved buildings and its reputation for work in the community almost unparalleled. The obvious external sign of a huge investment is the new tempietto between church and parish buildings, sheltering the access to the new facilities, but the major changes have been below the churchyard. While personally I have some regret about the loss of the John Nash vaults which were built in 1830 on the north and east sides of the church there can be no doubt that the new work gives the church an opportunity to expand its role and shows how even the most sensitive sites and buildings can absorb change when the new is carefully designed. Do go and see, if not to worship or attend a concert in the church then just to look around and use the revamped crypt café.

At the end of June I was pleased to be able to talk with many of you at our Annual General Meeting, quickly followed by our summer event at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine. Both buildings came as a surprise ‘hidden gems’ to many. The East End is full of little recognised treasures and as transport in the area continues to improve ahead of the Olympics they become more accessible. Our sister body, the Heritage of London Trust, has produced a number of walking guides which can be downloaded from their website (www.heritageoflondon.com).

Our AGM approved the rise in subscriptions which we need to keep the Society running. Most of you will pay the new rates from next January, New bankers’ orders will be circulated. We hope the new rates will see us through the next few years. One question raised at the AGM was whether or not it might be possible to economise a little by distributing more of our information by e-mail and through the website. At the moment your Committee believes that most members prefer to receive their quarterly mailings by post and we are not equipped to deal with applications for visits electronically, but we will keep the matter under review. It would be helpful if you could let us know if you are able to receive information by e-mail and if you have any preferences about the way in which we maintain contact with the membership.

This Newsletter is accompanied by the usual visits list. Please note also that the Banister Fletcher Lecture will appear on the next list on either 25 November or 10 December – we await confirmation from the venue. The lecturer will be Emily Cole whose book Lived in London: Blue Plaques and the stories behind them has just been published by Yale University Press. The idea of marking the homes of famous people goes back to the 1860s when the scheme, now administered by English Heritage, was started by the Royal Society of Arts. The book is a weighty volume but we hope that our lecture will introduce us to the history of the scheme and how it is decided who should get a plaque, and where, with perhaps some stories about both the people and the places commemorated.

In August central London seems given over to tourists and commuting is more relaxed because so many regular travellers are away. Almost the only English voices on the forecourt of the British Museum a few days ago were those of the staff marshalling the crowds. I had gone to look at the garden featuring Indian plants imported there from Kew. The Museum may not be happy that the London Society’s was one of the voices expressing doubts about the proposal for a major new building at the north west corner of its site, facing on to Montague Place. Camden’s councillors have sided with the many local objectors and refused planning permission for a scheme supported by heavyweight consultants and recommended by the council’s own officers. This refusal is a second blow for the architectural practice headed by Lord Rogers, whose designs for the Chelsea Barracks site were withdrawn by the developers after intervention by the Prince of Wales. We wait to see if the British Museum will appeal against this refusal.

Once the holiday season is over September brings a number of events. Heritage Open Days, the annual weekend when free access is arranged to many buildings nationwide, was threatened by the bankruptcy of the Civic Trust, but this part of the Trust’s activities has been rescued by English Heritage and will continue as before. www.heritageopendays.org.uk has more information on the events on this weekend, 12-13 September. In London, this same weekend, the Thames Festival, will include a procession of boats on Saturday and a firework display on Sunday (see www.thamesfestival.org). Open House for London will be on the following weekend 19-20 September. Details will be available in mid-August and the programme can be ordered in advance from www.openhouse.org.uk. I have not yet seen it and cannot offer suggestions about what may be this year’s highlights; but I can advise those who want to get inside some of London’s major landmarks, such as The Gherkin, to get their reservations in early.

Those of us who monitor planning applications on behalf of the Society have just see a flood of applications for docking stations for Transport for London’s cycle hire scheme. This, following models established in Paris and elsewhere, is expected to start in May 2010 and will enable those registered with the scheme to make short journeys by picking up and dropping off a rented bicycle at many points in central London. And for those of you who like to keep right up-to-date with the news I can tell you than the government has listed the early parts of the BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane as a building of special architectural and historic interest.

With best wishes,
Frank Kelsall

TheLondonSociety

From the Chairman:

The
London
Society