NEWSLETTER

The event was a great success with around 80 delegates attending including, architects, planners, surveyors and local authority representatives. Speakers addressed many of the topics covered in the publication, including the geological and constructional characteristics of the various stones available, issues of best practice and the increasing impact of European legislation on specification decisions.

Following the launch of the publication, copies have been distributed to all the architecture practices in Scotland, as well as to all Local Authorities. Feedback from practitioners suggests that Building With Scottish Stone offers a practical guide to the often complex issues involved in procuring and using this material and is an essential reference source for all who specify stone.

Building With Scottish Stone is intended as a readable introduction to this important subject and as a valuable desktop reference guide for practitioners. Chapter Headings include What is Stone, Land of Stone, A History of Scotland’s Masonry Construction, Building With Scottish Stone, Quarrying and Masonry, ‘Best Practice, Cladding Issues and Case Studies together with useful glossaries, references and reviews of other recent publications covering the use of stone in building.

Copies of Building with Scottish Stone are available to purchase from the NSI at a cost of £9.99 or £6.49 to NSI members, p&p is free. If you wish to order a copy of the publication please contact Sarah Bailey at the address below.

The conference was aimed at anyone with an interest in indigenous English Stone and delegates came from a broad range of backgrounds including providers, planners, specifiers, architects, trainers and the building industry.

A number of subjects were addressed at the conference from the Historical Use of Building Stone in England to the current State of the Industry. Delegates were also given a tour of the York Minster Stone Workshop, the Minster and other venues with John, the York Minster mason. Brian Marker from ODPM gave an interesting talk on planning for the supply of building stone in England, looking at the research that is being done in this area and subsequent policy revisions.

On the final day of the conference discussions were held on the need for an English Stone Forum. Following debate about the role and functions of such a forum, delegates voted overwhelmingly in support of the creation of an English Stone Forum, to mirror the Scottish Stone Liaison Group.

The NSI fully supports the creation of an English Stone Forum and has agreed to assist in any way possible with the development of such a body.

Sarah Bailey
Education Officer, NSI

“Warwickshire has lost more wildlife habitat in the last 100 years than any other county in Britain and intensive farming had helped drive away vital species”, he said. The ecologist added that, with the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, farmers might want to consider creating quarry sites for both wildlife and recreation as part of diversification schemes.

He said: "Go to any of these farmers, and remember farming is always being closed down, they are having to diversify. A bit of creative quarrying on these farms with wider support could only help bio-diversity. If you look at farmland, the soils have been so heavily fertilised they have become enemies of bio-diversity, whereas many quarries have a range of different habitats in one place."

Prof Bellamy addressed a Warwickshire Wildlife Trust conference on the importance of quarry sites in Coventry. Species found on quarry sites in the local area include the small blue butterfly, the green hairstreak butterfly, which was once heading towards extinction in the county, and the large garden bumble bee. Southam Quarry alone supports nine species of bumble bee and peregrine falcons have been spotted at a site in Nuneaton.

Steven Falk, keeper of natural history at Warwickshire Museum, said that Government guidance, which had previously recommended development on former brownfield sites, could have jeopardised the future of wildlife in the county.

"Quarry and aggregate sites are the best wildlife sites in Warwickshire. Several have national significance, some are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but some are very vulnerable and people want to do things unsympathetic to wildlife on them.

"There are 200 insect species in Warwickshire and another 200 plant species confined to quarry sites. If we had followed central Government advice on developing brownfield sites we would have lost 400 species of wildlife. Fortunately, in recent planning guidance, the Government has now changed what it classes as brownfield land.

"No other land use in the region has produced so many large, species-rich wildlife sites, or is so uniquely placed to help us create new ones for the future."

Story by Sarah Probert, Birmingham Post
Published: March 3 2005

This Research Report is based on an analysis of the records of the grant-aided restoration schemes supported by the former Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee. Ably undertaken by Dr Ewan Hyslop during his post-graduate architectural conservation studies, his geological expertise has been brought to bear on the detailed examination of 14 different types of replacement sandstone that have been habitually used in the New Town in recent times. This work has revealed that the more recently imported stones display a wide range of discrepancies when compared to the original stone.

Whilst his examination of published test data indicates that replacements appear to have similar physical and porosity test results, his interpretation of them through thin-section analysis illustrates that they have distinctly different mineral compositions and porosity characteristics. These primary geological variations can also be reflected in the outward appearance, colour and grain texture. His pioneering work has indicated that longer term compatibility issues could be potentially lead to accelerated decay of original masonry.

Priced at £14.00, this research report is available to purchase from Historic Scotland online at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/shop.htm within the Conservation publications section.

Regeneration and the historic environment

English Heritage’s latest publication captures the connection between the historic environment and sustainability agenda. The leaflet and its brief case study raises a number of issues and concludes that mixed use, high density, human scale historic neighbourhoods are a model for new sustainable communities. Copies of the leaflet (product code 51029) are available from English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 333 1181 or email customers@english-heritage.org.uk

Landmark trust celebrates 40 years

The Landmark Trust is a building preservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith. It was established to rescue historic and architecturally interesting buildings and their surroundings from neglect and, when restored, to give them new life by letting them for holidays.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the building preservation trust will open 40 landmarks nationwide over the weekend of 14th and 15th May. These include follies, castles, towers, banqueting houses and many other historic buildings rescued by the Landmark trust.

Admission is free, so for further information visit www.landmarktrust.org.uk/opendoors

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust awards scholarships worth between £2,000 and £15,000 are open to men and women of all ages to fund further study, training and practical experience in craft or trade skills. Applicants must demonstrate they have developed a high level of skill and are firmly committed to their craft or trade. They must live and work in the UK.

Awards are being made twice a year and application forms for the summer awards must be received by 3rd June 2005. Further details and application form are available on the website: www.qest.org.uk or by contacting the Secretary, Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, No 1 Buckingham Place, London SW1E 6HR (with A4 SAE and 35p stamp).

City heritage guides

A new online service gives a unique ‘neighbourhood’ view of the culture and heritage of ten English cities. City Heritage Guides from the Government’s £13m Culture Online programme gives ‘inside information’ on how visitors can get the most from Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle & Gateshead and Norwich. They feature on the 24 Hour Museum website www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/cityheritage

Members of the public are able to contribute to the websites through Storymaker, an easy to use online authoring system, designed to help groups and individuals write about the heritage, culture and history of their city. It is free to use and encourages groups or individuals to present their heritage in their own words.

Each City Heritage Guide site contains news and reviews, a database of the city’s museums, galleries and heritage sites, with up-to-date listings and visitor information, a dedicated By Kids for Kids section and a section of local history.

Last year the NSI ran four excursions; tours of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site, Culzean Castle, Cullalo Sandstone Quarry in Fife and a weekend visit to the historic Easdale slate quarries. This year more field trips are planned.

Friday 29th April: Visit to Watson Stonecraft to look at how stone is processed from rough quarry blocks to finished masonry, ranging from modern state-of-the-art automated machinery to the traditional skilled handcraft of the stone mason. The visit will include 'hands-on' masonry, giving participants the chance to experience working of stone. Meet at Watson's yard near West Calder in West Lothian at 10am.

11-12th June: Weekend visit to Belfast, led by Prof. Bernard Smith of Queens University and Dr Joanne Curran of Stone Conservation Services. The visit will examine examples of stone decay and repair in buildings in Belfast, including visiting a historic quarry, and discuss new initiatives for stone conservation & repair in Northern Ireland. Note that cheap flights from most UK cities make this visit affordable. Details of hotels and B&B’s in Belfast can be found at the official site from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board www.discovernorthernireland.com

Last year excursions proved popular, informative and fun, so we hope as many people as possible can attend these events. We are also keen to hear ideas for future visits, particularly outside Scotland. Can you show us round your quarry, building project or place of work? To register for the above excursions or if you have any suggestions please contact Ewan Hyslop (e.hyslop@bgs.ac.uk Tel: 0131 667 1000) or Sarah Bailey.

Following the success of its Inaugural lecture in November 2004, the NSI is currently planning its Annual Lecture for 2005. Last years’ event took place at 28 Queen Street in Edinburgh, where James Simpson gave a fascinating talk about the project to restore the Georgian townhouse. This year we are again seeking to address the subject of restoration and we are looking for a suitable venue and speaker somewhere in Scotland. Any suggestions should be directed to Sarah Bailey sarahbailey@nsiuk.org.

Euroseminar on Microscopy Applied to Building Materials

June 22 - 25th 2005
Hosted by: Historic Masonry Group
University of Paisley, Scotland

Since the first Euroseminar in 1987, the techniques used in microscopy have advanced significantly and so has our knowledge of materials. This increased sophistication has driven an expansion of the range of applications of microscopy in construction and in materials research and development. The Euroseminars have mapped this progress, and we are now at the beginning of a promised revolution in characterisation and imaging driven by developments in nanotechnology.

The 10th Euroseminar aims to celebrate this progress, to review and establish the state-of-the-art in microscopy under the following themes:

• Provenance and sourcing of raw materials
• Techniques and methods
• Durability and life cycle analysis
• Conservation and repair of historic buildings
• Case studies
• Nano-imaging

For additional information and to register for the conference go to www.paisley.ac.uk/es/emabm/index.asp and complete the preliminary registration form (available in PDF format) and return, by post, fax or email to:

Jane Allan,
School Manager
School of Engineering and Science
University of Paisley
Paisley, PA1 2BE
Scotland
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 141 848 4260
Email: microscopy-seminar@paisley.ac.uk

The National Trust for Scotland and the Robert Gordon University are joining forces to celebrate Traditional Craft Skills at a conference to be held in Aberdeenshire on 13th and 14th June 2005. This event will build on several successful NTS conferences on Scotland's heritage.

As has been made evident by the level of concern being expressed nationally, and recent television shows, we are reaching a crisis in the number of conservation and restoration jobs that must be done and the dearth of traditional skills available to carry them out. The NTS is working towards the idea of establishing a Centre for Traditional Craft Skills at Fyvie Castle where training will be given and workshops can be held to encourage a resurgence in the required skills and trades. This conference is being held to complement that initiative. The conference aims to present a definitive resume of the state of play in restoration and traditional craft skills throughout the world.

The Delegate Fee to attend both days of the conference is £180 if booked before 25 April. After that date the fee is £200. Alternatively delegates can opt to attend one of the two days for £100 (or £110 after 25 April). The registration form can be found at www2.rgu.ac.uk/restoration/main3.htm and also provides details of local accommodation.

Clyde Waterfront Regeneration +
RIAS Convention
5 & 6 May 2005, Govan, Glasgow

Design Streams brings together a range of talented and exciting designers from Scotland, the UK, Japan, Spain and Australia. This two-day event takes place in Govan, Glasgow.

One day and two day tickets are available with the usual concessions and prices start at just £75 +VAT with discounts available for early booking.

Contact the RIAS Events Department on 0131 229 7545, events@rias.org.uk for a full programme. An event summary can be viewed at: www.rias.org.uk/content/mediaassets/pdf/convention.pdf