4 CONTEXT 185 : SEPTEMBER 2025 ‘THE SCALE of the repair and restoration required at Peter Womersley’s Bernat Klein Studio is extensive and will take many months, the skills of specialists and the support of the many people who have an interest in both Peter Womersley and Bernat Klein’s work.’ Samuel Gallacher, director of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust quoted in the Guardian after a coalition of design and conservation charities won an auction to buy the threatened 1972 modernist building in the Scottish Borders. ‘[THE HERITAGE campaigners] really need to take a good look at themselves, because they are the ones who caused this. It’s so tragic, it really is; the heritage lobby have got a lot to answer for.’ Architect Stephen Hodder of Hodder + Partners, designer of a proposed high-rise student accommodation redevelopment scheme for the site, telling local newspaper The Manchester Mill that delay was responsible for the fate of Manchester’s 225-yearold Medlock Mill (also known as the Hotspur Press), gutted by fire. Historic England had recommended that the building be listed but culture secretary Lisa Nandy refused listing in January. ‘THOSE who owned the [Medlock Mill] site should be the ones under scrutiny. If we think of a house or a shopping centre, the responsibility for fire prevention and mitigating risk lies with the owners. ‘The same rule applies to heritage buildings; the owners are responsible for ensuring events like those that happened at the Hotspur Press are avoided at all costs. While accidents happen, mitigation and preparedness lie at the heart of fire prevention.’ Thomas Ollivier of the Victorian Society quoted in the Architects’ Journal. ‘EVEN IF only partial restoration [of the Mac] were found to be possible in the medium term, the potential impacts [of the student housing] we have identified would affect parts of the [Mac] building that are likely to be treated as a priority for restoration. ‘Given the international significance of the building and the exceptional quality of its internal spaces, we consider it important that proposed development on the application site should not diminish its setting, or adversely impact the functionality and architectural character of its interior.’ Historic Environment Scotland commenting on the decision by the Scottish Government to call in a plan for student housing in Glasgow due to concerns over its impact on the ruined, neighbouring listed Mackintosh Building. ‘IT’S AN amazing urban loftstyle living with exposed surfaces. That’s the ambition we’d like to achieve with this building. There are amazing views out over the city and we want to capitalise on all of that 1960s vibe this building has. We just need to bring it back out.’ Architect Mark Braund of BDP on his practice’s scheme to convert Plymouth’s derelict, listed, 14-storey Civic Centre, built in 1962, to accommodation for Plymouth City College, after the scheme received funding from Homes England. building conservation advisers, architects and surveyors, and those assessing townscapes and countryside character. The guides will also be of interest to anyone wanting to find out more about local buildings, natural history and landscapes. VANBRUGH300 Sir John Vanbrugh’s life and achievements will be celebrated across the UK in 2026, the tercentenary of his death, following a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to the Georgian Group and support from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. VANBRUGH300 will include events, exhibitions and activities at six of the architect’s most significant creations: Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace, Seaton Delaval Hall, Grimsthorpe Castle, Kimbolton Castle and Stowe House. Vanbrugh (1664–1726) found fame as a playwright before turning to architecture. Aided by Nicholas Hawksmoor, he secured a series of commissions for country houses. The Georgian Group is also coordinating a complementary series of educational projects in which Vanbrugh’s story will provide material to support learning in schools and initiate exploration with local communities. Seaton Delavel, Northumberland, was the last country house Vanbrugh designed. (Photo: John Hammond, National Trust Images)
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