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Professional services
Roch Castle
,
Pembrokeshire
A Study in Significance
Peter Holden and James Meek
If the intervention is to find its place,
it must make us see what already exists
in a new light
(Peter Zumthor, Thinking
Architecture, 2006)
C
adw, the Welsh
government’s
historic environment service,
defines conservation as ‘the careful
management of change’ in its Conservation
Principles (2011). The same publication also
states that ‘to be sustainable, investment in
the conservation of the historic environment
should bring social and economic benefits’.
With dwindling state aid, a sustainable
future for historic buildings in Wales must be
underpinned by economically viable use.
Conservation Principles goes on to
describe the significance of a historic asset
as embracing ‘all of the cultural heritage
values that people associate with it, or which
prompt them to respond to it’. Assessing the
significance of a place can involve subjective
decisions based on emotional responses.
To the client it may mean one thing, to the
archaeologist or preservation group another. It
often falls to the architect to assess conflicting
evidence in order to evaluate significance.
Cadw’s principles also state that new
work or alteration to a significant place
will normally only be acceptable if ‘there
is sufficient information comprehensively
to understand the impact of the proposal
on the significance of the asset’ and
‘the quality of design and execution
add value to the existing asset’.
The conversion of a Grade I listed
building to a new use can only be successfully
achieved through a mutually respectful
partnership between architect, archaeologist
and conservation officer. This is especially
true when the building in question is an
early medieval castle like the one at Roch in
west Pembrokeshire. The project benefited
throughout from the support and positive
input of the conservation department at the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
As with all ancient buildings, the
fabric records a story of change that
reflects historical, political and social
developments. The challenge at Roch Castle
Roch Castle photographed from the north-east just before completion of the project in 2011