salisbury civic society...salisbury falls under two authorities, created in 2009, salisbury city...
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SALISBURY CIVIC SOCIETY
Celebrating our Heritage . Enhancing our Environment . Shaping our Future
Salisbury is a vibrant cathedral city, surrounded by the beautiful countryside and villages ofSouth Wiltshire. People visit it or decide to live here because it is a welcoming community,working and trading in a marvellous historic setting. The challenges today are to maintainthose attractive qualities and yet accommodate ongoing changes in population, lifestyle, andthe economy.
The Salisbury Civic Society, founded in 1960, works to promote high standards ofcontemporary design in all aspects of the built environment within Salisbury and SouthWiltshire, whilst safeguarding the historic buildings and landscape setting underpinning thearea's special character.
Over the years, the role of the Society has expanded. Today, it is not only the principal localorganisation and guardian for the built environment, but also celebrates and promotes thearea's rich heritage & cultural life through a stimulating programme of activities..
Salisbury falls under two authorities, created in 2009, Salisbury City Council and WiltshireCouncil. We are able to contribute effectively in many areas and are represented on severalgroups including the Salisbury Conservation Advisory Panel. We also have a good workingrelationship with Wiltshire Council, Salisbury City Council and Campaign to Protect RuralEngland. As a non-political organisation, the Society tries to maintain an independent stanceon all matters.
Through a series of awards, talks, forums, open meetings, visits and our website we promoteand provide information on the architecture, history and geography of the area.
Amongst the many activities of the Society we: Monitor and constructively comment on planning applications and development
proposals Run an active and stimulating programme of events for members and the public Publish a Quarterly magazine for members Maintain our involvement with the successor body to the Salisbury Vision and its
project Protect and celebrate the traditional chequer names Run a prestigious new buildings and conservation awards scheme Organise the annual Salisbury Historic Open Days and the Salisbury Blue Plaques
scheme celebrating our outstanding built environment and heritage Promote the economic vitality of the region
Our aims: To celebrate & commemorate the area's rich heritage & cultural life To enhance & protect the built environment & landscape setting of the area
To encourage & promote high standards of design, management & maintenance To provide a stimulating programme of activities for our members
We welcome new members of all ages and backgrounds.
The skilled hand of Charles Villiers has edited the Society journal for many years.Under his editorship the publication has presented a considerable number ofinteresting articles providing members with informed opinions on many subjects. Iam delighted to have the opportunity to build on such a wealth of experience andhope to keep you informed and entertained with future editions.
Apart from the Cathedral there is a paucity of public art in the city. Love them orhate them the Barons have been a resounding success attracting interest fromresidents and visitors alike. Richard Deane writes on public art in Salisbury givingthe background to previous failed initiatives.
As we go to press the new salisburycivicsociety.org.uk website will launch in earlySeptember. New developments in IT required an upgrade with information todayretrieved on the move, through a variety of gadgets, mobiles and tablets and socialmedia. Our twitter handle is @salisburycivic and we will shortly launch a facebookpage.
Making the Most of our City seems an apt theme to take through into 2016, wewelcome articles, suggestions and ideas for the December issue, meanwhile I hopeyou will enjoy what we have on offer in this issue. Stephanie Siddons Deighton
Historic Open Days 10/11/12 September
Go West - Award Winners and Hospital Sites
The annual Salisbury Historic Open Days organised by Salisbury Civic Society celebrateSalisbury's architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting propertiesthat are not usually open to the public or would normally charge an entrance fee. This year,the buildings are all in the Western area of Salisbury around Fisherton Street and the Wilton
Road. Not all venues will be open each day and the times they will be open will also vary.Some buildings will have tours escorted by blue badge guides - others will have their ownstaff/residents to tell people about the building. Please see the following page for furtherdetails. Entry to the buildings will be by free timed ticket available from the SalisburyInformation Centre in Fish Row, Salisbury SP1 1EJ T. 01722 342860
PROGRAMME of EVENTS 2015
HISTORIC OPEN DAYS THURSDAY10 SEPT
FRIDAY11 SEPT
SATURDAY12 SEPT
FORMER SALISBURY INFIRMARY
PEMBROKE HOUSE Fisherton St, SalisburySP2 7SX
Tour led byresidentscommittee10.00amand12.00pm
Tour led byresidentscommittee10.00am and12.00pm and3.00pm
ST PAUL’SST PAUL'S CHURCH Fisherton St, SalisburySP2 7QW andSP2 COMMUNITY CENTRE159-161 Fisherton St, Salisbury SP2 7RB
Tour led bychurchmembersstarts fromchurch2.00pm
Tour led bychurchmembersstarts fromchurch2.00pm
Tour led bychurchmembersstarts fromSP2communitybuilding3.30pm
FORMER OLD MANOR HOSPITAL SITES
QUAKER MEETING HOUSE51 Wilton Road,Salisbury SP1 7EP
Open2.00pm -5.00pm3.00pm Talkby RogerHarrison
Open2.00pm -5.00pm
Open2.00pm -5.00pm
SALISBURY MEDICAL PRACTICEFISHERTON HOUSE, Fountain Way, Wilton Rd,Salisbury, SP2 7FD
Tours led byblue badgeguide11.00am &2.00pm
Tours ledby bluebadgeguide11.00am &2.00pm
SALISBURY MANOR CARE HOME38 Wilton Rd, Salisbury SP2 7EJ and4 THE PARAGONWilton Road, Salisbury, SP2 7EH
Tours led byblue badgeguide11.00am and2.30pm
Guided tourof 4 TheParagonfollows onfrom them
Tours ledby bluebadgeguide11.00amand 2.30pm
Guided tourof 4 TheParagonfollows onfrom them
Tours led byblue badgeguide11.00am and2.30pm.
Guided tourof 4 TheParagonfollows onfrom them
THE FOYER36 Wilton Rd, Salisbury, SP2 7EJ
Walk roundfrom meetingplace atSalisburyManor Carehome 12.00midday and3.30pm
Walk roundfrommeetingplace atSalisburyManor Carehome 12.00midday and3.30pm
Thursday 10 SeptemberA synopsis: ‘Origins in WWI and subsequent evolution; their rescue and annualmaintenance’
6.30 pm Methodist Church, St Edmund's Church Street (Doors open 6.00 pm)
The Fovant Badges are a set of replicas of regimental cap badges, cut into the chalk hillsidenear Fovant, 10 miles west of Salisbury. Eight badges are maintained by the Fovant BadgesSociety, and five of these date from WW I when Fovant was home to a large training camp.Tony Phillips' talk covers the origins of the badges, rescue and current maintenance of thebadges.
Tuesday 15 September3.00 pm Capita, Castle Street, Salisbury
Salisbury Civic Society have commissioned a blue plaque identifying one of three garages inthe city where Spitfires were built during WW2. The plaque will be unveiled at the Capitaoffices in Castle Street by Norman Parker who worked on assembly of the planes in the area.As part of the Wings Week commemoration, Spitfires will be flying over the city on that day.
Tuesday 17 November7.00 pm Alamein Suite, City Hall
and
The Society's annual Open Meeting will be held on Tuesday November 17th, with themeeting proper starting at 7.30pm. The aim is to make a particular effort to encourage guestswho are not Society members to join, and with this in mind there will be an introductory sessionstarting at 7, during which light refreshments will be available, with committee memberspresent in order to explain what the Society is about. There will be displays on the Society'swork, in addition to ones relevant to the meeting's theme. Those who already belong to theSociety will of course be equally welcome to come along for this part of the evening.
The event's theme will be public art, viewed in the widest sense, and including theimprovement of public open spaces within the city. There will be three speakers.
, who lectures in architecture at the University of the West of England in Bristol,will be talking about his students' ideas for the Salisbury gasometer, as circulated with theMarch Quarterly. His talk will deal with wider issues than just that specific structure, andexplore ways in which imaginative architectural approaches to difficult or marginal sites canproduce gains beyond those achieved by merely putting up standard housing on them.
The second speaker will be , one of the directors of the Fountain Workshop,responsible for a very successful set of new fountains at Granary Square in London, withinthe current major redevelopment scheme at Kings Cross, as well as many similar projectselsewhere. The Society has long had a hankering for a water feature of some sort in Salisbury,and a smaller version of the Granary Square one could work very well in our Market Place –though it would not be cheap. The hope is that David's talk will inspire us to get going withsome serious thinking about how such a thing could actually be achieved.
The third speaker will be a Salisbury-based sculptor, . The exact scope ofher talk is yet to be discussed, but she is likely to deal with wider aspects of public art, andhow it can be achieved in Salisbury. A major part of the Society's previous involvement withthe subject is detailed elsewhere in this Quarterly, and the hope has to be that the ultimatefailure of that particular enterprise can at some point be redeemed, with the Society able tocontribute to the use of art in the improvement of public areas in a city which, while it hasmany obvious merits, still has scope for acquiring new ones.
Thursday 12 November6..30pm Methodist Church, St Edmund's Church Street. Doors open 6.00 pm
The Major Repair Programme at Salisbury Cathedral emerged from the emotive SOS campaign(Save Our Spire) in the early 1990s when the English Heritage grant aid scheme for cathedralswas announced. It divided the cathedral into about twenty sections and progressed throughthem year by year although the West Front was the most complex and took five years from1995. Michael Drury has been the Cathedral Architect from 1993 until 2015 and this yearsaw the completion of his circum-navigation of the cathedral, the conservation and repairprocess having at last returned to its starting point.
Making the most ofour City: Public ArtAs detailed elsewhere in thisQuarterly, the Society's OpenMeeting in November will be on thetheme of public art, viewed in itswidest sense. This is a subject whichwould have been seen as a 'goodthing' from the Society's earliest days,but one period of particularly closeinvolvement with it can be specificallyidentified, associated as it was withan offer of finance towards a work ofpublic art from the Society's funds.
Development Committee minutes,which for the past 27 years have beenwritten at a greater level of detailthan is often the case for such things,enable the story to be traced, fromtentative beginnings to a sad end. InJune 1997 the district council wasconsidering enhancement work for amajor part of the High Street, inconjunction with pedestrianising it,and the Society suggested theinclusion of some art within the brief.In November that year the idea of awater feature makes its firstappearance in the Society'sdiscussions, and there is mention ofan allotted site for public art outsideWaterstones. The Society offers tosponsor a competition for a design,with the possibility of contributing toit financially. By January 1998,however, the feeling in the council
has moved away from some three-dimensional feature, in favour ofincised plaques let into the paving, 'tocommemorate events or buildings'.The Society continues to press for asculptural artwork, with funding stillavailable towards it.
During 1998 the work to the HighStreet was carried out, leading to anaward in the Society's awards schemethat year, though with significantreservations over detailing. Theincised plaques went down, andremain there to this day, appreciatedby some unknown percentage ofthose walking over them – possiblyrather a low percentage? A snap quizas to what particular 'events orbuildings' they depict, aimed atfrequent visitors to the High Street,would give an indication of theanswer. (Clue: in fact no eventappears, and only one actualbuilding.)
Attention then turned away from theHigh Street to other possible locationsfor something in three dimensions,with the August 1998 minutesrecording the most critical moment inthe whole story. The Society hadwritten to the district council saying itwas keen to see some public art inthe historic core of the city, andideally this should be a water-basedfeature. And moreover, the Societywas willing to donate £5000 towardssuch a work of art, if the right site and
design could be found. In 2015 terms,that sum would be more like £8000,so it was a very substantialcommitment.However the then district council artsofficer expressed a reluctance to domuch to follow this offer up, in casethe council elections the followingyear led to an administration with lessinterest in the idea. The minutesrecord that she was to be told thatthis was 'an outrageous attitude'.Matters then dawdled on into themiddle of 1999, by which timeSalisbury had seen a very successfulFestival-organised exhibition called'Shape of the Century', with sculptureon display throughout the heart ofthe city. The Society reaffirmed itsoffer of £5000, and in a letter to theJournal congratulated the exhibitionorganisers, and suggested that somemore permanent art feature shouldbe pursued. However the Augustminutes record that the ExecutiveCommittee had decided not to takeup the suggestion, from Festivaldirector Helen Marriage, that theSociety might like to be involved inhelping to purchase one of the worksincluded in the exhibition. This wasalmost certainly the 'Man with ArmsOpen’ (see P 10), whose presence forseveral months in the Market Placewas a delight to many, and the city'sfailure to secure him on a permanentbasis still seems like a major lostopportunity.
However the then district council artsofficer expressed a reluctance to domuch to follow this offer up, in casethe council elections the followingyear led to an administration with lessinterest in the idea.
'Man with Arms Open',whose presence forseveral months in theMarket Place was adelight to many
The minutes record that she was tobe told that this was 'an outrageousattitude'. Matters then dawdled oninto the middle of 1999, by whichtime Salisbury had seen a verysuccessful Festival-organisedexhibition called 'Shape of theCentury', with sculpture on displaythroughout the heart of the city. TheSociety reaffirmed its offer of £5000,and in a letter to the Journalcongratulated the exhibitionorganisers, and suggested that somemore permanent art feature shouldbe pursued. However the Augustminutes record that the ExecutiveCommittee had decided not to takeup the suggestion, from Festivaldirector Helen Marriage, that theSociety might like to be involved inhelping to purchase one of the worksincluded in the exhibition. This wasalmost certainly Giles Penny's positiveand life-affirming 'Man with ArmsOpen' (see P 10), whose presence for
several months in the Market Placewas a delight to many, and the city'sfailure to secure him on a permanentbasis still seems like a major lostopportunity. Salisbury's loss wasLondon's gain, and the sculpture cannow be seen at Canary Wharf.
2002 was the critical year. Acompetition for artists led to theannouncement in April of a winningdesign – in steel, (see P 10) and of noobvious treeness. At this point theSociety throws a major spanner intothe works, by the ExecutiveCommittee deciding that the designwould only work in a more modernlocation than the High Street, anddeclining to commit the Society's£5000 to it. It may however beprepared to fund the runner-updesign instead. No depiction of thishas been found, but memory recalls itas a sort of 'pineapple on a stick'effort, which is probably unfair,though it is certainly true thatenthusiasm for it at the DevelopmentCommittee is limited. Its merits are inany case academic, since the councilis not inclined to substitute therunner-up for the winner. Initial pleasfrom the council for a change of heartare rebuffed, but by August theSociety has relented, and is nowprepared to back the winning design,though other sources of funding haveapparently opened up, and itscontribution has been reduced to£2000. The project is now on course
to go to a council committee inOctober for approval, and theminutes record the comment that'the Society could now confidentlywait for abuse to be hurled once thedesign was put in the public eye'.
Thus perished an ideawhich might just haveachieved some realbenefits
At this point a separate but veryrelevant event took place, with theSociety's 2002 Open Meeting being,like the 2015 one, on the theme ofpublic art. There seems to have beenonly one speaker, Annette Ratuszniak,who had organised both the Shape ofthe Century and the In Praise of Treesexhibitions, and who is now curatorof the Elisabeth Frink estate. Themeeting was clearly seen as anopportunity to push the Society's aimat seeking public art generally, but anow inexplicable intervention tookmost of the force out of this. Thecommittee minutes record that thelaunch of a Society initiative towardspublic art had been scuppered, by acouncil officer fearing that the Societywas moving into council territory. Anymention of the initiative wastherefore dropped, to avoiddamaging Ms Ratuszniak's relationswith that body. No other opportunityto launch the Society's promotion ofpublic art ever seems to have been
PROPOSED ARTWORK for the HIGH STREET 2002(Apologies for the poor quality)
MAN WITH ARMS OPENGiles Penny
THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE MURALPhoto John Palmer Thanks to the Milford Street Bridge Project
ROUNDABOUT SCULPTURE at OLD SARUMPhoto Richard Deane
found, and thus perished an ideawhich might just have achieved somereal benefits, run aground on theshoals of some council officer concernwhich at this distance appears bereftof any shred of logic.
The October 2002 decision on theHigh Street artwork was postponed,and an exhibition held, in order togauge public reaction. One thing itwas felt necessary to do was toexplain how the chosen design linkedto the 'In Praise of Trees' theme, inthe absence of either wood as itsmaterial or anything obviouslyarboreal in its shape. Hence,unfortunately, the comment by acommittee member that 'the piece ofappalling prose accompanying theexhibition was enough to put anyoneoff'. Criticising this prose now isprobably no fairer than summarilydismissing the runner-up design, buta short extract does explain why thatcomment was made. 'One formneeding and living comfortably withanother. Neither exploiting nor beingexploited. Different yet intertwined ina common purpose. A condition andnot an image. An abstraction from thesource into an essence....' It would,arguably, be somewhat cruel tocontinue, but clearly one way oranother the link to 'In Praise'functioned as something of a leadweight round the neck of the wholeproject.
Pieces of art in the cityremain few and farbetween
Whether the prose had any influenceon public reaction to the exhibition isunclear. What is very clear is theoverall outcome, with 53 responses infavour, and 149 against. This did notbode well for the eventual decision bythe relevant council committee, andindeed in December 2002 the axecame down. The City AreaCommunity Committee decided thatthe working group's choice should notbe endorsed, and that the artwork(which never seems to have had atitle) should not be commissioned.More than five years after the firstmention of a High Street location, thewhole project had fizzled out.
The artist concerned survived thisdebacle, and indeed has had similardesigns commissioned in recentyears. Prose output seems to havealso continued in a similar vein,though a hint that proficiency therelacks a bit behind artistic creationmay be detected in a piece on theartist's website, which includes areference to 'One thing leading to thenext in an execrable logic all of itsown.' Not quite the intendedadjective, perhaps? As far as Salisburyin general was concerned however,and the Society in particular, thepublic art story pretty much ended at
that. point. The topic ceases toappear on committee agendas, andpieces of art in the city remain fewand far between. The town ofBedford, while it gains immeasurablyfrom the Great Ouse which runsthrough it, is hardly in the class ofSalisbury, but a recent publicationdetails a walk linking eleven publicsculptures there, something Salisburywould be hard pushed to match.Some might say that excellence ofbuildings makes public art lessimportant, but this is an arguableviewpoint. Since the High Streetdebacle the cathedral hasundoubtedly been the best providerof temporary exhibitions, and has alsoquietly added to the store ofpermanent artworks, in the form offive very high quality statues by JasonBattle inserted into vacant niches onits west front. His two angels are atthe top are particularly worthsearching out, among generally ratherbland Victorian imagery.
The idea of a water feature surfacedagain briefly during the discussionsabout Market Place enhancement,with the Society asking for one to beincluded. The scheme chosen by theVision to go forward did include sucha feature, but probably only as asacrificial victim. A running stream, orrill, down one side of the MarketPlace attracted predictable cries ofalarm about litter and drowningchildren, and was duly removed. In
the end, of course, a tree-generatedclamour scuppered the Visionenterprise completely, leaving othermeans having to be found to bringabout the long-awaitedimprovements now visible.Meanwhile Wells High Streetcontinues to have a water channelrunning down one side of it, as it nodoubt has for centuries, without anyevidence of litter or founderingchildren or any other obviousdemerit. The importance of water toSalisbury as originally envisaged, tothe point of its layout being takenaway from a strict geometrical grid bythe desire to introduce gravity-fedwater channels into all the streets,makes the absence of wateranywhere than in its rivers all themore regrettable. The scope for thoserivers to have more made of them is asomewhat different subject.
The intention is that the OpenMeeting in November should providea focus on water features, and theirrelevance to Salisbury. Money willinevitably be a sticking-point when itcomes to achieving one, though thestory of the High Street art projectindicates that even when the moneyis there, obstacles aplenty still lie inwait for any attempt to makeSalisbury slightly better known for itspublic art, and for water-basedexamples in particular.
Richard Deane
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Address to the Annual General Meeting 17th June
We welcome everybody to our 2015 Annual General Meeting, on this very warmsummer day, and a particular welcome to any new members attending for thefirst time.
It is traditional for us to deal with official business firstly and then we can relaxwith an excellent lecture on the subject of ‘Chalk and Cheese – Wiltshire’s Rocksand their impact on the Natural and Cultural Landscape’. We are fortunate tohave Steve Hannath with us tonight to give us this talk.
This is of course the 800th anniversary celebration year of the sealing of theMagna Carta and many events are well underway in our city, with the recentPageant on Monday evening. Also, for the first time in 30 years, we see noscaffolding on the Cathedral, which is a wonderful sight.
What a contrast then to less impressive scenes in Salisbury and I mention theincreasingly scruffy Market Place which appears to be nobodies particularproblem to solve, whether it be the cleaning of the surface or controlling thepiling of refuse around the walls surrounding the public lavatories and thelavatories themselves.
The lack of any forward action to deliver the central car park re-developmentand possibly Malting's development as well, lies still on the desk of WiltshireCouncil and Stanhope Developments and it suggests that increasing derelictionof that area will continue with no investment in essential services in the location,such as the coach park and its facilities, particularly the toilets. We are stayingclose to Wiltshire Council but nothing positive is yet come to our notice.
The Development Committee members review all planning applications regularlywith feedback comments and objections raised, where appropriate. It is a verytime consuming process which is a necessary part of our guardianship of thebuilt environment and thank you in particular to Judy Payne, who chairs theDevelopment Committee and Richard Deane, working tirelessly on the supportingdata and recording the meetings.
As a single example of these reviews one was the proposed addition of glazedscreens in the entrance way of St Thomas’ Church, and it was initially consideredto be justifying an objection. However, the Committee received a personalpresentation from the Rector, David Linaker, and understood that the originaldoors were not to be removed and saw more images and gained an
understanding the purpose behind the visually linking glazed doors, lead us toreach a different conclusion.
Wiltshire’s published map showing possible residential development sitesaround the City, including the land along Britford Lane, in particular is regardedas a wholly inappropriate location for even debate and discussion. The Societyhas written in strong terms to the Planning Department and owners stating theimportance of keeping this waterside green lung as unspoilt water meadow.
Our General Purposes Committee, lead by James Woods, continues to arrangea wide variety of talks, walks and visits and this year’s historic open days inSeptember will take in the Lady Radnor Award winning Paragon, the Old Infirmaryand the Quaker Meeting House amongst others.
Although the visit to the Mary Rose had to be abandoned due to lack of numbers,the visit to Houghton Lodge and the mystery visit in July, are both fully subscribed.Thank you to all those putting in the hours in organising these events.
The next Civic Society plaque will be unveiled on 15th September 2015 at thetop of Castle Street and to commemorate the site’s location as a works buildingduring World War II for Spitfire Aeroplane production. Thanks to Jenni Dugganand Alan Clarke for organising this.
In the context of our Architectural Awards Programme, we have now named anew Award, intended for new building architecture of outstanding merit, titledthe ‘Lord Congleton Award’ which will be the equivalent of the Lady Radnor Awardwhich applies to excellence in conservation.
Finally, in regard to the election of officers, we welcome Adrian Harris takingover the role as Hon. Treasurer from Ron Miller and our grateful thanks to Ronfor all his hard work over the years and Neil Beagrie will be now taking over asPublicity Secretary from Ron Smith.
Stephanie Siddons Deighton is continuing her great work on the preparation ofthe new website and also swaps roles with Charles Villiers to take overeditorship of the Quarterly magazine whilst Charles will deal with membershipaffairs.
I hope all enjoy a very happy Summer.
Peter DunbarChairmanSalisbury Civic Society
At the AGM we were treated to a
fascinating talk by Steve Hannathentitled ‘Chalk and Cheese - Wiltshire’sRocks and their impact on the Naturaland Cultural Landscapes’.
He made us think about the phrasechalk and cheese and drew ourattention to the Wiltshire Coat of Arms- green and white horizontal stripes;white for the chalk and green for thegrassy vales where the cheese wasmade.
With the aid of a geological map ofWiltshire, he showed how chalk coveredaround two thirds of the county andwas the dominant rock. The rocks getyounger as you move from NW to SE.All the rocks are sedimentary andtherefore ‘recent ‘ in geological termswith the sands and clays aroundAlderbury being the youngest .
He then showed us the WiltshireLandscape Character Assessment Mapand how closely it correlated with thegeology map as the latter influences theformer. There are three vales: Pewsey,Warminster and Wardour where olderrocks have been exposed (greensand,clay and limestone in what is known asan eroded anticline) and where stonewas quarried. Hurdcott is the onlysource of local greensand now. TheChilmark area supplied limestone forbuilding the Cathedral.
His talk concentrated on the chalk andthe clay. There were some wrinklednoses at the thought that chalk wasfaecal ooze in origin but we warmed toits permeable qualities meaning it staysdry on top but holds water within it(known as an aquifer).
Chalk has thin, stonysoils called rendzinas
The upper chalk also contains flints andthese three factors made it veryattractive to early settlers.
Chalk has thin, stony soils calledrendzinas (from the Polish‘ to chatter’)which support a grassland treelesslandscape as still can be found onSalisbury Plain. However, elsewhere itis increasingly being ploughed for arableuse. In terms of building, settlers alwaysused the materials that came to hand.
Chalk yielded flint, and in places hardchalk blocks - leading to 'chequer work’.It could be mixed with water to make'cob' and we were shown a Wiltshirewall with its thatched coping and flintfoundation. Without this 'hat andboots' it would dissolve and collapse.
The impermeable clay was used forbrick making. There were onceextensive brickworks in Dinton whichmade red bricks whereas in brick fieldsoff Devizes Road, Fisherton Grey bricks
were made which were used in thebuilding of the Guildhall. Alderbury wasonce a centre of tile manufacture.
We should pay heed towhat lies beneath ourfeet
He then turned to the landscapefeatures distinctive to the chalk such asthe misnamed dew ponds; coombes,cut by streams that have now vanishedunderground and springs where chalkand clay meet. This has led to asettlement pattern of spring linesettlements along the valley sides
where both a dry site and a watersupply were available.
In the valley bottoms there were cressbeds as the chalk streams filtered thewater and water meadows wereconstructed where managed regularflooding improved the grass and thegrazing sheep then fertilized the soil.Harnham Water Meadows are one ofthe few places where the system can beseen working.
We should pay heed to what liesbeneath our feet for it points the wayto what is appropriate to plant or buildin a particular area.
Judy HowlesLectures
We need your help!
The General Purposes team plays an important role within the Societyfostering the cultural life of the community by arranging lectures on a widerange of topics and visits to places of interest. Commissioning plaques toprominent people or places of local significance, and organising the Society’scontribution to the national Heritage Open Days scheme. It promotes theSociety by publicising activities through the members’ newsletter, the mediaand the website.
If you would be interested in taking part please contact the chairmanJames Woods on [email protected] /01722422169
………
I was introduced to the Society in 1998 as a result of a recommendation over agarden fence; having recently retired from Practice, I was more than happy to servethe Society as Honorary Treasurer until 2015. I hope that during that period I madea useful contribution to the Society's affairs being responsible for the update of theSociety's Constitution and the Stewardship of the Society's Financial Affairs duringthat period.
Old Accountants never die, they just lose their balance, so I was more than happyto hand over to Adrian Harris as Honorary Treasurer at the 2015 AGM. The Societyis very fortunate to have such a talented person to act in this capacity. Adrian wasborn and bred in Salisbury, as well as being a qualified accountant he is a talentedphotographer heavily involved with the Salisbury Festival and as Chairman of theBoard of Governors at the Trafalgar School in addition to his activities as a freelanceaccountant.
I will of course retain my Membership of the Society and offer my best wishes forthe future.
R N Millar
Neil has lived in Salisbury for some 24 years and first movedto the city when he was working for the Royal Commissionon the Historical Monuments of England. He now runs hisown business in Salisbury specialising in digital preservationand research data management. He has an active interestin the heritage and architecture of Salisbury and is lookingforward to working with members to raise the profile of theSociety over coming months.
When the previous Publicity Officer resigned some six years ago as he had beenelected onto the Local Council, the then Chairman, Alastair Clark, asked RonSmith if he would take over "just for a short time" until a new Publicity Officercould be elected. The just for a short time period managed to last over six yearsand now Ron has handed over to Neil Beagrie, who was elected the newpublicity officer at the Society AGM in June. Ron and Alastair served togetherin the Royal Artillery some time ago and Ron was always an excellent “fixer”.He used his many talents to help the Society with publicity and, happily, ran thebar at our annual Awards Ceremony. We will miss his energy and sense ofhumour.
OFFICERS as at 1st September 2015
PATRON MA, Hon LLD
PRESIDENT DCMG
VICE PRESIDENTS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE(Chairman)
[email protected] (Vice-Chairman)
[email protected](Secretary)
[email protected] (Treasurer)
[email protected] (Membership)
[email protected] (Quarterly)
[email protected] (Acting Chair Development)
[email protected] (GPC)
[email protected] (Publicity)
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE(Acting Chairman)
[email protected] (Secretary)
emiltonemhp.co.uk
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE(Chairman)
[email protected] (Secretary)
[email protected](Plaques)
[email protected] (Lectures)
[email protected] (Visits)
[email protected] (Publicity)
EditorStephanie Siddons [email protected]
PrintingSalisbury Printing 01722413330
www.salisburycivicsociety.org.uk
@salisburycivic
Registered Charity 293143
