Director's Notes July 2009

News that two Northumberland stone quarries have been ‘mothballed’ is tinged with both sadness and concern. EWH makes a point of ensuring stone used in the repairs we fund is both responsibly sourced (no shipping in from far afield) and carefully matched to ensure both a close visual match and compatibility with the existing stone to avoid long term damage. This may all seem like fusty detail, but it saves money in the long term through avoiding unnecessary repair later on. Economies of scale for the big quarry conglomerates do not necessarily translate into real value for those investing for the long term in their houses.

We consider that careful groundwork in projects of all types is more than worth the time taken, to ensure decisions made and actions taken now have a positive impact on the future of the World Heritage Site and its surrounds. The completion of the Princes St Corner Block Conservation Development Study is a more tangible example of this, applying the principles of the economically viable reuse of historic buildings to the wider challenge of supporting Princes Street as the beating heart of the city.

It is in this mode of operation – long term and carefully considered – that we are approaching the question of street lighting in the World Heritage Site. From my office window on Charlotte Square I can count five different types of modern street lamp on three different types of standard. Street lights were frequently integral to the railings – and there were different designs for different streets. There is a willingness within the City Council to investigate the options and EWH can volunteer its expert advice on this, both helping reduce street clutter and where appropriate reinstating missing features in the World Heritage Site (and wider) in a scholarly and correct manner.

Scholarly and correct is how we might describe the repair of the time ball atop the Nelson Monument, which was craned into place earlier this month. At the time of the arrival of the crane on Calton Hill, the haar was so heavy that the top of the monument was barely visible, but the wind prevailed, the black ball and white mast lowered into place and secured, and the repaired mechanism put back in place to allow its continued hand winding to the top of the mast in preparation for the daily drop. “Something, at least”, observed political pundit Brian Taylor in his daily blog   “has escaped the relentless machine”.