CHB, Author at Church & Heritage Building

Quiet Simplicity of Quaker Meeting Houses Celebrated

Posted by CHB | Jun 16, 2019 | Christian, Heritage, Latest News |

There are thousands of practising Quakers in Britain, with around 500 meetings around the country. Now 17 Quaker meeting houses across England have been celebrated through listing. The oldest Quaker meeting house in the world still in continuous use is now Grade I listed in recognition of its exceptional historic significance, while 11 Quaker meeting houses have been granted listed status and five have been upgraded to Grade II*. Hertford is home to the earliest surviving purpose-built Quaker meeting house in the world, still in Quaker use. It was built in 1670 and has had its listed status upgraded to...

Frank Lloyd Wright House dismantled and moved

Posted by CHB | Jun 5, 2019 | Heritage, Latest News |

A 1950s dwelling that is one of the Usonian homes that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for middle-class residents has been moved from its original site in Minnesota to a private estate located near Fallingwater. The RW Lindholm House – often referred to as Mäntylä, which is Finnish for “house among the pines” – was built in 1952 in the small town of Cloquet in northeastern Minnesota. The residence was designed for businessman Ray Lindholm and his wife Emmy, and is an example of one of Wright’s late-period Usonian homes, which were created for middle-class families starting in the 1930s...

UK’s first geothermal lido hits underground snag

Posted by CHB | Jun 1, 2019 | Heritage, Latest News |

A lido that was set to become the UK’s first to be warmed using geothermal energy will need extra heating due to drilling problems. Engineers were hoping to reach water of 35C deep underground to heat the Jubilee Pool in Penzance, Cornwall. But the project encountered problems 0.4km (0.25 miles) down as “a zone of very high water flow” raised dangers of well collapse and stopped them going deeper. Engineers had planned to drill 1.4km (0.8 miles) below the surface to reach temperatures of up to 35C (95F). “We understand this delay to geothermal opening is far from ideal but...

Elysee’s iconic venue restored

Posted by CHB | May 29, 2019 | Heritage, Latest News |

The Élysée Montmartre (French: L’Élysée Montmartre) is a music venue located at 72 Boulevard de Rochechouart, Paris, France. It opened in 1807, but burned down in 2011. It was originally a ballroom inaugurated in 1807 where the famous Can-Can was performed among others dances during the 19th century. In 1900, the venue was damaged by fire, and was re-decorated. After the Second World War, the venue can also host boxing matches. When the ElysÈe Montmartre burned in 2011, the fire was very significant. Nothing could be preserved from the existing building, and it was necessary to completely demolish the building, except for the classified facades which...

RESISTING THE INTENTIONALLY HOSTILE, BY JOSEPH KELLY, EDITOR

Posted by CHB | May 25, 2019 | Blog |

It’s odd how sometimes the deepest conversations about architecture can pop up in the most unlikely of places. Take Camden Town underground station for instance. It had been a busy day dashing around London, and the trains were already becoming infrequent. At this time of night there a few places to sit and, as any traveller will tell you, those dull, poorly designed steel benches that seem to be popping up everywhere these days are cold, and uncompromising. You wouldn’t think it would lay beyond the imagination to design a railway station seat that worked, that provided comfort, function...