SIMON BARBER
BRIDGEMAN
BRIDGEMAN
BRIDGEMAN/ENGLISH HERITAGE
Not St George!
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the latest edition of Cornerstone. However, on page 38, in the article on surviving medieval rood screens in EastAnglia, there is a caption relating to the large picture used on page 36. The caption states that the picture is of St George. In fact, the picture is of St Michael theArchangel. This is borne out by the wings and by the seven-headed dragon (see Chapter 12, Book of Revelation).
JoCormier viaemail
In short, it’s in the wings: St Michael has them, St George doesn’t. However, the two dragon-slayers share sufficient attributes for there to have been variations and conflations over themillennia.Above (from left) StMichael at St Helen’s Church, Ranworth,Norfolk, wrongly identified in a ‘Cornerstone’ caption as St George; St Michael in a Tuscan fresco, c1509–with a cross of StGeorge on his shield; St George in a Flemish illustration, c1500. George usually carries a lance–but sometimes, like St Michael, he bears a sword, or indeed, occasionally, both; amural of St George, probably 13th century, at the Castle Chapel, FarleighHungerford, Somerset. Here, the Saint is, like St Michael, shown horseless. RS
StMichael or St George?: a ‘Cornerstone’ field guide Don’t chop Nonsuch off HS2: No to ‘impartiality’ HS2: SPAB should set out the case for high speed rail
THE latest Cornerstone proved an exceptionally rewarding read, and I’m writing about an image and caption used with Shawn Kholucy’s article “A Question of Attribution”, on Broughton Castle’s plasterwork. The image in question is that of Nonsuch Palace, used on page 65. The original, complete
copper-plate of this image includes not only another image strip below the view – but also the full title, attribution and date. These are: “Palatium regum in Angliæ Regno appelatum Nonciutz”, with credit to the artist/draughtsman, Joris Hoefnagel (who visited England, and probably sketched the palace), and is dated (engraved) 1582. This was the first map-view published in the fifth volume of Urbium præcipuarum mundi theatrum (Köln: Braun & Hogenberg) [1588]. It’s a pity the engraving’s title was trimmed off.
FrancisHerbert LondonSW15
AFTER reading, with interest, the articles in Cornerstone on the HS2 high-speed railway proposal, and members’ views expressed in the magazine’s Letters section, I feel I must point out something that proponents of the scheme who have been writing in to Cornerstone seem to miss. Whilst a national debate on the
subject would be welcome – there may be sound arguments for improving the railways – the SPAB has no responsibility to take a balanced overview. We are not a government body
or impartial adjudicator, and should have no fear of appearing to be prejudiced in favour of the protection of old buildings; that is, after all, the Society’s stated mission. When a construction project of
this sort involves such huge sums of money, there is never any shortage of support from powerful vested interests, and from those in their pockets. A balanced debate demands that all points of view are fairly represented, and I am glad to see that the SPAB is not shying away from its responsibility to advocate the case for conservation of our historic buildings and their settings.
Steven Haines Udimore East Sussex
IAM writing to express my concern about the line the SPAB seems to be taking over the proposed high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham (HS2). Clearly this is a matter of great
concern to the SPAB, and all SPAB members would agree that it is important to exert great pressure to ensure that if HS2 goes ahead, the least damaging route is chosen, important buildings are spared, and all possible mitigation measures are implemented. One of the reasons that I
admire the Society so much is the intellectual rigour for which the SPAB is famous. However, when it comes to HS2 such rigour seems to have been abandoned. Alarmist phrases such as “A
BerlinWall for Britain” are what I would expect to read in the Daily Express, as well as being in questionable taste. The articles in Cornerstone have concentrated almost entirely on the (natural and legitimate) worries of the owners of a few large country houses who would be affected by the scheme. Naturally I sympathise with
those who face having a corner of their estate cut off, but only the most cursory attempt is made to balance this against other factors. These include the fact that existing rail lines are virtually full, with demand predicted to soar; the
extensive analysis that has taken place of the feasibility of upgrading existing lines; the massive shift in economic geography that has taken place against the north over the past generation; the imminence of peak oil; the fact that all the UK’s major competitors are currently building high speed rail lines; and the heritage implications of the likely alternatives to HS2 – more motorways and runways. There is no analysis of the
impact that our existing high speed rail line, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, has had on the built heritage. Cornerstone might usefully
inform members about this, rather than illustrating articles with pictures of Chinese railway lines. I am slightly reassured by the
dissenting letter from Simon Mitchell in the last Cornerstone that the SPAB is not insisting on a Pravda-like unanimity on this issue. But the fact remains that coverage of HS2 has been unbalanced. One way of remedying this
would be to include an article in the next edition on the heritage case for HS2.
ChrisCostelloe LondonE5
Letters continue overleaf Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 9
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