and Chepstow”, and thus should not be rebuilt. Once you make an exception for some (albeit the finest) examples, you surely accept the principle that some ruins are important cultural entities deserving of protection – and this principle can be applied across a large number of significant historical survivals. Jenkins also says: “we do not refuse to repair
churches”, but as he knows better than anyone there are hundreds of ruined churches in England, from remote roofless towers in the landscape to certain bombed out churches in cities. Few of these ruins could be returned to use for worship; some could become houses or offices – but would we not have lost part of the landmarks of history which help us moderns form our sense of the past, of history and of beauty? There is an aesthetic principle about our
admiration for ruins which cannot be lightly swept aside. The English have a finely-tuned sense of the ebb and flow of history which is connected to the delight of artist and writer in the ruin. The Romantic movement is one of the most enduring contributions that this country has made to the civilised world – and it has a important link to the awe in which the massive ruins of the past play in our physical and cultural landscape. The attitude to authentic fabric cultivated by Ruskin and Morris is another of the gifts that this nation brings to the world. Above everything, in my book I argue that at
the sites of preserved ruins visitors are able to enjoy an encounter with the past that gives them great freedom to enjoy the pleasures of imagining the past with some sense of contact with an authentic survival. This pleasure can, admittedly, be felt in a complete and often in a restored building – but it can be felt with considerable freedom in the preserved ruin, and evidently was being so enjoyed in most of the managed sites I visited from Cornwall to Northumberland. This experience embraces abbey, castle and house, even industrial and commercial buildings – I should say that I do include many buildings in my book, which I know are, or should be repaired for use. There are many industrial ruins around Britain that are more likely to be destroyed than preserved or repaired – with the concomitant loss of the landmarks of our history and the history of working people. The legislation which has evolved to protect
our historic buildings began as legislation to protect ancient monuments. The passionate crusade of Lord Avebury to protect ancient sites eventually led to the great abbeys and castles, which had been the often neglected features of park landscapes, coming into the care of the state. From the early 20th century, such sites were made safe and accessible for a wider public. There is room for debate about how much the grass should be clipped, and the best way to cap rubble mounds and whether the shop and restaurant should be tactful in the Edwardian arts
Facing page: dramatic and romantic is how we tend to like our ruins – Pendragon Castle, Westmorland, as strikingly photographed by Simon Marsden
Right, Portchester Castle, Hampshire. The ruin as ancient art-work
and crafts spirit, or “of our day and age”. But that is all a matterof interpretation. The vast majority of historic ruins now
preserved for the pleasure of the visiting public should be left as they are and not rebuilt for re-use. Too much of value would be lost if this were to happen. Yet I cannot entirely disagree with Jenkins that some preserved ruins, such as Appuldurcombe, Sutton Scarsdale Hall and Witley Court, might have longer and perfectly acceptable futures if adapted for future uses – but in the absence of individuals to do so, we can hardly expect English Heritage or the National Trust to take on such a role. Until someone does,
I, for one, take immense pleasure in enjoying them as ruins, suggestive, shadowy, glorious monuments to the rise and fall of fortune.
Jeremy Musson is an architectural historian, writer and broadcaster. He is a formerArchitectural Editor of Country Life and the author of many books on Britain’s built heritage. English Ruins is published by Merrell, £30.
Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 77
forargument’ssake:ruins
PAUL BARKER
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