In the mid 1960’s the increasing loss of old buildings in historic towns and the rate of redevelopment led the UK government to commission, jointly with local authorities, studies of four historic cities – Bath, Chester, Chichester and York.
Donald Insall’s comprehensive report “Chester: A Study in Conservation” was published in 1968: financial encouragement was realised to be a vital element for the success of a future Conservation Programme. It led, in 1970, to the establishment of a Conservation Fund. The report lists the original terms of reference for the Fund, the first to be established in the UK. A specific identifiable rate was levied and the finance raised locally attracted matching grants from national funds.
Equally importantly the city council designated the entire walled city, containing over 600 listed buildings, as a Conservation Area. The author of Chester’s study, Donald Insall, was retained as consultant and the city council appointed a Conservation Officer, the first in the country. The author examines the importance of local support for the additional local authority tax, the constant financial constraints caused by national economic situations and double-digit inflation which reached 18% in the mid 1970’s.
The European Architectural Heritage Year in 1975 and the city’s 1900th anniversary in 1979 encouraged continuity in finance for the Conservation Programme, supporters arguing that “Postponement of repairs long due may be at best the prelude to greater expenditure and, at worst, the cause of irretrievable loss”. The report examines the wide range of financial resources which became available and is illustrated with before and after photographs of restored buildings.
It concludes that the lessons of history are clear: that allocating financial resources are a vital element in a successful Conservation Programme.
