Letters to the Press

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OUR HERITAGE—CONNAUGHT ROAD SCHOOL

The Argus : 25 October 2009
Valerie Paynter, saveHOVE (Reply to Ninka Willcock, Save Our Centre letter)

Congratulations must be offered for the dedicated work of Ninka Willcock on behalf of the Brighton Society which has now resulted in the Grade II listing of the purpose-built former Infants School in Connaught Road, Hove (The Argus, October 22).

This follows hot on the heels of a firm show of recent planning committee support for the listed status of The Old Market and surrounding Brunswick Town over its owner’s financial priorities and development wishes.

Looking at, and relating to, buildings of great age is one of the few ways we have of directly accessing points on the thread of time without the mediating voice of historians in books or images.

The listed buildings we have are a context for judging the present as well as items we display to the world as component parts of what we define as our national “culture”.

They remind the shabby present of a time when quality design and craftsmanship by working people hallmarked this nation in the eyes of the world.

We were once deeply respected, looked to and trusted to deliver.

How much of what the 20th and 21st centuries has produced will stand the test of time, endure and be treasured and listed in the future? What will the retained cultural artifacts of our own time tell future generations about us?

Valerie Paynter
saveHOVE
PO Box 521
Hove