Newsletter Issue 12 - May 2008

From the Master

Dynnargh!

I have always been a great fan of the music of Flanders and Swann - my late father in law was on
the same staircase at Christchurch Oxford as Donald Swann. I recall a line from one of their songs
……"the wisdom of winter is madness in May" …..

Throw yourself into your Master's Year and accept every invitation was the collective wisdom of
last winter. The frantic schedule of engagements and opportunities to represent the Company
hovers between magic and madness when you live in Cornwall/the Isles of Scilly and by May have
left me dizzy and breathless.

This said, it has been an unfailingly enjoyable experience with disproportionate pleasure coming
from small things such as the chance to exercise my free Cornish bus pass in the Metropolis.
……."hold very tight please, ding, ding"….. when not walking between the City and my London
beach hut.

Even the least articulate of the multitude of speeches I have sat through …… "twas on the Mon-
day morning the gas man came to call (?!)"…….. have not been without interest. The eating and
drinking …." Have some Madeira M'Dear"…… is certainly not for the fainthearted and the attach-
ed resumé of recent and upcoming events from our own Company alone, would provide perfect
fodder for the fertile and entertaining minds of those two heroes of half a century ago.

Casting your eye to the News from the Court you will see in particular we have had the great
pleasure of welcoming new students, Freemen and Liverymen to the Company with more in the
offing adding distinction and vibrancy to the Company and our ability to fully represent our pro-
fession within the Square Mile.

The City of London is a happy cacophony of confusion with the Liveries a Commonwealth of
good intent. You wouldn't have expected to hear this from a Cornishman, but a Master's Year half
a century forward from our heroes' heyday does give credence to one of my favourites from the
immortal "At the drop of a hat" ……. The English, the English, the English are best, I wouldn't give
tuppence for all of the rest"…..

"…..Oh Tempora, Oh Mores, Oh Times, Oh Daily Mirror!...."

www.architects-livery-company.org 1
News from the Court
The weeks before the April or Accounts Court meet-
ing are trying times for the Clerk in that his book
keeping skills are tested to the limits and he wishes he
had availed himself of the opportunity of doing that O
level (remember them?) in Double Entry Bookkeeping.
The documentation put before the Court was, thanks
to the efforts of the auditors, in sound order if not
always totally comprehensible to all members of the
Court. George Bernard Shaw's observation that, 'all
professions are a conspiracy against the laity' applies as
much to accountants as to architects. When the
accounts for the last financial year were tabled and
questions asked by those adventurous enough to do
so, it emerged that the outcome for the year had been
satisfactory - there had been a modest surplus after a
busy year for the Company.
Among the other business before the Court was the
installation of William Murray as a Liveryman and the
rather quaintly titled binding of two new students of
the Company - Dan Slavinsky who was 'apprenticed' to
Past Master Brian Waters - and Daniel Malinki who was
apprenticed to Dorian Crone. Dan has his first degree
from Nottingham while Daniel obtained his Part 1
qualification from University of Kent. They are both
currently employed at CZWG. The Master of Students
held out the prospect of further new student members
- it is hoped that Liverymen from outside the Court
will be prepared to act as Mentors for the new intake.
If you find the prospect of taking on this role daunting
be assured that it is straight forward - a phone call to
the Clerk should allay any concerns you may have.
It was with great pleasure that Giles Murphy - son of
founder member, Stuart Murphy - was elected to the
Freedom of the Company under the revised member-
ship rules. He will be installed to both the Freedom
and (being already Free of the City) the Livery at the
Election Court Meeting in July.
The Court was pleased that Past Master Michael Wel-
bank has joined his fellow Past Master John Owen-
Ward as a Deputy. He has been appointed to that role
in the Billingsgate Ward by the incoming Alderman for
following the recent by-election. Michael’s schedule,
already packed with committee meetings is about to
get a whole lot busier. When he has found out what
the job entails he has promised a piece for another
newsletter to explain the role of a Deputy.
Recent Events
The Annual Livery Banquet as with a number of
other Company events in this particular year was a
little different. The Master's Cornish theme ran like a
thread through the various aspects of the evening - a
Cornish grace (English translation thoughtfully
provided), something from the Duchy on the menu,
musical entertainment by the Tresco Syncopators and
their quite marvellous tenor banjo player and a couple
of Cornish speakers (happily speaking English) in the
Master and his principal guest (and the Lord Mayor
Locum Tenens) Alderman Sir David Brewer CMG.
It was a memorable evening in the course of which the
Master presented the Company's donation for the
Lord Mayor's Charity, the Master's lady presented Sir
David with a splendid chocolate in the design of the
Cornish coat of arms and Sir David presented the New
City Architecture Award for 2007 to the owners,
architect and contractor for the winning building - the
new office block at 55 Lime Street. None of the
recipients appear to have had any obvious Cornish
connections. The official party withdrew from the
Egyptian Hall to a rendition of the slightly seditious
'Trelawny Lives'.
Following a few weeks later was the annual Peter
Milo Memorial Lecture - another break with
tradition. Organized, orchestrated and compered by
the 'youngest Liveryman', William Murray this followed
the April Court Meeting at Drapers Hall and was
something of a double header. The main part of the
lecture was given by David Nixon - British architect
and principal of Altus Associates in Los Angeles. He
founded the London office of Future Systems with Jan
Kaplicky before relocating to California and becoming
involved in the architecture of space. His topic 'An
Architect's Guide to the International Space Station'
2
presented a thorough review of the station and his
predictions for its future. The lecture was attended by
over 150 and was followed by a black tie dinner in
Drapers' Hall with further talks (between courses)
given by David Nixon on 'Britain at the Crossroads' and
Jonathan Firth of Virgin Galactic on 'Space for
Everyone'.
Sadly, the astronaut and oceanographer Dr Paul Scully-
Power was prevented from attending by a family ber-
eavement. A prepared message was read and many of
his stunning images of the earth taken from space were
shown. The theme of the evening was Extreme Arch-
itecture II: A Space Odyssey - this follows the lecture
in 2007 organized by William Murray which dealt with
the architecture of the Antarctic. There's always the
deserts and oceans for future years.
The Company's Architectural Study Trip to South
India in February is featured in a brief report and a
sheet of photographs (the latter courtesy of Tom Ball)
which appears elsewhere and on the Blogsite
(www.architects-livery-company.blogspot.com) and a
full diary of the trip written by Mervyn Miller has been
posted to the website. Given the prevalence of what
the Master called 'intervening variables' a good and
educational time was had by all.
Coming Events
A number of events have been planned with more in
the pipeline. The Master’s weekend Visit to the
Isles of Scilly - 16 to 19 May is fully booked and
promises to be great fun for those attending.
Thanks to the generosity of
the Directors of Rolfe Judd
and the willingness of Mark
Grove of the Cook and The
Butler (the caterers for a
large number of our lunch
and dinner functions) to
provide the food there is to
a Lunch on the SB
Ardwina moored in St
Katherine’s Dock on Friday 13 June. The speaker is
to be Janet Kelly - the Station Commander of the
RNLI’s Tower Lifeboat Station adjacent Charing Cross
Pier. We are charging £25.00 for the lunch with all
surplus funds being given as a donation to the RNLI.
Janet Kelly will tell us something of the way in which
the station - which has more callouts per year that any
coastal station - operates. Talks are underway to
strengthen our links with the Station. Book early on
the enclosed calling notice as places are limited.
Common Hall for the Election of the Sheriffs and
other City officers will take place on Tuesday 24
June. It will be followed by a lunch at Farmers’ and
Fletchers’ Hall thanks to a kind invitation from the
Fletchers’ Company to join them at what is always a
relaxed occasion on which we have the opprotunity to
mingle with members of other Companies. A calling
notice for this and the Common Hall on Monday 29
September is attached - you are asked to respond as
quickly as posible so that we can be sure to obtain
places for the lunch which has been priced at £46.00.
On Sunday 29 June there is a visit to the North
Weald Airfield Museum organized by Stephen
Wagstaffe. This is a good opportunity to bring the
family to a very reasonably priced event. A calling
notice giving details is attached for your attention.
The Election Court Dinner and Annual Service
will be on Tuesday 8 July. The service will be at St
Lawrence Jewry and will be the last occasion on which
David Burgess will officiate. David has been our Hon-
orary Chaplain since 1989 and has been a real friend to
the Company over that period. It would be good if the
Company were able to give him a rousing send off by
filling the Church on this occasion. The sermon will be
preached by the Cornish Reverend Canon Michael
Bourdeaux - presumably in English!
The dinner following the service will be in Carpenters’
Hall - the first occasion on which the Company has
used this venue. The Master has pulled off the prover-
bial masterstroke in getting David Higgins - the Chief
Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority as his
principal speaker. Given the profile of London 2012
and the architectural interest in the various venues this
is not an occasion to be missed. The dinner is also the
occasion at which we entertain two RNLI Coxswains.
This year they are, you will not be surprised to learn
(thought it is a coincidence), from the West Country.
We will also be presenting the Company’s annual
award to the person or persons who make the most
www.architects-livery-company.org 3

significant contribution to fundraising for the Architects
Benevolent Society. Each year the ABS commissions a
high profile Architect to decorate a pair of large
porcelain platters, one goes to the award winner, the
other joins a collection which is held by the Society on
behalf of the Company. This year’s award is to be dec-
orated by Eric Parry. A calling notice accompanies this
newsletter.
A number of other events are still in the planning stage
and details will be made available as soon as possible.
A late afternoon visit to St Pancras Station foll-
owed by a drink - perhaps at the famed champagne
bar - is planned for Thursday 24 July. It is hoped that
the architect responsible for the reconstruction and
rebuilding of the Victorain station, Alastair Lansley, will
be able to give a talk of the work carried out.
The Installation Court and Lunch will be held on
Tuesday 16 September at Salters’ Hall - please mark
the date in your diaries now and await further details.
Open House Weekend is scheduled for Saturday
20 and Sunday 21 September. Stephen Wagstaffe
and Patricia Stefanowicz will once again be co-ordin-
ating the stewarding of the City Churches. They will,
as always, welcome volunteers to help for a morning
or an afternoon stint on one of the days.
Common Hall for the election of the Lord Mayor will
be held on Monday 29 September. There will be
lunch to follow the event about which more details will
be available in the near future.. You are asked to apply
for your passes for Common Hall when you return the
form for the June 24 event.
The Master and Wardens will be taking part in the Lord
Mayor’s Show on Saturday 8 November. The
Pageant Master has advised that tickets (at £26) to
watch the show from the grandstand adjacent St Paul’s
Cathedral are now on sale. They can be obtained from
Ms Samantha Lee, Tickets.co, Ltd (Lord Mayor’s Show),
Midsummer House, 405 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton
Keynes MK9 3BN (tel: 01908 300106) Cheques should
be payable to Tickets.com Ltd. They can also be
obtained at www.lordmayorshow.org using a credit card.
The Master Elect has made tentative arrangements for
his Master’s weekend to take the form of a visit to
Dresden on the weekend of 2 to 5 October. Further
details wil be sent out once these have been finalized.
The Carol Service is to be held again in conjunction
with the Company of Furniture Makers on Wednesday
10 December. The Clerks of both Companies are
trying to reslove the problems caused by the increasing
popularity of the event. Standing room only at St Mary-
le-Bow is one thing, a similiar situation at the Hall for the
subsequent supper is a different proposition. Alternative
arrangements are being looked at but the use of a venue
other that the Furniture Makers’ Hall are likely to
increase the cost to an unattractive level.
Finalized details for the 2009 Architectural Study
Trip to the West Coast of the USA are available
and have been sent out. The trip taking in Phoenix,
Arizona (for Taliesan West), Los Angeles and San
Francisco and incorporating a one day train ride (a rest
and relaxation break) between LA and San Francisco is
for 15 days in the US and, compared with similar tours
which are run by commercial organizations, represents
extremely good value. Our research shows that the
only comparable tour content-wise comes in at almost
twice the price for a shorter period (once economy
class flights are taken into account).
Karen Bergenthal – whose name you will see on the
itinerary and booking form – is the wonderful lady
from Milwaukee who organized the Company’s trip to
Chicago, Pittsburgh and Fallingwater a couple of years
ago. Her husband is an architect and she has an amaz-
ing network of contacts which enable those who travel
with her to get access to a range of buildings (including
private houses) which are not on the normal tourist
beat.
The itinerary and a booking form which needs to be
returned direct to Karen are attached. It would be
helpful if you could let the Clerk know – by email – if
you are booking. This will allow him to keep track on
numbers so that he can do all possible to ensure that
the group reaches the size required to make the
numbers work (20). As normal with these trips, we
will invite participation from outside the Company as
we find that the presence of others always seems to
add an extra dimension to the group and to keep costs
within the given limits.
4

of general interest
The Company are now institutional members of
DOCOMOMO UK and, as such, its members will be
entitled to attend their events at reduced rates. the
Clerk will try to keep you advised of events as and
when they are notified to him.
Those interested in livery halls may like to know that
the Fishmongers’ Company is having two open days on
Monday 16 June and Monday 14 July There are to be
two tours on each day (at 10.00am and 2.30pm) lasting
approximately one and three quarters of an hour each.
Tickets are £5.00 per person to include refreshments
and a booklet on the Company history. Please apply in
writing enclosing a cheque payable to the Fishmongers’
Company Charitable Trust to: The Tours Administrator,
Fishmongers’ Company, Fishmongers’ Hall, London
Bridge, EC4R 9EL.
The Sheriffs Ladies have arranged a concert at St John’s
Smith Square on Monday 16 June in aid of the Lord
Mayor’s Appeal. The performance will be by the
award winning Arman Trio and is to start at 7.30pm.
The programme includes Hadyn’s Piano Trio in G
major (Gypsy Trio), Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B flat
Opus 11 and Dvorack - Piano Trio in E major Dumky).
Tickets are available through Sheriff Ian Luder at
ian.luder@cityoflondon.gov.
On 15 January many members of the Company gather-
ed at the City of London School for Boys to mark the
unveiling of two plaques in the School’s entrance hall.
The first commemorated the roles played by Stuart
Murphy and Tom Meddings - both Old Citizens - in
creating the new home for the School. The second
recorded the setting up of a Visual Arts Sixth Form
Scholarship in Stuart’s name by members of the
Company. Jane Murphy and her children Giles and
Sarah were present to hear Past Master Brian Waters
(in whose year as Master the scholarship was set up)
and the Head Master talk about the importance of the
scholarship which had given its recipient Yates Norton
- now in the second year in the Sixth Form - the
opportunity to win a place at Cambridge to study in
the Facultry of Architecture and History of Art. Yates
spoke eloquently in thanking the sponsors for the opp-
ortunity the scholarship had given him, His time in the
Sixth Form would not have been possible without the
scholarship.
As part of the London Festival of Architecture (20 June
to 20 July) Dennis Sharp has been involved in co-
curating an exhibition entitled ‘Vancouverism: New
Westcoast Architecture and City-Building’. The exhibition
is to be at Canada House, Trafalgar Square and runs
from 24 June to 31 August (10.00-18.00).
‘Fresh approaches to high-density urban architecture in
this dynamic city are explored in this specially
commissioned exhibition. It will focus on recent works by
architects Bing Thom, James Cheng, engineers Fast +
Epp and the dean of Canadian architects, Arthur Ericksen.
Indian travels
Things would have been clearer if we had been able to
arrange the trip for follow the progress of Deccani
architecture chronologically. Sadly, geography and
distances which, coupled with indifferent road net-
works and surfaces, made progress by bus necessarily
slow and did not permit us this luxury. Our expert
guide, Dr George Michell did his best to give us a
picture of the time scales at the outset; it was a lesson
he was going to need to reiterate on various occasions.
We moved from Hyderabad to Bidar the capital of the
15th century Bahmani sultans boasting a 13th century
mosque and then on to Gulbarga and Bijapur on the
approach to which we found the perfect place for the
Pancake Day races - a mystifying experience to the few
gathered locals. Then to Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole
- the first was the capital of the Chaluka dynasty which
ruled the Deccan from the 6th to the 8th centuries
with exquisite rock cut temples carved into the red
sandstone. In Hospet we had two full days exploring
the World Heritage site that is Hampi - our expert
guide had spent many years at part of the team reveal-
ing the riches of this vanished kingdom.
Another long drive took us to the delights of Chick-
maglur and a day off before we headed for Belur and
Halebid from where the Hoysala dynasty ruled from
the 11th to the 13th centuries. Finally on to Mysore
from where there were excursions to Somnathpur and
Srirangapattana. At this stage the group split - some
heading home, others for the joys of various parts of
Kerala. A full account of the trip written by Dr Mervyn
Miller is posted on the website and is recommended
reading. A selection of Tom Ball’s photos are on the
next page.
The Clerk: 82, Muswell Hill Road, London N10 3JR
Ph / Fax: 020 8292 4893
email: wccaclerk@blueyonder.co.uk
www.architects-livery-company.org 5
www.architects-livery-company.org 6