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Today is St George's Day. Ruth Campbell talks to the chief executive of English Heritage about his belief that the whole basis of what we have come to regard as typically English is under threat

HE is known as the boy wonder of the architectural world. After just a few minutes conversation with Dr Simon Thurley it's not hard to see why. He has been hooked on old buildings since he was seven years old and - rather incredibly - uncovered a Roman basilica when he was digging about in his own back garden.

But it is not just ancient ruins and monuments that excite him now.

The man who took over as head of English Heritage when he was 39 is fired with enthusiasm, whether he is talking about the campaign to save Ripon's historic Spa Baths building, the preservation of Easington Colliery's distinctive listed former primary school or the glorious Georgian architecture of central Newcastle.

His passion is the more intense because these are all things that have been or are under threat. He argues that the nation is living through a crisis for historical buildings on a scale not seen since Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, as more and more of our old buildings are too readily condemned as unsuitable for our modern needs.

Dr Thurley, well known for his television programmes, including Channel 4's Lost Buildings of Britain, last week stopped in Ripon to give a talk, entitled Goodbye Old England - Does Anyone Out There Care?, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ripon Civic Society. And for those in Ripon, it couldn't have come at a better time.

There has been widespread opposition to plans to turn the city's Edwardian Spa, opened by Queen Victoria's youngest daughter in 1904, into flats and offices. Campaigners want the building, now leaking and beyond repair, preserved and suggested uses include a cinema and tourist office.

It is an issue that cuts to the heart of the community's identity.

And, as Dr T h u r l e y points out, it is not just in Ripon, but all over the c o u n t r y , that Victorian public baths are under threat.

"There is such a huge amount of change going on in society at the moment, in towns and in the countryside.

If we are not careful we will wake up one morning and everything will be entirely different because all sorts of buildings and places we take for granted will have been taken away or changed beyond recognition," says Dr Thurley.

He stresses that our architectural past is a finite commodity: "Once it's gone it can never come back.

And so it should be valued and cherished, not just tossed aside."

BUT we are not facing up to the consequences of change, he says. "Since the 1950s, the way we live our lives has fundamentally changed.

Our economy is diversifying, old industries have died, new ones have sprung up to take their place."

As a result everything from old hospital buildings to libraries, town halls, law courts and police stations are falling out of use. Pubs, cinemas and post offices are closing down. Churches are under threat.

"All these buildings tend to be the most prominent things in our towns and villages, familiar landmarks that define the character and appearance of our streets. What is going to happen to them?"

We are in danger, he warns, of squandering some of our most valuable national assets. In fact, he says, the whole basis of what we have come to regard as typically English is under threat.

"The countryside with its parish churches, our towns with their Georgian streets and Victorian pubs, our cities with their great civic buildings and industrial infrastructure are under threat like never before. It is a threat to our identity, to the essence of England itself."

Dr Thurley, who lives in an 850-year-old house in Norfolk, stresses English Heritage is not intent on stopping progress. "I am not saying all new buildings are bad. Sometimes we can build better things.

But very often what is put up in the place of older buildings is cheap, badly built, badly designed and will last for only about 20 years."

We risk ripping the soul out of our towns and cities, says Dr Thurley. "Why do we have to knock old buildings down? There is no reason why every single one of these so-called problem buildings could not find a new use, a use that preserves their character and appearance and continues to keep this country full of architectural delight and historical fascination. They can be adapted, changed, reused. It is the ultimate in recycling."

He cites the example of Easington Colliery's listed Victorian school, where English Heritage has just fought a public inquiry to save the building from demolition.

This is just one of many old school buildings throughout the country which was left to rot when a new school was built. "It is the one building of any prominence in the village. We are now in discussions to convert it into something which will give the people of Easington Colliery some character. It is important, because people get a lot of their identity of living in a place from old buildings."

Too many places, he feels have lost the art of town planning, with councils letting cheap development take place for short-term gain, often for supermarkets or chains. "It takes vision to create places with enduring appeal. It's all about creating developments with their own distinctive local character, where people want to live, and places they can be proud of."

BUT the 21st Century branding of our high streets is robbing people of their local character and heritage. "Every Tesco, Next and Boots looks the same wherever you go. Every shop and every high street is exactly the same."

He wants people to support small businesses.

"What makes a town or city successful is its independence and unique looks. The people of Ripon want to live in a town that looks like Ripon and not somewhere else. We want Ripon to look different to York and we want York to look different to Chester."

Dr Thurley stresses that, while we cannot rely on those driven by profit to safeguard our historic surroundings and state aid can only provide so much, local people have an important role to play.

"People power makes things happen, it saves landmarks, persuades developers and local councils to change their minds."

And this is exactly what campaigners in Ripon are trying to do. "You can tell by the fuss made about Ripon's Spa Baths that people regard it as a part of their history," says Dr Thurley. "Heritage makes a huge contribution to the quality of people's lives."

10:07am Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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