A sense of place: embracing Hidden Narratives in our built environment
Identifying a sense of place
What is it that elevates this creativity from a ‘building’ to a ‘piece of architecture’? And what elevates an individual building to a place, with a unique, cherished, and joyous sense of its own space and character? In our pursuit of creative buildings and places, at times we forget the narratives of spaces and why we are drawn to such places, why we remember them, and why we care.
The phenomenology and genius loci of a place have long been understood as creating a connection between people and their built environment, but there is perhaps something else: that of belonging, of ownership, of mystery and of wonder.
All the above are intangible, but the common thread between them is that they come from the tangible – the architecture, the spaces it creates. These are the places with hidden narratives where the building’s history, artefacts, anthropology and archaeology have been shrouded by neglect, ignorance or camouflage, often trapped beneath layers of modernity.
The following artefacts were a part of our Open House Hidden Narratives exhibition, inspired by the thorough examination and research our architects and consultants carry out daily, discovering unexpected narratives that are woven into a building or place. The exhibition and this piece are led by our curatorial lead, associate Regine Kandan.
Glass has always been a magical substance, being both solid and transparent, a veil and a window. 16th-century metaphysical poet George Herbert expressed this in his poem 'The Elixir'.
Lincrusta, invented by Frederick Walton, was introduced in the mid to late 19th century. This is formed of layers of paper pressed in a mould, then glued to the ceiling. This particular specimen was collected while refurbishing a listed apartment in central London.
Deeds dated1774 and 1775, each signed by Robert and James Adam for the purchase of land at Portland Place – part of what is now 12 Devonshire Street. The Brothers were trying to assemble sufficient land on the West Side of Portland Place to start the speculative housing development that they began.
Insall Architectural Assistant Cameron Stebbing was inspired by writer John Ruskin’s famed proposition regarding the golden stain of time. Here he illustrates how the photogrammetric documentation of historic places can reveal previously excluded characteristics of the intended subject.
Scagliola, described by a former colleague as 'That Fake Marble Stuff', is made from a mixture of different coloured plasters, pigmented and veined and polished to resemble expensive marbles. These samples were made for us for a project at Garrick's Temple in Hampton in 1990s by Hayles and Howe of Bristol.
A sample of the minerals used to restore the Grade II*-listed Alexander Pope’s Grotto in Twickenham.
A plaster maquette prepared by conservation carpenters to demonstrate the approach to repairing missing cusps to the medieval oak roof of Westminster Hall, using traditional carpentry techniques.
A sample of late medieval brick found behind a 17th century wall at The Grade II*-listed All Saints Church Edmonton
Encaustic tiles were used in the medieval era and revived by 19th-century Gothic architects. AWN Pugin, with hi typical zeal, worked with Herbert Minton to enable a higher volume production of increasingly complex tiles. These tiles were made by Thomas Minton & Sons, for the Palace of Westminster.
This latex material was used to clean Westminster Hall, in a decade-long conservation project. The delicate masonry, some of which is medieval, was suffering from atmospheric pollution and atmospheric decay, and this gentle method of cleaning is part of a series of measures taken to prolong the lifespan of the stone.
These samples of sandcast and rolled lead sheet were trials for welding for the recent renewal of the lead-cladding to the gothic windows and lantern to Westminster Hall, Parliament. Sandcast lead tends to be used in the south with the sandcast side outwards, and in the midlands and north with the smooth side outwards.
How can we embrace hidden narratives?
These are just some of many examples of how the tangible and intangible have intertwined to create places for human connection. And of course, what greater connection can one have, but to the history of a place, and its heritage?
Buildings for communities need to be reconnected with those communities in order to create an even deeper connection with their place. Local volunteers helped restore the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall and contributed new artwork in the Bright Hall, making their mark on the already significant history of the building. In Hornsey Town Hall we worked in collaboration with Make to peel away layers of late 20th century additions to reveal and revive exquisite 1930s Art Deco interiors.
Rochdale Town Hall's Bright Hall, before restoration works
Rochdale Town Hall's Bright Hall, after restoration works, 2024.
Continuing to welcome unexpected stories
William Morris described this activity as ‘stewardship’ of historic buildings, merely looking after them for the next generation. We certainly are the guardians of these historic buildings, but we are so much more than that: champions of them and their history; highly skilled technical interventionists, making their fabric better; conservationists and historians who delight in teasing out their history and what makes them significant.
We are at the forefront of active change, not just prolonging the lives of these buildings and giving them a better future, but telling their lost stories and reuniting the tangible with the intangible. We painstakingly study them, we repair the broken pieces, we revive what has been lost and we reveal what has been forgotten. We restore the sense of place.
Donald Insall Associates Open House exhibition 2024: Hidden Narratives. Photo credit Damian Griffiths
