The issue of funding the restoration of important historical buildings isn’t black and white, says Jules, but nor is it a case of investing in the past in favour of the future.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s 10 years or so since the BBC launched the landmark series Restoration, that introduced the nation to the plight of numerous buildings and structures that were fighting for survival. Castles, country houses, theatres, viaducts, follies, you name it, all were represented across the British Isles, many in our region. Cardigan Castle, the old UnionWorkhouse at Llanfyllin and the miners Memorial Hall in Newbridge are good examples I’ve seen for myself. It was a list of the great and the good, which having
fallen on hard times nonetheless played an important role in contributing to the story that is the history of Britain. The point was that, once lost, they’d leave a gap in our historical record that could never again be filled.
