The Georgian Issue 1, 2025

The Georgian, the magazine of the Georgian Group (Issue 1, 2025), continues to highlight the important issue of what should constitute an appropriate approach to the repairs following the disastrous fire that swept through the National Trust’s country house Clandon Park in 2015, and whether (at the time of writing) the secretary of state will call in the controversial scheme for a public inquiry. The Georgians considered the initial approach to reinstatement and repair to be flawed, and they continue to maintain that the scheme is both harmful and intrusive. They illustrate the coverage of the issue in national media. An inquiry would be invaluable, not least in exploring the wider issues of the underpinning philosophy of repair.

Each issue devotes an impressive amount of space to statutory casework (19 pages in this issue) demonstrating the importance of authoritative expert advice to local planning authorities set out in paragraphs 207 and 208 of the NPPF, and the importance of the statutory casework grant in the light of the government’s review of the statutory consultee system.

Also of interest is an article by Nigel Hankin on ‘Turban Domes and Lofty Pinnacles’. Hankin addresses the Indian influences on late-Georgian buildings beyond the most obvious example of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. Such influences were driven by Thomas Daniell (1749–1840) and his nephew William (1769–1837), who both travelled extensively in India between 1786 and 1793. The Daniells’ influence can be seen particularly at Sezincote, Gloucestershire, designed by Samuel Cockerill for his brother Charles in 1798.

Simon Bradley flags up the significance of Georgian buildings at the start of the Rail200 bi-centenary celebration of the railway age, noting that these should not be overlooked in what is seen as a quintessentially Victorian innovation.

This issue continues the long-running series of articles by Charles Brookings on the design and development of Georgian and Regency architectural details, currently door hinges. Twenty-two examples are clearly illustrated and described for their value as dating evidence. The author notes that, when undertaking refurbishment, it is worth taking advice on the date and condition of any surviving hinges, and the possibility of their repair and reuse rather than wholesale replacement.