SPS news – April 2024 campaign bulletin

The winners of our 2024 Suffolk Heritage Champion Awards were announced in the latest Suffolk View which was published this month.

The winners will receive their certificates at our summer event at the Courtyard at Heveningham Hall on 18 July.

The evening will include a talk by author and heritage expert Jeremy Musson who will speak about his admiration for Suffolk historic buildings and of his own personal experiences in the field of East Anglian historic buildings generally, as a former assistant National Trust curator for East Anglia in the 1990s (looking after Ickworth House, as well as Constable country and aspects of Orford Ness) and later as Country Life’s Architectural Editor 1998-2007, visiting and writing about country houses.

As well as his thoughts on these special historic places, Mr Musson will also recall the people who cherished and sustained these extraordinary spaces, and how his perception of Suffolk’s historic houses has changed over the years.

 Tickets for this event are now available – book your place here.

Hartest Conservation Area development

SPS has objected to two dwellings on Hartest village green, on the grounds of harm to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. Consent was granted consent in 2021 for the demolition of the former 1950s petrol station which was considered by the Ancient Monuments Society (now Historic Buildings and Places) to make an important contribution to the character of the village. Consent was also given for a well designed, single storey replacement dwelling that carefully referenced the original building.

However, a fresh application has now been submitted. This is for no.2 two storey (plus basement) dwellings. SPS has supported the views of Hartest Parish Council that the proposals would appear incongruous, overly large and inappropriately detailed, thereby causing harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

Chattisham – conversion of historic barn

SPS has raised concerns about proposals for the conversion of part of an outbuilding – said to be a 17^th century tithe barn – within the curtilage of the Grade II listed Old Rectory at Chattisham.  An accompanying design, access and heritage statement considered to some degree the impact of the proposals on the Old Rectory, but neither a heritage statement nor impact assessment had been produced for the barn. 

SPS is concerned that the history and significance of the barn were not sufficiently understood to enable full assessment of the impacts of the proposals. A number of new openings are proposed, which will result in a significant and unwelcome change in character from an agricultural building to a domestic one, and some existing fabric will be removed.

We have recommended that, as a minimum, a Heritage Statement should be prepared for the barn to provide sufficient information on the building to allow an informed decision to be made.

SPS has also been quoted in a MailOnline article regarding the unfortunate demolition of The Dower House at Nowton Park. In 2022, SPS, The Victorian Society and the Council for British Archaeology all submitted strong objections to the demolition of Dower House, on both heritage and sustainability grounds, but disappointingly the total demolition of this Victorian Gothic house and its replacement with a new dwelling was approved.

The national publication picked up on the public outcry on X (formerly Twitter) about the loss of an historic building, which has now been demolished, and the design of the replacement dwelling. The MailOnline piece can be read here.

An evening with renowned architectural historian Jeremy Musson to celebrate the SPS Heritage Champion Awards

Courtyard, Heveningham Hall, IP19 0PN

Thursday 18 July. 6 pm – 8 pm. £30 per person (£20 for SPS Members)

Our speaker for the evening is renowned architectural historian, Jeremy Musson – a regular contributor to Country Life and other journals, as well as a former National Trust curator. He is author and co-editor of numerous books on historic houses and wrote and presented the BBC TV series A Curious House Guest. 

Champagne and canapes accompanied by Fishers Gin from Aldeburgh.

SPS annual summer garden party and Annual General Meeting

Little Hall, Market Place, Lavenham, CO10 9QZ

Friday 14 June 2024

6.30 pm (registration from 6 pm)

Our annual garden party will take place in the gardens at Little Hall in Lavenham.

All Members are welcome to join us for a summer’s evening in one of Suffolk’s loveliest medieval walled gardens.

This is a free event but donations are encouraged.

For catering purposes, please book your place: