Heritage Now

Ross Anthony (above) and Paul Holden (below) recent recruits to the society ROSS ANTHONY joined the society in August 2021. He worked in China and Singapore and has a background in town planning and conservation, working for the New South Wales State Govern- ment and various local authorities in Sydney. On relocating to the United Kingdom he became the national planning and policy advisor for the Thea- tres Trust, an advisory body to the Department of Culture Media & Sport and a statutory consultee in the planning system, working to protect and adapt a broad spectrum of historic and modern theatre and cultural buildings across England, Scotland, and Wales. He later worked for SAVE Britain’s Heritage where he was involved in casework and a comprehensive update of its annual buildings at risk register. Ross enjoys the diversity of casework that falls within his remit, he notes ‘On average we receive around 6,000 notifications a year, although many are minor and generally do not need a formal response. We focus our limited resources on casework with particularly harmful outcomes and where we will have the most impact’. He particu- larly likes ‘the more humble and often overlooked unlisted gems that need a friend, to make sure that all historic buildings are recognised for their contribution to our cultural identity and sense of place’. PAUL HOLDEN was born in Southampton, the son of Bill Holden, an international speedway rider in the 1950s. Unlike his father (and cousin Kevin), Paul, despite trying, had little talent for motorcycle racing so channelled his energies into his job as a heating and service engineer for British Gas. After redundancy in 1995 he became a senior tradesman at Winchester College where he first discovered architecture − he later wrote his MA dissertation on the life and works of William Wynford, the retained master mason to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. Part of this work was published in Transactions in 2018. In 1999 he moved to Cornwall where he took up a post, first as House and Collections Manager and then Project Curator, for the National Trust at Lanhydrock. During that time he published and lectured widely on a wide range of architectural, cultural and social history topics and was fortu- nate to lecture in America, the Czech Republic, Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom. He was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2011 and was recently created a Visiting Research Fellow at Plymouth University. Paul is now a freelance heritage professional and architectural historian. He is chairman of Truro Diocese Advisory Committee, vice-chair of Truro Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee, member of the Cornwall Design Review Panel and President of the Cornwall Family History Society and the James MMacLaren Society. After five years as commissioning editor for Architectural Historian for Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain he has taken up the editorial challenge of Heritage Now. Paul notes ‘It is a great honour to join the society at this exciting new phase of its history. I welcome all commu- nications and comments about the magazine and would love to talk to anyone who has ideas for content. Our aim is to make this the best and most entertaining magazine in the sector.’ ——————— In this regular feature we introduce the team behind Historic Buildings & Places. This edition focuses on our secular caseworker Ross Anthony and your editor Paul Holden. MEET THE TEAM 28   HISTORIC BUILDINGS & PLACES