NEWSLETTERS 
Nos.  1,    2   and   3



                     


   No 1.  NOVEMBER  1999
Building   Services   Heritage   Group

Summer Meeting / Visits  1999
 
A most instructive and enjoyable visit was made to the Royal Victoria Hospital  in Belfast . The hospitality shown to the Group Members who attended was greatly  appreciated.

The visit to the preserved Carrickfergus old Gas Works gave members an insight into the working conditions that were expected in those days.  The collection of  old gas lamps, fittings and other examples of gas fired equipment  that has been collected and saved for future exhibition was truly remarkable.
 
The committee meeting had a slightly
different character to it that time being  held in the cafeteria of the Carrickfergus local Co-op  Supermarket.
Christmas  Lecture 1999

It was decided that unfortunately a         Lecture could not be held this year as
it had become  too late to make the necessary arrangements and  to find a suitable building for the visit.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 
WILSON WEATHERLEY PHIPSON

Research is continuing into tracing this
eminent engineers history. Particular
points of current interest are:

·    Family History genealogy
·    Work for the Admiralty in Woolwich
·    Lecture to the Medical Officers of          Health in Marylebone London 1859
·    American connection with District
     Heating
·    Birmingham Town Hall  c. 1890
·    Author of  “ A Memoire” c. 1892
·    The search for a photograph


 
South West Region wish to dispose of some old IHVE ASHE and ASHRAE bound technical guides for the following years.
   IHVE         1929 - 1934
                     1937 - 1944
  ASHVE       1948 - 1954
  ASHACE     1955 - 1958
  ASHRAE     1959 - 1962

Should anyone wish to add any of these guides to their collection  or  know  of someone who may, please contact committee member 
 
      F J Ferris             


  SPRING MEETING/VISIT

A possible  venue for  the spring meeting has been suggested as a visit  to  St Georges Hall  in Liverpool, to be held in May 2000, and  this  is  currently  being  researched by Mike Barber. This is one of the  first  “Air Conditioned ” buildings c.1850 using mechanical ventilation and  is a  pioneering example  of  early  HEVAC engineering.  Members attending will also have the opportunity to visit an  example  c.1870  of  a hermetically  sealed  building;
 - A Doctors surgery comprising domestic residence / consulting rooms.

A proposal  in the  pipeline  is to write
a short biography of Neville Billington 
who was  the longest serving member
( now retired ) of the Heritage Group.

The next Committee Meeting / Annual General
Meeting is to be held at 11.00 am on Thursday 
20th January 2000 in Balham.




                   

No  2.   JUNE   2000

Spring Meeting / Visits  2000
     
Another instructive and enjoyable visit was made by the Group this time to the Octagon  and  St. George’s Hall in Liverpool.   Many  thanks are due to
     Mike Barber  (Octagon)     and 
     Neil Sturrock   (St. Georges Hall)
who acted as the Guides.  How Neil managed not to lose anyone amongst
the labyrinth of tunnels, catwalks and gangways was a tribute to his organisation.

The sizes of the spaces and voids within the building dedicated to the provision of the ventilation system were immense.
.     
It was a great disappointment to learn that this magnificent building has no current regular use other than to act as a building for visitors to tour.
    
An excellent description of the heating and ventilation system is given in the report  titled “ The Mechanical Ventilation and Warming of St. George’s Hall, Liverpool” by Charles R Honiball.  M.I.Mech.E.  dated  1907. A copy is  held by the CIBSE Heritage Library.
 


Dublin  2000.  Joint CIBSE /     ASHRAE   Conference
The paper written by Mike Barber about   Wilson W Phipson was submitted to the  Committee and  has been accepted. This paper will bring up to date all the recently found information. It will  be presented as a lecture given by the Heritage Group.

 
WILSON WEATHERLEY PHIPSON. 
            MICE.   1838 - 1891
Research is continuing into tracing this eminent engineers history.   Particular points of current interest are:

A visit to the Birmingham Library and
Records Archive found:-
·    The original plan layout drawings and sections prepared by Phipson from his Strand Offices in London for the  Birmingham Council Offices and the Museum & Art Gallery Extensions dating from 1869.
·    The articles in the Birmingham Daily Mail from October 1891 mentioned in “A Memoir” were also found and copied.

The search for a photograph of him and also the name of the author of  “A Memoir” dated 1892  continues.


BUILDING CONSERVATION TRUST
 
Members will be interested to learn about the relocation of the CIRCA Trust & WICCAD heritage collections from  Frome  in  Somerset  to the Stroud Mills Heritage Centre in Gloucestershire.  The home for the new archive is at  Kimmins Mill, Sainsbury’s,   Dudbridge,   Stroud.
  The Curator  is  John Keenan
  Tel No. 0117 - 968 7850. 
Jonathan David of CIBSE will initially manage the CIRCA trust.             



   SUMMER MEETING / VISIT
The proposed summer venue will be a
return visit to Belfast, this time to view
what could be the last working steam
driven ventilation system in existence.
This system is housed in a technical
college in Belfast. It is understood that
this building is under consideration for
demolition, so all Group members
attending make sure that you bring 
cameras or  Camcorders.



The Heritage Group Homepage on the
CIBSE Website has now been updated to allow members to keep in touch with the latest information procured by the Group. Should anyone have any comments  on further additions for the Homepage please inform the Editor.

THE BUILDING CONSERVATION TRUST
This trust is proposing an initiative for the establishment of a Heritage Information Exchange for those associated with conservation. The main objective of the Initiative is to provide for the first time easily accessible information for all.
THE GENERAL ELECTRIC STORY
A HERITAGE OF INNOVATION
1876 - 1999
This is the third edition in a series of
pictorial histories chronicling milestones in the growth of the General Electric Company. Copies are available through The Schenectady Museum,   New York
Tel No. 001 518 382 - 7890    or
Fax: 001 518 382 - 7893  for details.

PROJECTS IN PROGRESS
     
      The outline text of the book
      listing many of the Victorian                    and Edwardian Heating &
      Ventilating  firms has now been             prepared.
        
     A first draft of the book on the
     Life and Works of Wilson W                   Phipson MICE. has now been                written.

     ASHRAE have now given their
     agreement to put in hand the  
     arrangements for the publication
     of the book titled “The Comfort              Makers”

     The book titled “The Magic of 
     Hot Water”, is in the course of      
     preparation.
     
     G N Haden & Sons Ltd.   The
     history of their Bristol Office.         


The date of the next combined
Committee meeting and Summer
visit has still to be determined but
is scheduled for September 2000
in Belfast.
   



                     
                                            

No 3.  DECEMBER  2000
Building   Services   Heritage   Group

A  visit  to the Municipal Technical  Institute         
Building   in   Belfast   was  made  by  Group
Members  Mike Barber  and  Frank Ferris  in
September    to    find   out   whether   earlier
comments made that a steam engine was still
operating  in  the  building  providing  power,
were right. What  they found was astounding
The    original  15hp - 100psi.   reciprocating
horizontal steam engine has been in daily use
driving  the  two very  large  centrifugal  fans
This    steam    engine    powered     plenum
ventilation system could well be unique. The
Heritage  Group   should   send  a   challenge
to  find  out   whether   there   are   any  other
original steam engines still in daily use.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
The survival of this steam  engine is due to the dedication  of  the Plant Engineer for  the building,  who has organised the regular  
maintenance  and  kept  all  the services plant  in  excellent  working  order.               

The  plenum ventilation system  has  several  other  interesting  features,  some of  which could be the only  surviving  examples  from    this  Edwardian time  period. 

Disk  humidifiers / washers,  belt 
driven from the steam engine.
Waste steam feed water pre-heater.
Branch duct air re-heaters fed from
a one-pipe heating circuit.
Branch duct volume control dampers.                               

 
 



The Christmas Lecture for the   Heritage Group was arranged as a joint meeting with dinner at the Rumford Club. They  invited  group members to join them at their St Stevens Club, Queen Anne’s Gate London for their December meeting. Two after dinner speakers gave presentations. The first was  given  by Dr Frank James of the Royal Institution who gave a talk on Humphrey Davy and his assistant Michael Faraday who then went on to become the eminent Engineer and distinguished Lecturer at the Royal Institution. The second talk was given by group Vice-chairman Paul Yunnie who talked about the life and exploits of Benjamin Thompson,   Count Rumford. A very enjoyable evening was had by all the attending Group Members.
The AGM and Group Committee meeting was held in the preceding  afternoon.
The  Heritage Group has  also learnt of a Perkins  high  
pressure   heating  system  circa. 1882   which  is  still 
in  everyday use   in   the  Church  of   St. Thomas  a
Becket  in  Northaw  Herts.  Anyone who lives local 
to  that area  is invited to take photos  (by  appointment 
with  the Vicar) of  the  heating system for the Heritage  
Group  with  particular reference  to the boiler plant
which could  be  the original although  converted to oil
firing.

PROJECTS IN PROGRESS        

The book titled  ‘The  Comfort  Makers’ is due
to be published by  ASHRAE  in January 2001
      
The booklet ‘G N Haden & Sons Ltd.   Bristol 
Office’  is  being  printed.
 
The book titled ‘The Magic of  Hot Water’ has 
now   been completed  and  is  due  to be
published in the Spring of 2001.

The first draft of the book, the story  about  the
early heating  contractors  entitled  ‘The  Heat
Makers’ has  been prepared.

Research  is  continuing  for the book  ‘Wilson 
Weatherley Phipson  Victorian  Engineer
Extraordinary’
The Group has been told of an old  Methodist Church circa. 1830 in Truro Cornwall a Grade 2 listed building which is due to be refurbished. The existing ventilation system in the Church is provided by a venturi sited in the roof above high level gas chandeliers. The resultant stack effect forms the passive ventilation. The fresh air entry route into the   building  is   through  low  level   air  bricks   and  window openings.   The Consultant  Jerry  Kent  (contact  01271 - 323765)  would  like  to  put  the  original  system   back   into   commission   and  therefore  would welcome comments from anyone who can confirm whether it is safe and  satisfactory.                                                                                                                                   




Mike Barber gave the Presentation
Lecture to the Dublin 2000  CIBSE
/ ASHRAE   Joint  Conference   in
September  outlining  the  Group’s
continuing  research  into  the                                          contracts  and  history  of  Wilson
Weatherley  Phipson  MICE