Listed Property Show, London

[ljn]

I'm going to go to this:

The Listed Property Show

An exhibition providing owners of listed buildings with access to the products and services of 150 specialist suppliers.
Run by The Listed Property Owners Club, the event will provide practical advice, ideas and inspiration for current and prospective owners of period properties.

 

[Nemesis]

I think however that people should be aware that as far as I can tell the Listed Property Owners' Club is a business.

I'm not totally convinced regarding the claims that it is the only advice service for owners of period properties, I think organisations such as SPAB and other amenity societies do that also, and although it makes cliams about representing period property owners as far as I am aware it has never taken part in any Commons Select Committee investigations or responded to government policy consultation.

The whole issue of VAT on listed buildings, for example, has been flagged up and repeatedly campaigned for by the amenity societies.

None of which has I appreciate any bearing on going along and enjoying the show, but I do have some doubts about the Listed Property Owners' Club.

 

[plumbers mate]

And the Hotel they suggest is £158.63! Per Night! I'd want to buy shares in it at that price.

 

[shelli]

"The Listed Property Owners Club" - sounds Like a lot of big pompous farts that eat massive dinners and drink masses of Claret to me bit like House of Lords :lol:

 

[Juju]

I'm going to the show but more cos I thought it would be a useful way to get contacts, maybe some free advice etc and it's a nice day out in London with my brother who lives round the corner from the Design Centre where it's happening! I personally wouldn't join the 'club' as I'm perfectly happy with this free forum for advice and also my membership of SPAB!

 

[Nemesis]

This is from the website:

Grants
Whilst grants are few and far between LPOC will explain where and how to apply for them. One of the prime roles of LPOC is to act as a pressure group in seeking financial help for owners. Our ongoing goal is;

To persuade government to modify the VAT laws

Reduce the community tax paid

Give grants aid for owners.

In short we will tirelessly champion the cause of owners as and when key issues arise.


Last year, a representative of the 'club' kept posting here to encourage people to join. When I asked where exactly I could find evidence of such championing I received no answer.

I do know the organisations which do...

Mostly they are constituent members of Heritage Link...

http://www.heritagelink.org.uk

There are other wider organisations such as Europa Nostra which also lobby.

http://www.europanostra.org/lang_uni/member_organisations.html

http://www.europanostra.org/lang_en/index.html

 

[Nigel Watts]

I got a junk mail flier through my letterbox from this organisation informing me of the exhibition and trying to pursuade me to join the club. I live in Islington, about a mile from the exhibition venue. In principle I dont have an issue with such an organisation, so long as it is clear and honest about its aims and motivation, but I was not convinced that I should join, and it all went into the recycling bin.

 

[Penners]

And the Hotel they suggest is £158.63! Per Night!

It's obviously intended for CO's, staying on council expense accounts!

 

[sidd]

I went along yesterday. I think the trip was worth it, but there was very little impartial advice. Some of the stands were really worrying. For example, one of those spray foam insulation companies was there, and there was one salesman on a stand selling lime products who probably only heard about lime products that morning, but that didn't dent his enthusiasm and confidence in giving me valued advice in a straight minute of unadulterated bovine scat before I walked off.

Mike Wye had a stand there. I'm a real fan of theirs, but the knowledgeable people were spread a little thinly. Railton Price, who I hadn't heard of before, do lime products, and I was very impressed with their knowledge.

The Brooking Collection had a biggish stand, which was brilliant, and makes me want to got to see the full collection.

 

[Penners]

That's the trouble with commercial exhibitions (which I've had a lot to do with in the past). Once the organisers have booked the venue, printed the publicity material, and so on, their only focus is to sell all the space in order to get their costs back and make a profit.

So they're unwilling (and probably unqualified) to exercise any kind of selectivity over who books stands, how relevant they are to the theme, how knowledgeable... etc.

The only qualification the aspiring exhibitor needs is the ability to write a cheque.

 

[Nemesis]

Graet to hear Charles Brooking was there - he has invited me along to see the collection next time I have some time available when in Lunnon and I'm looking forward to that.

Two anoraks together enthusing over the differences in period window catches and Georgian hobgrates... and Charles needs all the help he can get to keep the collection together and ongoing.

There was a SPAB article about him and the collection in the latest issue of Cornerstone.

 

[Penners]

hobgrates

I thought they were Tolkien characters.

 

[Craig]

My Dad was [one of] the person who persuaded the university to give Charles a permanent establishment. I've not met Charles but he is by all accounts a very unique character. If you call the Uni you can go and visit. And you can visit their two campuses at Greenwich and Avery Hill.

 

[Nemesis]

He is indeed... he promised me an individual tour and I suspect we will not be seen for weeks, delving into the minute details of window catches and other stuff. Better take the Thermos. I can be a terrible anorak about these things... my idea of bliss is a day at the Building of Bath Museum so the Brooking Collection is that magnified many times over.

He lent SAVE several items for the SAVE 30 exhibition at the V and A and hope he can be persuaded to part with them again for the reprise in Cumbria in June/July.