In the Limelight

The old saw has it that for a ha'pporth of tar the 'ship' (actually sheep) was lost, but in the case of virtually all buildings over 150 years old it is the bucket of lime that is often the missing ingredient in repairs today. Britain's only teaching centre for practical training in the use of lime has just come out as one of the winners in the Heritage category announced recently in the 1991 Ford British Conservation Awards, which together with the Conservation Foundation that organises them, (the inspiration of Professor David Bellamy and its director, David Shreeve) is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

The award a trophy and 3,000 pounds in cash comes as a welcome fillip to Bob Bennett and his team at the collection of old farm buildings that he has turned into the Lime Centre in the Hampshire downland just outside Winchester. The booming interest in historic houses and properties over the last ten years has led to a pressing demand for 'hands-on' experience in the use of traditional methods and materials in conservation work and repairs nowhere more so than in the use of lime.