BY RODNEY HARBER Professional Consulting Architect, Urban & Regional Planner and Built Environment Educator
Rodney Harber taught at the University of Natal (UKZN) for several decades in the Schools of Architecture, Planning
and Housing, subsequently teaching at TU Darmstadt and the Durban University of Technology (DUT). He has lectured worldwide and has led several
master classes and studios and has given
numerous keynote addresses. Currently he is active practising in a small, busy multi-disciplinary
practice, focusing on developmental, consultative and sustainable and built environment practice
work. He is a registered Conservation and Heritage Practitioner and has
served on several Commissions and Tribunals, receiving several awards for his
work.
He represents Africa on the UNESCO/UIA Validation Council as well as on the UIA Education Commission.
In 2011/12 the Italian publication, IL Magazine Dell’Architettura,
regarded him as being one of the 100
most influential architects in the world
RESTORING THE OLD COWSHED INTO THE MARY STAINBANK GALLERY NEAR COEDMORE CASTLE IN THE KENNETH STAINBANK NATURE RESERVE
My connection to the Coedmore Castle (1) and the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve
(2) goes back several
decades in that my grandfather was the estate vet, and Mary Stainbank (3) recalled him clearly when I spoke of
him in an interview I conducted with her years ago.
I stumbled on this
restoration project by a real accident. I was called out to the site to
arbitrate between a fellow architectural professional and an engineer. The matter at hand was whether or not
to retain the existing upper floor boards of the former cowshed or to restore
them. I fell through the
existing rotten floors boards so the verdict was that they needed to be
replaced!
I was latterly commissioned
as the consultant heritage restoration architect and tasked with the repair and
restoration of the cowshed, apparently otherwise known as Mary Stainbank’s workshop.
The
salvaged original collection of powerful artworks by Stainbank and her partner (4) were being stored in a cold, dark room
away from the eyes of those that
could appreciate and enjoy them (having been rejected by the Voortrekker Museum
The
existing windows were restored and the flooring was replaced with a more readily
available South African product, as were the ceilings (using reversed Masonite for insulation). The partitions on plan were positioned
in such a way that any future curator would have adequate surveillance onto the
main gallery space. The
existing “primitive” electrical breaker boards are retained for their
historical interest. The
existing denoted labelling painted on the walls was also retained
for the historical and aesthetic interest.
Gaining access into the
gallery proved to be a challenge as the existing old, steep timber access
proved to be impractical. The
existing main staircase had apparently been built by a film crew at some point
in the past. The decision
was therefore taken to express the access in a new material to clearly distinguish it as “new work” by using galvanised iron. Downstairs proved to be less of a
challenge, despite the old storeroom resembling a tinderbox. All of the sheeting was restored and
replaced, as were the gutters. The
old storeroom has now lately been converted into a visiting artists’ studio,
and the landing on the staircase provides visitors to the gallery with a view
into the studio, thus demystifying the creation of artworks. The stone and works of art in wood which had been “abandoned”
and left in the castle grounds have been tenderly restored and now proudly
grace the access points to the gallery.
The entire space was created
with a limited budget and the resultant gallery is a complement to Stainbank’s powerful body of work.
Rodney
Harber
Notes:
(1) Coedmore Castle Yellowwood Park Durban England
(2) Kenneth Stainbank,
son of Dering Stainbank,
established the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve in 1963, now administered by KZN Wildlife
(3) The sculptor,Mary Stainbank,
was the daughter of Dering Stainbank. She
studied art at the Durban School of Art in 1921 and at the Royal College of Art in London Durban
(4) The stained glass artist, Wilgieforde Vann-Hall (Wilgie)