Comments on: Mark Girouard, Architectural Historian https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:06:10 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Mark McLoughlin https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-1085963 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:06:10 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-1085963 Dear gentle author

I am, as you are, descended from Rev. Edward Solomon (3X great grandfather). I was fascinated by your chapter on the Solomon family in “Enthusiasms”, particularly as the St Helena detail, in particular the death and funeral of Napoleon tied up precisely with the (I thought apocryphal) account from my grandmother recounted about 55 or 60 years ago.

I am resident in Somerset West near Cape Town. I shall be in London from 3rd May to 5th May. I would very much like to meet you. If this is possible then would you please leave a telephone number at my e mail address.

Sincerely

Mark McLoughlin

]]> By: juliet mckoen https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-853856 Wed, 18 Feb 2015 16:35:10 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-853856 his name was charlie (forget his second name)
there are still people around Wilkes st who are in touch with him

]]> By: ant parker https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-852465 Sun, 15 Feb 2015 19:25:23 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-852465 I was wondering if you remember someone who i think was called Henry who squatted the house to the left of the bombed out house in Wilkes street, and who salvaged lots of wood etc and piled it up in the area of the bombed out house. He later became the owner of both plots. The house he squatted had a large workshop area at the back. I was at college with him and am trying to remeber his name.
thanks…Ant

]]> By: Betsy Brooks https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-270238 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 01:55:44 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-270238 I have just returned from Spitalfields. I am so thankful for these men who salvaged this area. I wish more of the area had survived, but I am thankful also for these few photos and sketches.

My ancestors lived in this area for only a few months in 1708 while they were waiting for transport to America.

]]> By: Murray Gellatly https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-131453 Wed, 07 Aug 2013 08:48:34 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-131453 I knew Mark Girouard from the late 1970’s though to the early 1990’s, in all
that time he never mentioned his pivotal role in saving these
important buildings, very typical of a softly spoken gentleman.
I remember many a happy time in the top of his house where his writing sofa
was beneath a stupendous Byrne Jones pastel that Mark
told me he had bought in the 1960’s. I so envied that foresight.
Stumbling over this article has awakened so many memories of
Mark and his generous gifts of so many books I am now
inspired to contact him and renew our old friendship.

]]> By: Neville Turner https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-127799 Sun, 21 Jul 2013 11:31:02 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-127799 It was good to see pictures of my family home where our family lived for 43 years from 1931 to 1974,being the last family to be rehoused from Elder st.The picture clearly shows how the property owners let the houses decay in the hope of selling them of for the land value. This area of Spitalfields was known as the forgotten zone,it’s residents being among the last
to be considered for rehousing.Mark Girouard with the Spitalfields Trust saved No 5 and 7 which were saved and restored.A more forward thinking council could have saved this heritage a lot earlier and just maybe the local residents could have stayed knowing more of their historical heritage – good sanitation conditions and maintenance was all that was needed.

]]> By: Faith Brabenec Hart https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-122548 Wed, 26 Jun 2013 23:43:31 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-122548 I have always been proud that the first book published after I started working for Yale University Press in London was Mark’s ‘Life in the English Country House’. It put YUP on the map in the UK, attracting booksellers who would never before have paid attention to the YUP list. The reception was so amazing and enormous that we couldn’t then handle the paperback and sold those rights to Penguin. It also gave me lifelong friends, in Mark and Dorothy and Blanche.

]]> By: Terry Fitzpatrick https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-120337 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:27:31 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-120337 Interesting discussion on this theme going on at Ted Jeory’s blog.

]]> By: Peter Holford https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-120274 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:46:28 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-120274 A proper hero – I bet he doesn’t get the awards that are dished out for fun in political and business circles.

]]> By: Lori, the eclectic book gatherer https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/18/mark-girouard-architectural-historian/#comment-120256 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:39:30 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=91699#comment-120256 This is a fascinating piece. It’s wonderful that these people could see the value of these fine buildings and were able to help them be preserved. I have Mark Girouard’s book, ‘Life In The English Country House’, but haven’t read it yet, now I feel inspired to start on it right away.

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