Comments on: So Long, Mark Girouard

By: Elizabeth Darley

Elizabeth Darley — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:24:43 +0000

Dear sir, Thank you for this article. It’s informative. I’ve just bought a 1980 copy of of Mr Girouard’s book, Penguin pub. 1980, Life in the English Country House, and such is the history of his family. He knew what he was talking about! There is a gorgeous photograph of the mother of Mr Girouard and her mother, taken 1898. Mr Girouard had a grandmother showing in the photograph of 1898 and she’s holding her first born, Mr Girouard’s mother as a baby, in her arms and the grandmother is wearing a distinguished looking Tam ‘O Shanter.
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Darley
Yorkshire

By: Antony Spawforth

Antony Spawforth — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 09:43:32 +0000

His book on the French country house is a masterpiece. Written with extraordinary authority; revelatory. To my knowledge still a first in any language.

By: Steve Elliot

Steve Elliot — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 18:35:39 +0000

It should also be noted that Mark wrote a book on Victorian pubs. A splendid volume. I shall visit one or two of the establishments featured, and raise a glass to Mark’s memory. A great man.

By: Marcia Howard

Marcia Howard — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 07:41:57 +0000

Such a brave move by Mark Girouard, and the many passionate ones who have followed in his footsteps. RIP Mark.

By: Alison Felstead

Alison Felstead — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 07:29:17 +0000

He was kind enough to write a nice preface to a reference work on Victorian architects that I helped to compile whilst working at the British Architectural Library (RIBA). I can almost believe that I see it on his bookcase … RIP Mark Girouard.

By: Colin Cohen

Colin Cohen — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 18:53:51 +0000

Not sure how, but a friend of my late wife. One weeps for people and places lost

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:36:37 +0000

What a wonderful man and how fitting Gillian’s last sentence.
May he rest in peace and long may he be remembered.

By: Lizebeth

Lizebeth — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:27:46 +0000

I totally agree with the comments so far. Most of us don’t notice until it is too late the ongoing destruction of our historic structures, and the horrible, uniformly similar, monstrosities that come more and more to dominate our streets. It is people like the Gentle Author, and those he eulogises, who have made the difference and saved so many important places from forever loss.

I urge all of his readers to write in, walk in, protest as you feel you are able, to keep big business and government staff with their hands in its pockets from as much demolition of worthy buildings as possible. Your children will thank you.

By: Gillian Tindall

Gillian Tindall — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 13:11:50 +0000

Mark Girouard lived as he always had done, right to the end, ever politely ready to note and discuss any new threat from developers. Less than three weeks ago, he was scheduled to give a talk for the Victorian Society in the Notting Hill area, near where he lived. There were some anxieties in the weeks beforehand as to whether would be fit enough, but in the end he duly gave it and also answered questions afterwards.

Many of us will miss him very much. He was indeed one of the original savers of Spitalfields. `Si monumentum require, circumspire’ – “If you seek a monument to him, look around.”

By: paul loften

paul loften — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 12:00:40 +0000

Why is it that the very things that we are closest to in our daily lives become invisible ?
Here we have the essence of history. Buildings that we live in , work in, pass by every day are not noticed and their significance is reduced to almost nothing and when the time comes to make a buck they are wiped away as if they were chalk on a blackboard. Not only are they history these buildings are our saviours because they give us another dimension that separates us from the bland square concrete and glass structures that have come to dominate our life and our feelings . Because you cant help feeling things when you see monstrous structures rise before your eyes as you pass them by in the street. People dont know why they get depressed and feel angry . I think its because their vision has been delibertely blinkered by the developers who dissmiss the history and everything that Mark Giroud fought for as insignificant next to their desire to make a fortune