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DJMA Newsletter #17
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Dear Friends and Members,
Jim Thompson has had this newsletter waiting for my message for several weeks. My apologies but I wanted to wait until as a Trustee of the Birthplace Trust, we could refute the claim that we were desecrating John Muir's Birthplace. The Trustees were deeply concerned at the claims and the character assassinations that were being put into the press. The Trustees approached Historic Scotland to have an independent expert in conservation architecture inspect the building. Mr Nicholas Groves-Raines was appointed and copies of his report are now readily available. The report confirms that after the comprehensive reconstruction in the late 1970s, only some timber joists and three doors in the top flat were left of the original construction and these were moved to other positions. In 1998 when I as then Chairman of Dunbar Community Council was advised by Stephanie Hawryluk that she was going to sell the middle flat to the sitting tenant. I called a crisis meeting which met on 9th January, 1999 and at that meeting the Birthplace Trust came into being. My reason for mentioning this is that if I had not acted then, where would we be now in regard to John Muir's Birthplace? We all appreciate the feelings about the loss of the top floor re-creation of a Victorian flat. The Trustees did not take any decision lightly. believe John Muir was very inventive in his outlook. His life was about what God made, the mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, animals were all that was sacred to him - not a building. John Muir's life was about honesty and he escaped from buildings at every opportunity. I am sorry about the objections but I feel we are doing what John would have wanted, to let future generations know what the real values are in this world and to preserve and enjoy nature as John Muir did. Will Collin and Jim Thompson and others have it right. Dunbar and the surrounding area is what John Muir remembered of his early years and we must go on telling the John Muir story to educate the future generations about what really matters.
The Trustees believe that the plan for the Interpretative Centre is what we visualised in the beginning. We await the permission by the Planning Department to proceed. I commend the development to you all. What is being created is not a shrine but a living memory of Dunbar's greatest son, John Muir - World Pioneer in Conservation.
Best wishes to you all
Dan Cairney
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You will be aware of the controversy that has arisen over the plans for the John Muir Interpretative Centre in the Birthplace House at 126/128 High Street, Dunbar. At the end of this newsletter are details of the outline plan, the original letter of objection from DJMA member, Mr Graham White, the DJMA Council's response to Mr White, and a copy of the press release issued by The John Muir Birthplace Trust following an inspection by Mr Nicholas Groves-Raines, an architect nominated by Historic Scotland. However, I believe that our membership should understand why I as Convener and the other members of Council support the proposals of the Trustees of the John Muir Birthplace Trust. The Trustees are six in number being two each from East Lothian Council and The John Muir Trust and one each from DJMA and Dunbar Community Council. The DJMA representative as Trustee is our President, Mr Dan Cairney and from the Community Council, Mr Will Collin who is also DJMA treasurer.
Now to the house itself. In 1979/80 major alterations involving the renewal of internal floors, walls and ceilings were carried out to convert the house from a laundrette to a photographer's studio, a modern self-contained flat at the first floor and a small museum/audio visual room on the second floor. This work was funded by the then owner with a grant aid from East Lothian Council who took out a 99 year lease on the museum.. It was said that standing in the sand below the removed ground floor, you could see the roof rafters. I understand that the planning warrant issued required new timber throughout. If some floor joists were re-used in the top flat, this was a variation to the consent . Even so there is no evidence that they are original 1838. The top flat also contains plasterboard which certainly was not around in 1838. The only original parts are the external walls and the stone staircase and these are being retained. In fact, with the return of the door to the front of the house, externally it will revert to its pre-1900 appearance. If any other original material is found, it will be retained. We do not know where in the house he was born, whether it was the middle or top flat He only lived in the house for the first two years of his life. When John Muir returned to Dunbar in 1893, it was not the house in which he was born that he sought out, but the house next door where he was raised and where he spent nine years of his life in Dunbar.
The John Muir Interpretative Centre will be unique in that it will be the only one that will tell the whole story of John Muir's life and vision. It will certainly not be a Disney-like project. The ground floor will reflect his origins in Dunbar; the middle floor will tell the American story; and the top floor will look to his legacy, writings and vision. In my opinion, the proposals are radical, clever and innovative and will facilitate the interpretation of Muir's life in ways that a recreation of an 1840's flat would not. The key themes and objectives are to tell the story of Muir's childhood journey from Dunbar boy to American youth; his adult journey from wanderer to environmental advocate and to interpret the legacy of his life, his philosophy, and his teachings. The building would also seek to direct visitors to Muir's town of Dunbar and its surroundings. Muir's attitudes were formed, not by his birthplace, important though this is, but by the shore, castle, harbour and countryside. I would hope that it will convince visitors that Muir and his message are as relevant in the 21st century as they were in the 19th. One of my pleasant duties is to walk visitors around John Muir's Dunbar. A Presbyterian minister from San Francisco told me that for him the spiritual experience was to stand where the boy Muir had stood, to walk the streets that he had walked, to see the sights that he had gazed on, the castle, shore and countryside, and to stand at the graves of two people he loved dearly, his grandparents.
Duncan Smeed gave me a quotation from John Muir which I would like to pass on to you. "How hard to realise that every camp of men or beast has this glorious starry firmament for a roof! In such places standing alone on the mountain-top it is easy to realise that whatever special nests we make - leaves and moss like the marmots and birds, or tents or piled stone - we all dwell in a house of one room - the world with its firmament for its roof - and are sailing the celestial spaces without leaving any track"
Jim Thompson
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Professor John Simpson of Ohio State University gave a talk to members on his research for his new book, Yearnings for the Land. The talk was supported by photographic slides of Wisconsin and projections of maps of the area in 1849 when the Muirs arrived. The talk could have been better attended but for those who were not there, you missed a treat. Professor Simpson is a wonderful communicator. The audience were enthused by his description of the journey of Daniel. John, David and Sarah from Dunbar to America. John has kindly given permission to reproduce this extract and you will find it at the back of the newsletter.. I hope that this little taster will have you rushing out to buy the book when it is published.
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Work on the new booklet progresses and it is now being proof-read. It will soon be ready for the printer. Further funding is being sought and a sample copy is being prepared to encourage local businesses to take out advertising space. If you are interested in placing an advert please contact Dan Cairney at 55 High Street, Dunbar. Telephone 01368 863992
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[See Questions in Newsletter 17]
(How did you do?)
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Please see John Muir Birthplace Trust - Our Plans
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Mr Owen Lammer, a member of the Sierra Club in South Utah visited Dunbar in May and presented the Association with a framed photograph of John Muir taken circa 1912. The photograph was meant to hang in the offices of the Hetch Hetchy dam but it was quickly removed from there. Mr Lammer has promised to forward the provenance as to how the photograph arrived in South Utah and we will include this in a future newsletter. It is intended that the photograph in its original frame will be displayed in the Birthplace.
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Children at Dunbar Primary School are constructing a Tree of Life which is to be on a wall at the school. Each child will make with a variety of material something to go on to the tree. As part of this initiative, DJMA hosted an event in the Parish Church hall under the leadership of Philip Revell and Carmen Ambrozevitch. The skill and imagination of the children from as young as three years was wonderful to see. Leaves. flowers, birds, and animals of all kinds from squirrels to cats were made. The Tree when finished will be something that Dunbar will be proud of.
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A tidy- up of the Cliff Top Trail and a Help the Country Ranger day both had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. It is hoped to re-schedule these events after the AGM.
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Membership is due for renewal on 1st October and subscription notices will be issued with the notice calling the annual general meeting. It is the Council's intention to recommend that subscription rates remain unchanged for this year but wish to inform members that an increase will be required next year. This is mainly due to the cost of producing and mailing the newsletter.
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With the closure of the Birthplace for work to commence on the Interpretative Centre, the various items owned by the Association will be catalogued and removed for safe keeping. Any member who may have an item in their possession which belongs to the Association is asked to inform the convener. During the closure, all correspondence should be addressed to DJMA, c/o 43 Beachmont Place, Dunbar, East Lothian. EH42 1YE
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Dear all,
I am writing to express my serious concerns over the current architectural scheme for the conversion of John Muir's House in Dunbar, as well as the proposed educational and interpretive approach. I only became aware of the true nature of these proposals last Friday (June 22nd 2001) when I was invited to a meeting by Liz Maclean, ELC's architect/ co-ordinator for the scheme. I am a founder member of DJMA, an active member of JMT and have played a role in the long struggle to achieve a Muir Centre for Dunbar since the late 1980s; but this is the very first I have ever heard of this radical proposal.
The East Lothian Courier reported on the 'Hi-Tech Exhibition Centre for John Muir's Birthplace' last Friday, but did not give any hint of the extreme nature of the house renovation. There has been, as far as I know, no attempt to inform or consult the wider membership of DJMA, JMT or the general public about the fundamental aspects of this radical plan, and there has been no exhibition or publication anywhere of the design concept or graphics of the scheme. If the plan were 'conventional' that would perhaps not matter, but this plan calls for the complete 'gutting' of all the floors in the building. Many people will see this as a desecration of one of Dunbar's most historic buildings - regardless of the age of the actual concrete floors.
The Courier article gave the impression that 'things were at a very early outline proposals stage'; but this is simply untrue. The scheme is well into the planning application process and the deadline for any objections to the proposals is JULY 5th. Since almost nobody in Dunbar knows anything about the detail of the plans, there is very little time or scope for any discussion, debate or objection.
I would urge the Birthplace Trustees to call a pause in the planning process - and to disseminate the details of the proposals far more widely, preferably by publication in the press and by some small public exhibition of plans and a 3D model in Dunbar. The details of the plans have been known to the few delegates of JMT and DJMA and the Community Council for several months - but I would be surprised if anyone beyond that group knows anything whatsoever about this.
I would ask that the Trustees be willing to listen to sincere and principled objections to the present scheme before the planning process goes ahead. A failure to listen will inevitably result in perceptions of a 'failure to meaningfully consult'.
THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT - "Gut and stuff"
1. Richard Murphy's design is centred on 'gutting' the entire
internal structure of the building - and stuffing the empty shell with a new
internal skeleton. It involves the complete removal of the first and second
floors, together with all dividing walls; reducing this historic listed
building to a hollow shell. Many people, and especially the large Muir
network in America (Sierra Club etc.), will see this as a complete lack of
respect for a building of international historic significance.
The fact that the existing floors are not 'original' is in my view irrelevant. In heritage terms, the house is second in importance only to Dunbar's Town House; but from the international cultural and historical viewpoint as Muir's birthplace- it is the Burgh's premier building.
To value and preserve the exterior walls of such an important listed building while destroying the entire internal structure - smacks of a brutal modernism, and I suggest it will be judged as such by the international Muir community that spans the world.
NEW FLOORS FOR OLD - AND AVAILABLE SPACE
The existing floors were rebuilt in the late 1970s and are
structurally sound; they do the job they were intended for - namely to
provide floor space. So the question is: 'Why destroy two perfectly
functional floors - in order to replace them with two new and significantly
smaller floors?" Does this in any way enhance our ability to tell the Muir
story? In my view it does not.
Arguably, this structural evisceration of the building will consume most of the budget - but will result in a diminished floor space, and a much-reduced budget for interpretation - which should be the primary objective of the project.
Having destroyed the existing internal structure of the building, the architect plans to build a free-standing box inside the empty shell. In short, after removing two perfectly good functional floors, two similar but smaller replacement floors will be created. This seems a prodigal waste of both space and money.
It has already been suggested that this has more to do with architectural 'cleverness' and 'radical innovation', than it has to do with facilitating the interpretation of Muir's life. It seems very likely that this design may well:
a.) reduce the available floorspace on the two upper floors by a significant %
b.) reduce the original wall display-area by a large amount
This is an absolutely crucial issue, but apparently no figures have been provided for how much floor and wall space may be lost due to the radical re-design of the building's interior. It seems vital that we know this exactly, before this concept is finally adopted.
FORM SHOULD FOLLOW FUNCTION
The basic question is: "Why opt for this radical plan when you already have
a perfectly good historic building with (potentially) three entire floors of
display/interpretation space?' Once again, the answer seems to be that this
is architecturally 'innovative 'or daring. But the primary aim of this
building is to celebrate, inform and educate schoolchildren and tourists
about Muir's life, work and legacy; the architect's design skills should be
subservient to that aim. Form should follow function - not the opposite.
I can foresee tens of thousands of people coming to visit Dunbar in coming decades, to acquaint themselves with Muir's historic legacy and to experience the historic building where he was born. I cannot believe that more than a few dozen architecure buffs will ever come for the express purpose of marvelling at Richard Murphy's radical design. As a heritage-tourist-consumer myself, I have visited many interpretation centres in Britain and America - but I have never asked who the architect or designer was. That is not the primary interest of a tourist in coming to such a centre. This purpose of this building is to tell the Muir story - not serve as a showcase for the architect - talented though he may be.
LOSS OF COMMUNAL AUDIO-VISUAL THEATRE
The abandonment of the existing video-theatre, which currently seats 15 or
even 20 people is a disaster. At present, the fact that a teacher can
supervise a schoolgroup in a communal viewing of the Muir video - is an
educational strength of the existing centre. The loss of this audience
space is a primary flaw in the concept.
Its replacement with a number of VDUs, interactive consoles and plasma screens dotted over two floors of the internal tower, will produce a fragmentary approach - more suited to the lightweight 'media grazing' of a casual tourism-attraction, rather than a high-quality educational experience. The provision of a narrow 8-seater meeting room in the rear courtyard does not in my view make up for the loss of the communal 'theatre-experience'. It would be possible to convert an entire floor of the building into a film/slide/video auditorium - offering a wide variety of film, video and slide presentations on a seasonal basis. Such an auditorium would provide a valuable modern audio-visual resource for Dunbar in general. Such an approach is widely used all over the world, and is generally seen as a core experience of such interpretation centres, from Bannockburn to the $150 million Hendrix Music Experience designed by Geary in Seattle. That is adjudged 'the best new interpretation centre on the planet' - but they still opted for a communal video theatre as the centrepiece of the design. 'Old fashioned' can often mean - 'successful, tried and tested'.
LOSS OF 'THE 1840's HOUSEHOLD'
The abandonment of the existing '1840s household' setting is, in my view, an
unwise education/ tourism decision. 'Amateur and innaccurate' though it
might be, this recreation of the imagined 'setting' of the Muir House
through the use of period furniture and artefacts is strongly valued by both
children and tourists, and crucially by the American visitors, who have a
profound appreciation of such 'heritage'. It appears that the Trust has
opted for a 'purist' view that, since none of the furniture or artefacts had
any 'real' connection with the Muir family that it was somehow 'dishonest'.
But very few of the articles in the Muir House at Martinez are 'real'. They
are 'of the period', or approximate reproductions of what the Muir's had in
the California house. In this, they were no worse than the collection of
period objects in Edinburgh's 'Georgian House', or in the Glasgow Tenement.
The professional curator may find this 'incorrect' or 'ersatz', but to the visiting public and school parties, it is far more enjoyable and stimulating to experience real furniture, real artefacts and a real ambience, than it is to enjoy the even more 'second-hand experience' of a display panel, video or DVD presentation.
CONCLUSION
I am aware that the Birthplace Trust trustees have all put a
great deal of time and effort into getting this far; they deserve rightful
credit and praise for their achievements. But I honestly believe that there
has not been any serious consultation or discussion of this specific, very
radical proposal, among the wider community. And I honestly believe that
this is a case of 'good people choosing a bad option' and I hope that it is
not too late for the Trust and its architects to reconsider their proposals.
This is a crucial moment in the long struggle to bring the Muir story to intellectual and educational prominence in Scotland and to give Muir the honour that he deserves in his own country. Whatever goes ahead in 2001 will have to serve Dunbar for a very long time, and it is vital to discuss all the above issues freely with the widest group of people, but especially with the Dunbar community at large.
I would ask the Trustees, and all concerned, to consider a pause in the planning application, to consult with the wider community and to hopefully reconsider the basic assumptions of this plan before committing themselves to what I feel is a fundamentally mistaken concept for John Muir's Birthplace.
I am happy to continue to freely give the project my support and expertise and would be honoured to work with David Campbell and his interpretation team.
Sincerely
Graham White
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Dear Graham,
We are surprised and disappointed that you have taken this negative stance.
Your comments to a number of people after the meeting with the consultants on Friday 22 June, stated quite the opposite. Your own contribution to the meeting was both erudite and valuable.
The proposals to develop the Birthplace along present lines are the outcome of processes which are sound and transparent. The members of the John Muir Birthplace Trust represent the local Community Council, the local Dunbar John Muir's Association, the John Muir Trust, East Lothian Council and the chairman is the local elected Councillor.
The appointed lead consultant is Campbell & Co., a company with wide experience in interpretive design and a proven track record of delivering successful projects. Their nominated architect is Richard Murphy, who also brings to the project a track record of delivering quality solutions to challenging projects. They made their first presentation to the Trustees on 24th May. A presentation by Liz McLean was made to the members of the Community Council on 15th June. We are seeking permission to show the display material to the public in somewhere like the Community School Office in the High Street.
The Heritage Lottery Fund, one of the main funding bodies for the project, is fully supportive of proposals to date. Central to their objectives and those of the Birthplace Trust, are the core themes of heritage conservation and education.
The Trust made an early decision that the new centre should not be a museum trying to recreate a building as it was during the two years Muir lived there in the 1840's. This was reviewed during the selection process for the consultant appointment and the Trust affirmed its view on this matter. The outside wall are old and are being retained. In fact with the restoration of the door to the front, the building is being returned to its pre-1900 street appearance.
The key themes and objectives for the project are to tell the story of Muir's childhood journey from Dunbar boy to American youth; his adult journey from wanderer to environmental advocate and to interpret the legacy of his life, his philosophy and his teachings for us. The details for this are still at an early stage and your invitation to be involved in this process reflects the Birthplace Trust's desire to involve individuals who are not actively associated with the Trust but have expertise and knowledge to contribute to the outcome. We believe the proposals are clever, radical and innovative and as such will facilitate the interpretation of Muir's life in a way that a staid old fashioned building would not. In the same way that John Muir spent only the first two years of his life at 126/128 High Street, the building would seek to inform of Muir's time and message and direct visitors to John Muir's town of Dunbar and its surroundings. His attitudes were formed, not by his birthplace, important as this is, but by the shore, countryside, castle and harbour. On his return in 1893, he sought out not the place of his birth but the house next door in which he spent fully four times as many years of his life.
Many of the points you raise reflect an over-simplistic approach to the design of what is a complex project and demanding brief. The existing building will require significant alterations to meet the brief and provide full access for disabled users with a new lift and toilet installation.
The provision of an auditorium for Dunbar was not part of the design brief to the consultants. However, the current proposal to enclose the rear courtyard will provide a space which will serve this purpose. While the drawing shows 8 chairs around a table, as was explained to you at the meeting, the cleared space can accommodate 15 children for introductory talks and videos, as well as providing a flexible area for temporary exhibitions, meetings etc.
DJMA is committed to the development of this important centre for Dunbar. DJMA honestly believe the Trustees have chosen the best option. This is not the 'purist' view. Rather we feel that John Muir's life and message is more important, as so more deserving of space than an 1840's recreation. We appreciate the work you have done in promoting John Muir and your unrivalled knowledge in Scotland of the man, his work, and his legacy. David Campbell is enthusiastic about working with you towards the success of this unique project. We do hope that you can be also.
Yours sincerely
Jim Thompson
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