David Lay FRICS
Lot 2028
A pierced silver Mappin & Webb butter dish with cut glass liner and matching silver butter knife together with a silver mounted cut glass salt. From the estate of Ashley Barker OBE who was born in Hertfordshire in 1927.Being unusually bright, he found it difficult to make friends and found solace in architecture and buildings, particularly the simple pastime of walking around buildings on his own. Indeed, his favourite treat as a child was to be taken to St Paul's Cathedral, where he would wander for hours.In 1944 he entered the Architectural Association and qualified at a time of rapid post-war reconstruction, when the lack of building materials forced architects to use industrialised prefabrication techniques and poor design, (in Barker's opinion) prevailed. Frustrated, he drifted into working for MGM, creating film sets. He finally found his niche at the Historic Buildings Division of what was then the London County Council (LCC). After years of working with modernists it was a relief to Barker to find an office where his "young fogeyism" was welcome. He enjoyed working under WA Eden, the Surveyor of Historic Buildings, who was dedicated completing the work of the architect and reformer CR Ashbee, who had listed all the buildings that should be preserved within 20 miles of the Aldgate Pump. This idea became the 'Survey of London' and Barker took over when Eden retired in 1970. The LCC became the GLC and Barker became the head of the Historic Building Commission, working on an advisory committee with notables such as Sir John Betjeman, Sir John Summerson, Sir Osbert Lancaster and Sir Hugh Casson.In 1986, he was appointed head of the London Division of English Heritage. He retired in 1988.
