2020-12-31-accounts - The Society Of Architectural Historians Of Great Britain

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Annual Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 Dec 2020

The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain

@theSAHGB www.sahgb.org.uk 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EL Charity No 236432 Company No 810735

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

We bring together all those with an interest in the history of the built environment – academics, architects, heritage experts and the wider public.

Index

Welcome statement 01 Reference and administrative details 02 Report of the Executive Committee (Trustees) 03 Report of the Examining Accountant 18 Statement of Financial Activities 20 Statement of Cash Flows 20 Balance Sheet 21 Notes to Financial Statements 22

Chair’s Welcome Statement Professor Murray Fraser

In future historical accounts of these times, the year 2020 will undoubtedly get a very bad name. For many people it was by far the worst year of their lives. Only in March last year did the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic begin to become evident, leading us into a cycle of virus waves and lockdowns and the need to engage in previously unknown practices to keep oneself safe and well. Many sadly lost their lives, others became severely ill, and all of us suffered in some way.

lectures and seminars. Up until mid-2020 I like others thought Zoom was a function on a camera, now it has become our mode of communication and dissemination par excellence. In the post-pandemic era we will be making use of digital technology such as this to augment our much-anticipated return to holding real-life, in-person events.

Membership has continued to grow steadily, now at over 900 persons and rising steadily, and thankfully our financial standpoint – given an inevitable temporary knock by the COVID-19 pandemic – is back to the same level as it was before the pandemic. During 2020, we set up a group of networks to help ensure Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity in all that we do. The Society thus continues to be in a robust state, and indeed in a very good place to embark upon further changes and improvements. One of the most crucial changes for this present year is to revise our Articles of Association, a long overdue updating that is required to make sure they conform to modern Charity Commission requirements. We will be sending out information about this matter in due course.

We are not yet at the end of the COVID-19 ordeal, but things do (hopefully) seem to be getting more positive day-by-day. Hopefully we can achieve a kind of near-tonormality soon enough. The SAHGB could easily have been severely disrupted during the pandemic but thankfully to the tireless work of trustees, officers and members we have managed to stay strong together as an organisation. We have needed to adapt our activities, of course, but nonetheless we have continued to carry out our main tasks even against the awful background of the pandemic.

In 2020, therefore, the Society’s Awards were duly handed out, we published the 63rd volume of Architectural History , we provided studentships for 2 more PhD scholars, we held a rather effective online AGM, a fascinating Annual Symposium on historical archives, and equally impressive was the excellent range of other online

Professor Murray Fraser, Chair SAHGB

Annual Report & Financial statements

02 2020

The Society, a company limited by guarantee, is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. The affairs of the Society are governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The liability of each member in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £1.

Reference & administrative details

Trustees and Members of the Executive Committee

	President Prof Neil Jackson
	Chair Prof Murray Fraser
	Honorary Secretary Dr Neal Shasore
	Honorary Treasurer Luca Jellinek
	Executive Directors Dr Ann-Marie Akehurst Dr Susan West Dr Anthony Gerbino Dr Julian Holder Prof Elizabeth McKellar Dr Anne-Francoise Morel Dr Frances Sands Prof Mark Swenarton

Officers of the Society (non-Trustees and not elected by the General Meeting)

Publications and Awards Officer	Dr Timothy Brittain-Catlin
Content Editor	John Jervis
Social Media Officers	Natalie Arrowsmith
	Hugh Memess
Technical Officer	Lucca Ferrarese
Convenor, Women Architectural	Dr Elizabeth Darling
Historians Network
Convenor, LGBTQIA+ Network	Dr Ewan Harrison

The Executive Committee presents its report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020.

The legal and administrative information forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

About The Society continued

About The Society

Our mission Knowledge, Advocacy, Dissemination

We are an educational charity dedicated to furthering the knowledge of architectural history through advancing research, education and learning; disseminating that knowledge to public and professional audiences through programming, content production, support and publishing; and advocating for our members and the discipline in heritage, architectural and higher-educational settings.

We strive to demonstrate that a strong discipline of architectural history is a vital strand of the arts and humanities, enriches the promotion and celebration of built heritage and the historic environment for all, and is part of the bedrock of architectural education and practice.

Our vision ‘ All places, All periods, All welcome’

We are focussed on strengthening our position as the leading subject and professional association for architectural history and architectural historians in all their professional contexts, as well as the leading forum for lifelong learning. We want to develop a diverse and sustainable membership that represents the discipline and practice of architectural history.

connections, and weave them together. We should foster a sense of collective mission and community of shared interest among members, professionals and other special interest organisations in our field. We need to provide more opportunities to network and exchange ideas across sectional interests and national borders, and build skills and create resilience in a difficult and complex professional landscape.

Our strength must be in our breadth of interest, representing plurality and proactively expanding the scope of the discipline - as the subject association we must find common threads, make

This vision can be summarised clearly as ‘All Places, All Periods, All Welcome.’

Our values and principles Inclusive, Representative, Creative

As a small volunteer-led organisation that is spread geographically and has relatively limited resources, we need to have shared values and principles to guide our work and to help bring more diverse people into the fold.

We should thus aim to be agile, open and transparent; diverse, inclusive and representative of our different constituencies; and creative in problemsolving, programming, and fostering partnerships with other organisations in our sectors.

Our purpose Inform, Invigorate, Support

Beyond our ongoing commitment to the support of architectural history for its own sake, our campaigning purpose has two goals. First - to inform and invigorate the preservation of built heritage, so that architectural inheritances are understood, protected, and celebrated in

their historical contexts. Secondly - to help build and support architectural history as a fundamental discipline in contemporary architectural education so that historical method and heritage can properly inform contemporary practice.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

About The Society continued

Organisation and Structure

The Society’s constitution is its Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended over the years. It is governed by an Executive Committee comprising offices and trustees. It delegates day-today management of the Society’s affairs to the Honorary Secretary who leads a Management Team of a number of officers, some of which are not elected by the General Meeting. The President serves a two-year term (but can be re-elected for a further two years) and the rest of the committee serve for one year, but can be reelected (albeit only twice in the case of the Chair). Sub-committees on various facets of the Society’s activities report to the

Executive Committee.

Public benefit

In planning the Society’s activities, the Trustees have full regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Our vision of ‘All Places, All Periods, All Welcome’ reinforces our commitment to accessible and diverse activity. We have an expanded public programme which for 2020 was largely virtually delivered and freely accessible to all. Within the professional programme, our two academic seminars – one co-supported by the Institute of Historical Research and the other coorganised with the Wellcome Collection – are also publicly accessible. We publish news and features on our website which are also freely available.

‘ We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’

Our awards, grants and scholarships programmes are open to all to apply, and they reward and celebrate research in our discipline and cognate sectors, in many cases publicly funded, which add to the public benefit. We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and we have convened a number of networks around protected characteristics to develop further outreach and diversity initiatives in the discipline. We actively partner with other charities and not-forprofit organisations, including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Institute of Historical Research (IHR), as well as higher-education institutions.

Any surplus made from any of the Society’s activities form part of its charitable funds.

Executive committee

The Executive Committee continued to develop the Governance Review of the Society which will be concluded in 2021. In anticipation of its final recommendations to the membership, the Executive Committee resolved to focus more squarely on issues pertaining to trusteeship (fiduciary and financial responsibility for the charity, clarifying policy and setting strategy, monitoring income, expenditure and investments etc). It delegated responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Society to the Honorary Secretary, Neal Shasore, who convened a Management Team of Society Officers.

Membership

of 62 members between 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2020. At 31 December 2020 our membership stood at 920, a 10+62 year high, with a significant growth spurt members joined this year between 2019 and 2020.

The support of our members is our lifeblood and the Society is immensely grateful for the membership’s continuing support. We are pleased to report a net increase

Membership figures for 2020 Membership figures at the end of each calendar month in 2020.

594 646 659 668 679 693 726 770 812 849 878 907

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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Membership classes December 2020 Breakdown of how members pay
Showing different categories (overseas The table below gives a breakdown of
merged) and different methods of payment membership in December 2020 according
(cash payers includes those who registered to payment method.
using our website form).
Ordinary member
414
Direct Debit
Joint member 460
46
Early Career
member Standing
39 Order
Life member 17
63
Retired member Cash Payers Gratis Member
376 67
214
Student member
129
----- End of picture text -----

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

The Society’s Awards Programme was run very successfully, with each award garnering a particularly high number of submissions due to clarified competition criteria, diverse dedicated and independent judging panels, and carefully managed promotion.

The Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion

The Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion – awarded since 1959 – is given annually to the author of a literary work that provides an outstanding contribution to the study of architectural history. The work must be by a British author (or authors), or deal with an aspect of the architectural history of the British Isles or the Commonwealth. The award is named after the mother of the American architectural historian Henry RussellHitchcock, and the medallion consists of a Wedgwood portrait of James ‘Athenian’ Stuart. It was presented to the Society’s general meeting in 1959.

30 titles were nominated, with 17 submissions taken forward as a longlist. The 5 shortlisted titles were:

Louise Campbell , Studio Lives: Architect, Art and Artist in 20th-Century Britain (Lund Humphries)

David Hemsoll , Emulating Antiquity. Renaissance Buildings from Brunelleschi to Michelangelo (Yale University Press)

Anne-Françoise Morel , Glorious Temples or Babylonic Whores: The Culture of Church Building in Stuart England through the Lens of Consecration Sermons (Brill)

Lukasz Stanek , Architecture in Global Socialism: Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East in the Cold War (Princeton University Press)

The Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion competition was refined such that, following an open nomination process, nominees were invited to submit to a longlist. Longlist submissions comprised a writing sample, supporting statement and letters of endorsement from publishers and peers. From this, the judges decided a shortlist, read the works in their entirety, and then made a final award (with the possibility of further commendations). The judging panel was chaired by Dr Elizabeth Darling (Oxford Brookes University), and included Dr Max Sternberg (University of Cambridge), Michael Hall (Editor, the Burlington Magazine, winner of the ADH 2015), Prof Christine Casey (University College, Dublin, winner of the ADH 2018), and Dr Tania Sengupta (Bartlett School of Architecture).

Otto Saumarez-Smith , Boom Cities: Architect Planners and the Politics of Radical Urban Renewal in 1960s Britain (Oxford University Press)

The Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion was awarded to Dr Lukasz Stanek . The judges commented that Dr Stanek’s book was ‘an outstanding and pioneering work of scholarship: a transnational-cum-global study that connects modern architectural histories of Eastern Europe and the Global South. Methodologically and conceptually rigorous, and executed with immense competence, this will have a huge impact in the field.’

Awards continued

The Colvin Prize

The Colvin Prize is awarded annually to the author or authors of an outstanding work of reference that relates to the field of architectural history, broadly conceived. All modes of publication are eligible, including catalogues, gazetteers, digital databases and online resources. It is named in honour of Sir Howard Colvin, a former president of the Society, and one of the most eminent scholars in architectural history of the twentieth century. The prize was inaugurated in 2017, winners receive a commemorative medal designed by contemporary medallist Abigail Burt.

There were 16 nominated titles, 14 of which were submitted to a longlist. Of these, a shortlist of 5 was taken forward by the judging panel. They were:

Nat Alcock, Paul Barnwell and Martin Cherry (eds) , Cruck Building: A Survey (Shaun Tyas)

Murray Fraser and Catherine Gregg (eds) , Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture (Bloomsbury)

Janina Gosseye, Naomi Stead and Deborah van der Plaat (eds) , Speaking of Buildings: Oral History in Architectural Research (Princeton Architectural Press)

The judging process for the Colvin Prize mirrored that of the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion. The judging panel was chaired by Prof Elizabeth McKellar (Open University) and included Ed Bottoms (Architectural Association), Matthew Bristow (Victoria County History Series/Historic England), Colin Thom (Survey of London, Bartlett School of Architecture) and Ashleigh Murray (Donald Insall Associates).

Andrew Tierney , Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Yale University Press)

Ines Weizman (ed.) , Traces of the Bauhaus Across 100 Years (Spector Books)

The Colvin Prize was award to Prof Murray Fraser and Catherine Gregg . The judging panel praised the new edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture as ‘an outstanding achievement in historical scholarship which succeeds in being not only a collection of essays but a uniformly consistent encyclopedia of world architecture… The editors and publishers have transformed what could have become an out-of-date relic in ways that will ensure its status as the primary reference work for the subject for many years to come, and provided a showcase for architectural history as a vibrant, engaged and forward-looking discipline across the world.’

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Awards continued

The Hawksmoor medal

To encourage new and unpublished entrants to the field of architectural history, the Society’s Essay Medal (popularly known as the ‘Hawksmoor’) is awarded annually to the author of the best essay submitted in competition. The competition is limited to PhD students and early career researchers (defined as within 5 years from graduation of a terminal degree). The judging panel was chaired by Prof Neil Jackson (University of Liverpool) and included Prof Mark Swenarton (University of Liverpool), Dr Susie West (Open University), Prof Katie Lloyd Thomas (University of Newcastle) and Dr Emanuela Vai (University of Oxford) .

There were 21 submissions – a particularly high number - on a range of subjects. The ‘Hawkmoor’ Essay Medal was award to:

Yasmina El-Chami (University of Cambridge): ‘Industrialism, Philanthropy, Architecture: The ‘Total’ Project of American Missionaries in Nineteenth-Century Beirut’

The judging panel praised the essay’s ‘good archival research and sound methodology.’

2 commendations were awarded to:

Sydney Ayres (Edinburgh University): ‘The Making of a Monopoly: the Business and Architectural Practices of Scottish Architect William Adam, c.1720-1750’

and

Murray Anthony Tremellen (University of York): ‘The Career of James Robb Scott: Reassessing Architectural Practice on the Southern Railway, 1906-47’

Awards continued

The James Morris Prize

The James Morris Essay Prize is named after James Morris (1878-1964), a British-born and -educated architect who worked in South Africa from 1902, including a period spent in the office of Sir Herbert Baker. It was generously endowed by his grandson, Dr Simon Morris.

The judging panel was chaired by Dr Doreen Bernath (Leeds Beckett University/ Architectural Association) and included Dr Megha Chand Inglis (Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University), Dr Emily Mann (Courtauld Institute of Art), Dr Huda Tayob (University of Johannesburg) and Prof Ola Uduku (Manchester School of Architecture). There were 12 submissions – the highest number so far for the Morris Prize – and the award was given to:

Awarded to the best essay submitted in competition which uses postcolonial critical approaches to architecture and the British Empire.

Felipe Aravena , ‘BRECAST in Chile: The Failed Architecture of Technical Assistance’

The award was re-framed to place emphasis on perspectives and approaches to British Imperialism rather than the geographical and physical definitions of colonies, dominions and buildings within them. The award embraces approaches which explore, broadly conceived, plural forms of architectural histories and historiographies of imperialism, rather than histories of architecture in the British Empire.

The judging panel awarded a commendation to:

Rebekah Coffman , ‘The Sacred Shift: Expanding Heritage Narratives through Adaptive Reuse’

Dr Sydney Ayres’s work was described by the panel as ‘an original and insightful, archive-driven treatment of the business dimensions of architectural design and the judges commended it for its use of archival sources.’ Tremellen’s essay was commended for its range of archival material and interpretation of authorship, as well as the ‘fascinating new light that it shed on this generally overlooked area of architectural practice.’

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Activities and achievements during the year

Architectural History

Data TBC 125 responses for a 2-day event that were drawn up for May

Prof Mark Swenarton was appointed as Editor in succession to Dr Anthony Gerbino, and a comprehensively reformulated Editorial Board was created to suit.

Programmes

The Society’s programme of events expanded significantly.

Flagship events

Annual Lecture and Awards Ceremony

Architectural History Workshop

The Executive Committee invited Dr Lynne Walker (School of Advanced Studies, University of London) to give the Annual Lecture for 2020. Though plans for an in-person lecture were stymied by the ongoing pandemic and the second national lockdown, a conversazione was held between Dr Walker and her friend and collaborator, Dr Elizabeth Darling. This was held virtually, and provided an opportunity for the Annual Lecturer to reflect on research and projects carried out over a long career. The Annual Lecturer was also profiled in the Society’s magazine, The Architectural Historian , by Aymee ThorneClarke and a transcript and recording of the conversazione with Dr Darling was made available via the website. The Society intended to give Dr Walker an opportunity to deliver her lecture when social distancing measures were eased.

The Society’s graduate student and early career event was scheduled for 22 March 2020 to be held at the Gallery at Cowcross Street. A full programme was devised by the Society’s PhD Scholars, though sadly this event was cancelled as the country entered the first lockdown.

Annual Symposium

The title of the Annual Symposium for 2020 was ARCH/TECTURES ARCH/VES, and was coorganised by the Honorary Secretary, Dr Neal Shasore, with the AA Archive (Ed Bottoms and Lexi Frost) and the RIBA Collections (India Whiteley and Dr Ewan Harrison). An expansive and bold Call for Participation garnered some 125 responses from around the world, and ambitious plans for a 2-day event were drawn up for May. Undeterred by the pandemic, the event was radically re-conceived as a 4-day programme spread over June to September. Held via Zoom and free to attend, over 1200 participants registered. It constituted a significant international intervention into archival and collections practice and theory.

The Awards Ceremony was also adapted online, and the awards for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion, Colvin Medal, ‘Hawksmoor’ Essay Prize, and the Morris Prize were virtually conferred by the President, Prof Neil Jackson.

Annual Study Tour

Plans for an ambitious Study Tour to Oxford were curtailed by the pandemic and will be revived when public health restrictions are lifted.

Activities and achievements

during the year continued

Members talks and events

At the start of the year, the Society organised a series of regional talks and events, including ‘Thinking 3D’ at the University of Oxford, organised with Prof William Whyte, Dr Karl Kinsella and Dr Emanuela Vai, which included a tour of the exhibition of the same name at the Bodleian’s Weston Library. The President, Prof Neil Jackson, gave lectures at Rewley House, Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford and at the University of York. From June, the Society embarked on regular Member Talks held virtually. The first of these was given by Neil Jackson, who transported members to the model village of Saltaire. Dr Geoffrey Tyack delivered two events on the architecture of Oxford in lieu of the cancelled Study Tour, including a piece of film on John Radcliffe’s architectural patronage, directed and edited by Hugh Memess. We believe this was the Society’s first foray into the medium of film in its 65 year history! Simon Bradley gave a talk on his work updating the Oxfordshire volume of Pevsner’s Buildings of England series. In the autumn, a series of talks on the Arts & Crafts were given, including a talk by Dr Anne Stutchbury on Philip Webb’s Standen and Dr Alec Hamilton on Arts and Crafts Churches. Just before Christmas, the President hosted a convivial ‘Pub Quiz.’

200 regularly in attendance at our online seminars

Academic seminars

The Architectural History Seminar, launched in the autumn of 2019, began the year with two talks held at Senate House before the first national lockdown. Dr Emilie Oléron Evans (Queen Mary University of London) spoke compellingly on Pevsner’s debt to August Schmarsow’s concept of Einfühlung . In March, Michael Hall (The Burlington Magazine) discussed his forthcoming book on queering the history of the National Trust. After regrouping, the Seminar also adapted virtually, with a much-expanded programme. Convened by Dr Neal Shasore and Dr Matthew Walker, from July, it was held in collaboration with the longestablished Architectural History Seminar at the University of Oxford. A regular series of papers included presentations by David McKinstry on the Italianate style in nineteenth-century London, Dr Patrick Zamarian on W A Allen and the ideal of ‘research’ in architecture, Dr Rixt Woudstra and Prof Hannah Le Roux on township architecture by Betty Spence (delivered in part from Johannesburg), Andrew Murray on Australian-UK architectural exchange in the post-war period (delivered from Melbourne), and Prof Soumyen Bandyopadhyay on the development of Oman. It culminated with Prof Christine Casey’s provocative paper on the status of ornament and materiality in architectural history.

The Seminar regularly attracted registrations of up to 200, with attendance of well over 100 on several occasions.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Activities and achievements during the year continued

‘ The Society also launched a new website with much improved functionality and navigability for members and the public.’

Digital communications

The Society focussed on improving its member communications, in particular digital communications. In April it launched a new logo and visual identity, developing the Society’s brand. This will allow the Society to communicate more effectively with members using digital tools – much needed during the ongoing pandemic – and to professionalise its appearance alongside other leading organisations and institutions operating in its feeder sectors.

All Officers and Trustees of the organisation now collaborate more effectively using a suite of digital tools through a not-forprofit subscription with Google Workspace (formerly GSuite). The Society continued to communicate with members via monthly member updates and expanded its communications operation so that there are now dedicated officers who manage the Society’s social media accounts, an increasingly necessary form of connecting with old and new audiences.

The Society also launched a new website with much improved functionality and navigability for members and the public.

Content

The new website allows the Society to present content in more dynamic and accessible forms. It also opened up the possibility of publishing news items and features. The Society recruited a Content Editor, John Jervis, who commissioned and published an extraordinary range of timely and interesting pieces: there was a series which took a ‘long-view’ of epidemiology and architectural form, and indeed on salutogenesis and city-making; later, as hospitality began to open up following the first lockdown, there was a series on the architecture of pubs. A number of pieces were commissioned by the Society’s LGBTQIA+ Network in honour of Pride Month in July. Accompanying the Annual Symposium was a dedicated ‘hub’ of virtual posters and provocative essays. A series of interviews were recorded with the nominees for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion, hosted by the President and edited by Hugh Memess.

Two issues of the Society’s magazine, The Architectural Historian , were ably produced by Nick Jones with some assistance from Paul Holden as Commissioning Editor.

Operational & financial review

The Society’s financial position is set out in its financial statements. The Executive Committee is grateful for the many generous donations made to the Society over the course of the year. The Society has for some years employed a firm of membership agents to collect subscriptions and maintain membership records, and in 2018 it engaged a contractor to assist with administrative tasks. Generally the financial situation of the Society is in a healthy position.

Activities and achievements

during the year continued

Objectives for 2021

The Society intends to continue to sponsor full-time PhD students and has a clear plan to increase the number of students of architectural history that it can support, including developing a scheme for giving bursaries to students taking Master’s degrees and to early career scholars.

The Executive Committee - working with the new Chair and Secretary - will produce a Corporate Strategy outlining a clear vision for the next three years of the Society’s development.

It will also continue to expand its programme of conferences, workshops and educational events. The programme of grants to individuals to support their studies and educational activities will likewise continue. The Society will undertake a review of its internationally-renowned Awards programme. The Society’s website and digital presence will be updated.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Governance and Management continued

Governance and Management

Staff and volunteers

No staff are employed by the Society, which is entirely reliant upon volunteers. It does employ some contractors for certain administrative functions.

During the year none of the Trustees received any payment except the Hon Editor of Architectural History on whom the Executive Committee agreed to confer an annual honorarium of £3,000.

Trustees

For the purposes of company law, the Trustees shown on page 2 are also the directors of the company. Trustees automatically retire upon completion of their term of office but may be eligible for reappointment.

No Trustee has any beneficial interest in the Society. All Trustees are members of the Society and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of winding up.

New Trustees are identified following a review of the skills and experience needed to oversee and develop the Society. In addition to considering the relevant skills that each potential Trustee may bring to the Society, the recruitment process also considers potential conflicts of interest.

Following appointment, new Trustees receive a briefing and induction programme as appropriate, using materials supplied by the Charity Commission and other relevant bodies.

The Society’s governing documents and policies are reviewed regularly to ensure they keep pace with developments in best practice.

Trustees’ responsibilities in the preparation of financial statements

The Trustees (who as noted are also directors of the Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Society’s annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The Executive Committee presents its report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the Charity for that period.

In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue on that basis.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Society and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information on the Society’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Risk Management

The Executive Committee has examined the major strategic, business and operational risks which the Society faces and confirms that systems have been established to enable regular reports to be produced so that the necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks.

Reserves

The Executive Committee’s policy with regard to reserves is to maintain adequate funds to deal with current and medium term needs including approved research grants together with the necessary provision to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

As at 31 December 2020, the Society’s free reserves were £ 393,124 (2019: £403,657). In order to meet unexpected liabilities or appeals for funding, the Trustees believe that the Society should hold easily accessible reserves of between £300,000 and £350,000 and expect the free reserves to be within, or close to, this range.

Going Concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Society has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements

Investment powers and policy

The Trustees have the investment powers set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association to invest in any investments, securities or properties, those monies that the Society does not immediately need. Such funds are invested by the Society’s discretionary investment managers, Brewin Dolphin.

Independent examiner

In view of the scale of the Society’s activities and net assets, an independent examination but not an audit of the Financial Statements is required. This examination has been carried out by Sue Kowszun BA FCA DChA.

Statement of disclosure of information

to the Independent Examiner

The Trustees at the date of approval of this Trustees’ annual report confirm that, so far as each of them is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Society’s independent examiner is unaware, and the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.

Approved by the Executive Committee on 30 June 2021 and signed on its behalf by:

Dr Neal Shasore, Hon. Secretary

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Independent Examiner’s report

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain Limited (SAHGB)

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2020.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements concerning of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination or
the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Charity No 236432 Company No 810735

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Financial Statements

Approved on 30th June 2021 by the Executive Committee

Statement of fnancial activities Notes	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2019 £
Income Donations and legacies 2 Income from charitable activities 3 Trading income Investment income 4 Total income	18,464 27,046 45,510 89,165 – 625 625 37,379 – 26,023 26,023 26,236 18,273 11,674 29,947 26,105
	36,737 65,368 102,105 178,885
Expenditure Costs of raising funds Expenditure on charitable activities 5 Trading expenditure Total expenditure Net income/ (expenditure) and movement in funds for the year before gains/ (losses) on investments Net gains/ (losses) on investments Net income/ (expenditure) and movement in funds for the year Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	3,919 5,831 9,750 7,626 87,433 24,716 112,149 202,477 – 38,180 38,180 19,419
	91,352 68,727 160,079 229,522
	(54,615) (3,359) (57,974) (50,637) (11,229) (7,174) (18,403) 65,733 (65,844) (10,533) (76,377) 15,096 631,849 403,657 1,035,506 1,020,410
	566,005 393,124 959,129 1,035,506

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses in the year. All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

Statement of Cash fows Notes	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2020 £
Cash fows Net cash provided by/ (used in) operating activities 9 Interest from investments Transferred (to)/ from Investments Change in cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at start of year Cash and cash equivalents at end of year	(52,901) 9,535 (43,366) 281,798 18,273 11,674 29,947 26,105 119,692 (77,195) 42,497 (345,383)
	85,064 (55,986) 29,078 (37,480)
	– 96,272 96,272 133,722
	85,064 40,286 125,350 96,242

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Financial Statements continued Approved on 30th June 2021 by the Executive Committee

Balance Sheet Notes		2020 £	2019 £
Fixed Assets Investments 10 Current Assets Stock Debtors and prepayments 11 Cash at bank	1 22,059		984,517 1 47,090 96,242 143,333 92,344 50,989
		923,587



	125,350
Creditors: amounts due within one year 12 Net current assets Net assets 13 Funds of the Society Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds 14	147,410 111,868

		35,542
		959,129	1,035,506
			403,657 631,849
		393,124
		566,005
		959,129	1,035,506

For the year ended 31 December 2020 the Society was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies

Trustees’ responsibilities:

The Trustees have not required the Society to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect accounting records and for the preparation of financial statements.

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

These unaudited financial statements have been subject to independent examination. See report on page 10.

The investment objectives set out for the Society are “investment and capital growth” and more specifically to achieve income in the 2 3/4% to 3 1/4% range while adopting a low to moderate risk approach.

Signed on behalf of the Executive Committee, 30 June 2020

Luca Jellinek, Honorary Treasurer

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Notes to the Financial Statements

Notes to the Financial Statements continued

1) Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the inclusion of fixed asset investments at market value, and they have been prepared in accordance with the “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)”. They also comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006.

The Society meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

These unaudited financial statements have been subjected to independent examination. See report on page 10.

The principal accounting policies of the Society have remained unchanged from the previous year and are set out below.

Going Concern

The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis.

Income

Incoming resources are included gross, without netting off any related expenditure.

Incoming resources, including legacies, are generally recognised when the Society becomes entitled to the resources, when receipt is virtually certain and when the monetary amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. Specific policies relating to the Society’s particular income sources are as follows:

Donations are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) gross of any related tax claim.
Income relating specifically to a future accounting period is deferred.
Interest on funds on deposit is included when receivable. Dividend income is recorded when received.

Expenditure

Liabilities are included once the Society is under a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic resources.

Costs of charitable activities include those costs directly attributable to activities undertaken in pursuit of the Society’s objects.

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories consistent with the use of these resources.

Governance costs include all costs relating to compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Bursaries payable are included as liabilities once the Society has irrevocably committed itself to the award.

Fixed Asset Investments

Investments held as fixed assets are revalued at market value at the balance sheet date and both realised and unrealised gains and losses are taken to the SOFA.

Stock

Stock comprises copies of the Society’s publications and is included at the lower of cost and net realisable value with due provision made for obsolete and slow moving items.

Fund Structure

Unrestricted funds are those funds available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Society.

Restricted funds may only be utilised in accordance with the wishes of the donor.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for particular purposes.

Taxation

No provision for taxation, deferred or otherwise, has been made in the financial statements of the Society, as it is a charity in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and is exempt from taxation except for value added tax (VAT), provided that income and gains are applied for charitable purposes under s505 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and s252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.

Foreign currencies

Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities are retranslated at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. All differences are taken to the SOFA.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Notes to the Financial Statements continued

rounding

Notes to the Financial Statements continued

2) Donations and Legacies	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2019 £
Subscriptions Gifts and donations	- 26,559 26,559 23,477 18,464 487 18,951 65,688
	18,464 27,046 45,510 89,165
3) Income from charitable activities
	Study Days/ Conferences £ Other Educational £ Total 2020 £ Total 2019 £
Events: Conference Study tour Annual lecture Symposium Other events	– – – – – – – 32,475 – – – 1,629 – – – 2,600 625 – 625 675
	625 – 625 37,379

4) Investment income	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2019 £
Interest income Dividend income	297 190 487 534 17,976 11,484 29,460 25,571
	18,273 11,674 29,947 26,105

All investment income in the prior year was unrestricted except for £14,937 which was restricted.

5) Expenditure on unrestricted charitable activities	Study Days/ Conferences £ Other Educational £ Support for Research £ Total 2020 £ Total 2019 £
Printing & distribution of journals & newsletters Events: Conference Study tour Annual lecture Symposium Other events Activities undertaken directly Bursaries and grants awarded Support costs - (see note 6) Governance costs - (see note 7) Total charitable activities	– – 5,250 5,250 7,767 – – – – – 1,000 – – 1,000 42,447 113 – – 113 1,644 50 – – 50 4,349 2,529 – - 2,529 4,041
	3,692 – 5,250 8,942 60,248 – – 91,184 91,184 127,379 – – 8,901 8,901 10,002 – – 3,122 3,122 4,848
	3,692 – 108,457 112,149 202,477

rounding

6) Support costs	2020 £ 2019 £
Accountancy and taxation Bank charges Administration	1,200 1,200 408 817 7,293 7,985
	8,901 10,002
7) Governance costs
	2020 £ 2019 £
Independent examination fee Committee expenses Statutory compliance	300 300 1,812 3,555 1,010 993
	3,122 4,848

8) Trustees remuneration and related party transactions

The Society had no employees during the year (2019: Nil) and no Trustees received any remuneration during the year (2019: Nil). One Trustee (2019:8) was reimbursed travel expenses to a total of £113 during the year (2019: £2,516). No Trustees or other person related to the Society had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the Society during the year (2019: Nil).

9) Reconciliation of net income/ (expenditure) to net cash fow from operating activities	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2019 £
Net income/ (expenditure) per statement of fnancial activities Adjustments for: Losses / (Gains) on investments Interest from investments Decrease / (Increase) in debtors Increase/ (Decrease) in creditors Net cashprovided by /(used in) operating activities	(65,844) (10,533) (76,377) 15,096 11,229 7,174 18,403 (65,733) (18,273) (11,674) (29,947) (26,105) 25,467 (436) 25,031 332,857 (5,480) 25,004 19,524 25,683
	(52,901) 9,535 (43,366) 281,798

Bursaries are awarded in accordance with the Society’s objects of furthering the study and advancing the knowledge of the history and development of architecture. All bursaries awarded during the year were made to individuals and relate to research undertaken in architectural history.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Notes to the Financial Statements continued

10) Investments	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £	Total Funds 2020 £ Total Funds 2019 £
Managed portfolio of investments Market value of managed portfolio 1 January Transfers and charges Realised/ unrealised gains/ (losses) Market value of managed portfolio 31 December Shares in SAHGB Publications Ltd Investments at market value comprises: Equities Fixed interest securities Cash held within the investment portfolio Assets in the UK Assets outside the UK	631,849 352,668 (54,615) 12,088 (11,229) (7,175)	984,517 573,400 (42,527) 345,383 (18,404) 65,733
	566,005 357,581 – 1	923,586 984,516 1 1
	566,005 357,582	923,587 984,517
	339,295 198,458 218,505 153,371 8,205 5,752	537,753 546,407 371,876 422,270 13,957 15,839
	566,005 357,581	923,586 984,516
		429,206 560,378 494,380 424,138
		923,586 984,516

11) Debtors and Prepayments	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ 2020 £ 2019 £
Tax receivable on gift-aided receipts Amounts receivable from subsidiary Prepayments and accrued income	– 4,088 4,088 6,600 – 19 19 19 14,533 3,419 17,952 40,471
	14,533 7,526 22,059 47,090
12) Creditors: amountingfallingdue within oneyear
	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ 2020 £ 2019 £
Accruals and deferred income Bursaries and awards	– 25,804 25,804 1,800 85,064 1,000 86,064 90,544
	85,064 26,804 111,868 92,344
13) Analysis of net assets between funds Cash at bank Other net assets / (liabilities) Investments Net assets
	Restricted Funds £ Unrestricted Funds £ 2020 £ 2019 £
	85,064 40,286 125,350 96,242 (85,064) (4,744) (89,808) (45,253) 566,005 357,582 923,587 984,517
	566,005 393,124 959,129 1,035,506

14) Movement of funds Unrestricted funds: General funds Restricted funds: Jonathan Vickers fund Annabel Ricketts memorial fund James Morris fund Andrew Lloyd Webber fund Graham Child fund Thriplow Charitable Trust fund H B Allen Charitable Trust fund Arnold Stevenson fund Total funds	01EJan 2020 £ Incoming £ Outgoing £ Net Gains £ 31EDec 2020 £ 403,657 65,368 (68,727) (7,174) 393,124
	403,657 65,368 (68,727) (7,174) 393,124
	84,254 2,437 (13,102) (1,497) 72,092 35,718 1,033 (14,089) (635) 22,027 5,170 150 (432) (92) 4,796 13,746 14,930 (15,685) (244) 12,747 27,690 801 (16,420) (492) 11,579 4,344 126 (4,392) (77) 1 40,861 1,182 (24,626) (726) 16,691 420,066 16,078 (2,606) (7,466) 426,072
	631,849 36,737 (91,352) (11,229) 566,005
	1,035,506 102,105 (160,079) (18,403) 959,129

Prize Bursary fund

Included in unrestricted funds is an amount of £3,411 (2019: £3,411) in respect of the Prize Bursary Fund, accumulated from the Society’s overseas tours; prizes are being awarded annually to students attending events sponsored by the Society.

Jonathan Vickers fund

This fund (set up in the name of, and with a substantial donation from the estate of, a late member) is being used specifically to support post-graduate students of architectural history for the duration of their PhD study periods.

Annabel Ricketts Memorial fund

This fund, set up in memory of Annabel Ricketts, is used to support post-graduate students and other persons in their architectural research.

James Morris fund

This fund has been used to provide an annual essay prize in memory of the donor’s grandfather, James Morris, who was a partner of Sir Herbert Baker in Cape Town.

Andrew Lloyd Webber fund

This fund is to help further PhD scholarships.

Graham Child fund

This fund was set up from a donation of a member to help one new PhD scholarship.

Thriplow Charitable Trust fund

Donated to assist with the on-going support of PhD scholarships.

H B Allen Charitable Trust fund

This grant was awarded to fund a PhD scholarship in Heritage Buildings.

Arthur Hayward Stevenson fund

Income from this fund (set up in the name of, and with a substantial donation from the estate of, a late member) is to be used to fund educational bursaries.

Annual Report & Financial statements

2020

Notes to the Financial Statements continued

15) Company limited by guarantee

The Society is a company limited by guarantee and as such does not have any share capital. The Trustees, who are also the members, have each agreed to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.

16) Control

In the opinion of the Trustees there is no single controlling party of the Society.

17) Related party transactions

At the end of the year £19 was due from SAHGB Publications Limited (2019: £19)

The following Trustees received remuneration for their contribution to its journal Architectural History: Dr Gerbino £3,000, Dr Holder £493, Prof Swenarton £3,000 (2019: Dr Gerbino £3,250, Dr Holder £250)

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2020 Annual Report & Financial statements 29
Designed by Arthur Dunster
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@theSAHGB www.sahgb.org.uk 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EL Charity No 236432 Company No 810735