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What a change I’ve seen in 40 years! I have had the pleasure of working in and around Bedford throughout that period with two local firms.

On my second day in full time work, I was given the task of measuring stockpiles of gravel and sand at a pit in Wyboston. Now, that pit is no longer, having been buried under St Neots bypass. By coincidence, the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet dualling will supersede that bypass in 2027, and I was involved in scheduling buildings around that proposed new road in 2024.

Drawings

Back in the day, drawing was on tracing paper with pen and ink, often resulting in ink stained fingers. Changes to drawings were laboriously made by scraping with a razor blade, hoping that your client or boss did not change their mind too often and that a hole did not appear in the drawing. The developing and printing of drawings used an ammonia-filled printer, which often jammed in damp weather. Retrieving the situation made the eyes sting, and no breathing apparatus was provided. Today, all drawings are done by computer-aided design with the ability to change, adapt and evolve schemes at the click of a button.

Construction

Construction was significantly different. I remember my first boss, who had over 50 years’ experience, being shocked when I informed him that external wall cavities need filling with insulation to meet new building regulations. Something I am not sure he ever came around to thinking was a good idea – cavities were designed to stop damp transfer and therefore should not be filled. Perhaps I had the audacity of a ‘very fresh out of Polytechnic’ surveyor at the time. Changes have occurred in the built environment in Bedford over my time here. Indeed, one warehouse in Kingsway was refurbished after a serious fire, only to be knocked down about ten years later to be replaced by a block of flats. Others have been revamped several times. Some have been preserved for future generations, such as Bunyan Meeting in Mill Street.

The Party Wall Act

At Polytechnic in London, we were given a lecture on The Party Wall Act – it lasted all of 10 minutes. The lecturer stated that as it related only to London at that time and no-one on the course would want to work in London, a lecture on the subject would be pointless. Yet in 1997, the Party Wall etc Act 1996 went nationwide and in these latter years has formed a large part of my workload.

The time has come to hand over to my younger colleagues, with David Cook mainly taking on my workload. Retiring from full time employment – yes, but still continuing on a consultancy basis focusing on party wall work and a few retained clients.

Robinson & Hall thanks Stuart for his incredible work over the years and wishes him well for the future.

For more information or to discuss your project with us, please contact David Cook.